June 17, 7:30am
Argentina vs South Korea
There are a lot of question marks surrounding Argentina entering the World Cup, however, I am a believer. Despite having a mentally challenged midget for a head coach, the Albiceleste should be fine. Maradona has been criticized for leaving off veterans Javier Zanetti and Esteban Cambiasso, however Nicolas Burdisso has been in exceptional form and the captain Javier Mascherano will hold down the midfield. I do still believe both Zanetti and Cambiasso should have been included without a shadow of a doubt, but lets not write the entire team off just because of that. South Korea should pose as no threat and Argentina’s potent attack will leave the Koreans battered and bruised.
Final Score: 3-0
Key players to watch:
Argentina- Lionel Messi (forward, Barcelona), Nicolas Burdisso (defender, Roma), Carlos Tevez (forward, Man City), Juan Sebastian Veron (midfielder, Estudiantes), Gonzalo Higuain (forward, Real Madrid), Diego Milito (forward, Inter Milan)
South Korea– Cha Du-Ri (defender, SC Freiburg), Park Ji-Sung (midfielder, Manchester United), Ki Sung-Yong (midfielder, Celtic), Lee Chung-Yong (midfielder, Bolton)
Greece vs Nigeria 10:00am
Sorry, Greece. I just don’t think you’re gonna have enough to survive in this group. But hey, what do I know? Here’s your chance to prove me wrong. I expect Greece to put up a valiant effort in all of their matches, but their stout defense won’t be enough to get them through. After all, you have to score goals if you want to get anywhere, and that’s one talent the Greeks lack. One of these two teams will advance to the next round and Nigeria has the advantage of playing on their home continent. I think Nigeria win here putting them one step closer to the next round.
Final score: 2-1
Key players to watch:
Nigeria- John Obi Mikel (midfielder, Chelsea), Obafemi Martins (forward, Wolfsburg), Yakubu (forward, Everton), Joseph Yobo (defender, Everton), Dickson Etuhu (midfielder, Fulham)
Greece- Sotirios Kyrgiakos (defender, Liverpool), Theofanis Gekas (forward, Hertha BSC), Vasilis Torosidis (defender, Panathinaikos), Georgios Samaras (forward, Celtic), Giorgos Karagounis (midfielder, Panathinaikos)
France vs Mexico 2:30pm
This is an intriguing match up to say the least. France, much like Argentina, enters the tournament surrounded by question marks. It is already set in stone that after the tournament wacky coach Raymond Domench will be replaced by Laurent Blanc. Despite the question marks, there is no denying the talent that is on this French squad. I believe we will see a tight match here with a high possibility of a draw. However, I don’t like draws so I will tip France to escape with a close victory.
Final score: 2-1
Key players to watch:
France– Yoann Gourcuff (midfielder, Bordeaux), Franck Ribery (midfielder, Bayern Munich), Florent Malouda (midfielder, Chelsea), Patrice Evra (defender, Manchester United), Nicolas Anelka (forward, Chelsea)
Mexico- Javier Hernandez (forward, Manchester United), Guillermo Franco (forward, West Ham), Cuauhtemco Blanco (forward, Veracruz), Gerrardo Torrado (midfielder, Cruz Azul), Guillermo Ochoa (goalkeeper, America)
thespecial1
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