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Match Day 8


MrJibbles

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The bus championing Germany for gold as they kicked off their 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™ campaign was largely unpopulated. However just 90 minutes later the bandwagon was well and truly bustling, the consequence of a 4-0 rout of Australia. Serbia, by contrast, have gone from dark horses to reach the latter stages of the tournament, to outsiders for a place in the knockout stage, the result of a 1-0 defeat by Ghana.Joachim Low and Radomir Antic will now send their charges out for a second time, with the Germans out to all but guarantee a place in the Round of 16 and Serbia simply needing something from the game to retain realistic hope of progression.The matchGermany-Serbia, Nelson Mandela Day Stadium, Friday 18 June, 13.30 (local time)Mesut Ozil, Thomas Muller, Lukas Podolski and Miroslav Klose ran riot first time out, and will now strive to put Serbia to the sword and enhance the emerging view that Germany are international football’s new entertainers. The Beli Orlovi lacked invention against Ghana, and will be hoping wingers Milos Krasic and Milan Jovanovic find their rhythm.If Serbia lose and Ghana take something from their meeting with Australia, Antic’s team will take no hope of advancing into their final Group D game. Marko Pantelic, who spent four successful seasons in the Bundesliga before joining Ajax last year, and his towering strike partner Nikola Zigic will do their best to unravel a resolute German defence, while their defensive team-mates attempt to negate an attack which humiliated a team that conceded just one goal in eight games in the final round of Asian Zone qualifying.Players to watchMiroslav Klose v Nemanja VidicThe Germany No11 served notice of his return to form with a goal against Australia. He now needs just four to equal Brazilian Ronaldo as the FIFA World Cup’s all-time leading marksman – a target he is intent on realising in South Africa. Vidic, one of the world’s finest centre-backs, will be out to nullify Klose in a battle of two players renowned for their aerial ability.The stat4 – The number of Serbia squad members who play their football in Germany: Antonio Rukavina (1860 Munich), Neven Subotic (Borussia Dortmund), Gojko Kacar (Hertha Berlin) and Zdravko Kuzmanovic (Stuttgart).What they say“We are not the fantastic team which everyone makes us out to be, but we have every reason to look forward to the Serbia game with quiet confidence. It will be a different type of game as they desperately need a win. We won't win every game 4-0, but we have nothing to fear,” Thomas Muller, Germany forward.“Germany were very impressive against Australia. They have made the biggest impact at the World Cup so far. They are like a machine, they have seven players going forward. If we want to upset them, we will have to show no fear and play the best we can, because we face a better team,” Milan Jovanovic, Serbia winger.Voice of the fans“Everything is possible! Go Go Go Serbia! Gojko Kacar will be our main new star against Germany!” Bokisha84 (Serbia), FIFA.com user.“It will get very difficult for Serbia against our boys. I do not want to be arrogant and I think that Serbia is stronger than Australia, but a win for Germany is realistic," ChinChillah (Germany), FIFA.com user.The questionsWill Germany produce another emphatic display? Will Serbia manage a huge upset?
Victory will dominate the thoughts of both Slovenia and USA on Friday as they meet for the first time, with the former assured a Round of 16 spot if they prevail and the latter capable of taking their own big step in the same direction. A draw would ratchet up the suspense in Group C ahead of the last round of games, but both sides will feel equipped to emerge triumphant, Slovenia having beaten Algeria 1-0 to clinch their first ever FIFA World Cup™ success and the Stars and Stripes high on confidence following their 1-1 stalemate with England.The matchSlovenia-USA, Group C, Johannesburg (Ellis Park), Friday 18 June, 16.00 (local time)"From now on, we know that we're capable of putting pressure on our opponents," said Robert Koren after the Algeria win, revealing the humility and ambition at the heart of the Slovenia squad. His country's captain, the West Bromwich Albion midfielder struck the winning goal against Les Fennecs and now has his sights set firmly on reaching the knockout phase. "There are still two matches to go, though, and lots of points to be taken if we want to get out of the group stage."The European side clearly feel they have the tools to trouble their opponents, but belief is also high in the US camp. "When you see everyone in the dressing room disappointed after our match against England, that says a lot about our performance," said Landon Donovan in the wake of their opening encounter. England goalkeeper Robert Green may have given the CONCACAF side a helping hand, but Bob Bradley's troops were generally impressive against Fabio Capello's group favourites.Up front, Jozy Altindore and Clint Dempsey – rich from their Premier League experiences – were both lively figures, combining speed, mobility and technique. Meanwhile, alongside courageous captain Carlos Bocanegra at the back, central defenders Jay DeMerit and Oguchi Onyewu contributed rigour, power and good positioning. This US team are a far cry from that which took just a single point at Germany 2006.Players to watchMarko Suler v Clint DempseyHaving found the net against England, Fulham forward Dempsey will be eager to impress again but will need to escape the attentions of Gent stopper Marko Suler. An imposing figure noted for his intelligent positioning and tidy distribution, the former Gorica favourite put up imperious resistance to keep Algeria at bay and has been integral to coach Matjaz Kek's plans for the last two years now. Dempsey will head into the match bubbling with confidence and in searing form, however, despite a long club season with UEFA Europa League finalists Fulham.The stat6 – The number of points Slovenia would boast if they come out on top on Friday, enough to secure their progress after merely two outings. That would represent an exceptional achievement for a country with just two million inhabitants, particularly since they departed Korea/Japan 2002 without a single point on the board.What they said"I often hear people say we should qualify for the next round and that we were drawn in an easy group, but we know that nothing is guaranteed. We can't afford to take Slovenia lightly. In the next few days, we'll need to look back at everything that didn't work [against England]," Landon Donovan, United States forward."They put in a great team performance against England. We've studied their strengths and weaknesses with our coach. We often have trouble finding our bearings before we play a tight game, but we now know what we’re capable of in a big competition," Robert Koren, Slovenia midfielder.Voice of the fans"I'm going for the USA. Yes, Slovenia beat Algeria, but that was due to Les Fennecs’ goalkeeper. [Tim] Howard won't let himself be beaten so easily and Donovan and [Michael] Bradley will show who the legends of America are," Waku J (France).The questionWill the United States be able to replicate their high-quality display against England? Will Slovenia prove more effective going forward than against Algeria?
