The absence of the English Premier League this week will be filled by the exciting prospect of the European 2014 FIFA World Cup Qualification playoffs that will decide that last four European teams to fill a spot at next year’s tournament.
Here is my guide to the four two-leg playoffs to be played on Saturday and Wednesday morning.
Playoff 1 – Iceland vs Croatia
This is a tie in which the neutrals would love to see the small island nation of Iceland prevail and qualify for their first ever international tournament.
They will be up against it facing Croatia, who are looking to make amends for missing out on the 2010 tournament after three successive qualifications on the trot, including a third-place finish in 1998.
Iceland must ensure a good result in icy Reykjavik as the away fixture in Zagreb will surely be a hostile environment as the heart of the football-loving Croatia.
Key players
Iceland: Aron Gunnarsson of Cardiff City is the Icelandic captain and will earn his 40th cap for the “Blue Boys”. He will need to control the midfield and prevent the likes of Luka Modric getting control of the game.
Croatia: Dejan Lovren has helped Southampton sit in third in the Premier League and if he is able to prevent Iceland from leaking through the defence, the Croatians will be heavily backed to reach Rio.
Prediction: Iceland 0-0 Croatia (first leg), 0-2 (second leg), 0-2 on aggregate.
Playoff 2 – Portugal vs Sweden
The most hotly anticipated of the four playoffs as it will feature two Ballon d’Or favourites in Cristiano Ronaldo and Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
The Seleccao have made a habit of qualifying for major tournaments via the playoffs and will be favourites to qualify, however they will face a Sweden outfit that has qualified for 11 World Cups.
Sweden will fancy themselves if they do not lose heavily in the first leg in Lisbon. With the unpredictable displays of these two sides, you can expect high scoring games.
Key players
Portugal: While Ronaldo is the captain and star player, it is Pepe who will be vital for Portugal to reach the World Cup. The Real Madrid defender will have the daunting task of marking on of the most spectacular strikers of his generation.
If the aggressive Pepe can contain the tall Swede the attacking avenues for Sweden are limited.
Sweden: Zlatan Ibrahimovic is the main point of attack for Sweden, as he would be in nearly any team. The PSG forward has the both poise and power that can destroy any teams back four and leave goalkeepers mystified.
At 32 this could be his last World Cup tilt.
Prediction: Portugal 3-2 Sweden, 3-3, 6-5 on aggregate.
Playoff 3 – Ukraine vs France
France have been unlucky to have been grouped along with Spain but made sure they secured a second place finish which has lead to a playoff with footballing enigma, Ukraine.
A away leg in Kiev is a daunting prospect but France do have the quality to reach the World Cup, which they have featured in the last 4 on five occasions.
Ukraine are in the post Andriy Shevchenko era and have a team compiled almost entirely of Ukrainian league players with an exception of captain, Anatoliy Tymoshchuk of Zenit St Petersburg.
This tie is likely to be a close affair as these two nations are ranked 20th (Ukraine) and 21st (France).
Key players
Ukraine: Ukraine’s biggest attacking threat comes in the form of Dynamo Kiev Andriy Yarmolenko who has scored a goal every two games and a half in his 36 caps.
Playing out wide he has been likened to Arjen Robben and has been courted by some of Europe’s premier clubs.
France: Ballon d’Or favourite, Franck Ribery is the crown jewel of this French side that is littered with multi million dollar players.
The flying left winger is in fine form with both club and country having scored in his last three international matches and his last three Bayern Munich matches.
Shutting him down will not mean job down for Ukraine but it will definitely tilt the outcome slightly away from Les Bleus.
Prediction: Ukraine 1-2 France, 1-3, 2-5 on aggregate
Playoff 4 – Greece vs Romania
Greece football has been stuck in between gears since their monumental 2004 European Championship victory but will be backing themselves against unfancied Romania who have not appeared at a World Cup since 1998.
Romania will do well to qualify as they will be without star player Adrian Mutu and captain Vlad Chiriches.
Key players
Greece: Goals have always been hard to come by for the blue and whites therefore it will be crucial for Theofanis Gekas to be on his game to provide a consistent attacking threat.
Having played in the top leagues of Spain, England and Germany, Gekas has the pedigree to lead his side to victory.
Romania: The absence of Mutu is a real hammer blow for the Tricolours as he is Romania’s all time leading scorer. This will mean the likes of Ciprian Marica will need to step up to break through a staunch Greek defence.
With a credible goal every three games in his 66 caps it will most likely require the Getafe forward to get on the scoresheet more than once to see Romania reach their eighth World Cup.
Prediction: Romania 2-0 Greece, 0-2, 2-2 on aggregate with Greece to win on penalties.
Who is looking forward to the eight remaining matches in European World Cup qualification? Leave a comment of who you think will be going through and what players will shine in the coming days.
Eddy Bramley
Roar Pro
Yea you make a good point Steven. I think it's a bit of a lottery really. Park Ji Sung was great for South Korea in 2002 and proved to be a great addition to Sir Alex's squad and you're right Kleberson was shocking despite being a star of that World Cup. I think it all comes down to whether these players who have performed well at tournaments can handle the pressure and the expectation that comes with being signed by a big club. What probably makes these players play so well at national tournaments for smaller nations is the lack of expectation and therefore the license to play care-free football. For me this is what separates the best from the rest.
Steven McBain
Roar Guru
Some interesting points Eddy although other than France (who had Spain in their group) I'm not sure that any of the other three nations you mention really deserve to be at the World Cup, they're all pretty average. It would be a shame for either of Ibrahimovic or Ronaldo not to be there but the fact that those nations are struggling with them in their team tells you a lot about their actual level. It is indeed a great shop window for players as you say but managers beware, there have been many transfers born out of performances in major tournaments which have not translated into sustained season in season out performances. You mention Rosicky at Arsenal but I'd actually say he's been a disappointment overall. Wenger also bought Arshavin who did so well at Euro '08 and that didn't work out either. After USA '94, Spurs picked up Ilie Dumitrescu to much trumpeting, not so good. One of my favourite players of all time, Georghe Hagi was a God in tournaments but didn't do it regularly over a domestic season. Everton picked up Daniel Amokachi many years back, ManU picked up Kleberson after Japan and Korea (I think.....) again not so great, the list goes on and on. That's not to say it always goes badly but I think it's far more prudent to pick players based on their club form than over how they play for a month in the Summer..........
Eddy Bramley
Roar Pro
Personally, I look at many of these ties and wince. All four of France, Ukraine, Sweden and Portugal should be at the World Cup and its a massive shame that a couple are going to have to miss out. However, with that comes some great opportunity for smaller nations to reach the World Cup and shine. Like everybody else I would love to see Iceland make it. New Zealand's heroic qualification win against Bahrain four years ago comes to mind here. Admittedly Croatia are a much sterner task for Iceland than Bahrain were for New Zealand, however i sense that this could be a real opportunity for Iceland to step up and expose themselves