The tussle for the top two spots in 2010 FIFA World Cup™ Group C will intensify when England take to the field against Algeria on Friday. For Fabio Capello’s men, the mission will be to put their underwhelming draw against USA behind them, while their opponents need to bounce back from their loss to Slovenia knowing that a second successive setback would spell the end of their qualification hopes.The matchEngland-Algeria, Group C, Cape Town, Friday 18 June, 20.30 (local time)The Three Lions let two precious points slip between their fingers when they kicked off their bid against the United States. Overall, they looked short of ideas going forward, but that could all change with the return of Gareth Barry from an ankle injury, the midfielder's presence allowing Steven Gerrard to get further forward after spending most of England’s opener chasing the ball. Despite Barry’s return, the spectre of fitness worries nonetheless continues to hang over the squad, with centre-back Ledley King a doubt for the rest of the tournament after suffering a serious groin complaint against the Stars and Stripes.At the other end of the pitch, Algeria will be anxious to give a more convincing account of themselves than they managed against Slovenia, although they will have to cope without forward Abdelkader Ghezzal after he saw red in that game. Coach Rabah Saadane could turn to Rafik Saifi to fill the void, with the striker seemingly fit again following the ankle injury he picked up during his late substitute cameo last time out. Above all, Les Fennecs will hope for a sterling showing from their defensive quartet of Madjid Bougherra, Anther Yahia, Rafik Halliche and Nadir Belhadj, who all boast experience in Europe. Belhadj will be particularly familiar with the England line-up, having spent the last two seasons with Portsmouth.Players to watchSteven Gerrard v Karim ZianiThe battle for midfield mastery ought to be an enthralling contest, with England captain Gerrard coming up against Algeria’s beating heart in Ziani. The former will look to demonstrate his quality as he did when he opened the scoring early on against the United States, while Ziani will be focused on helping his team-mates spring a surprise and claw their way back into the qualification equation. The Wolfsburg man already boasts the upper hand over his Liverpool counterpart in terms of completed passes, having picked out a colleague 70 per cent of the time compared to Gerrard's 59 per cent success rate.The stat2 – The number of goals England have conceded in five matches against African teams at the FIFA World Cup. Cameroon fired both those efforts in a memorable quarter-final at Italy 1990, making them the only side from Africa to have found the net against the Three Lions on the global stage. Cameroon nonetheless lost that encounter, with England's record from the five matches reading three wins and two draws.What they said"We have a lot of players who can score goals, but for us to get a better result I'll need to play better than I did last time and score. I don't feel any pressure because the team are playing well," Wayne Rooney, England striker."We have several talented players who can make things happen. We're going to pose the England team plenty of problems and we'll be more ambitious than we were against Slovenia. It's a role that suits us well." Anther Yahia, Algeria defender and captainVoice of the fans"We're going to cause an upset! Believe me! Algeria will shock the entire world. One, two, three – Viva Algeria!" FIFA.com user AbdouzizouThe questionAlgeria's only FIFA World Cup strike against a side from the United Kingdom came against Northern Ireland at Mexico 1986. Will the Desert Foxes be able to get their first goal of the tournament and become only the second African team to register against England?
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germany to beat the sh*t out of serbia who are about as good as australia atmusa to beat slovenia but im hoping for a draw in terms of englands chances of topping the groupif england dont beat algeria by at least two goal margin then boy
I hear you but I don't think it's going to be a walk in park ting for the Germans. Serbia are a much much better side than Australia.Yeah I'm hoping for a draw too but more likely USA will win.Boy indeed. England need to beat the Algerians good and proper.
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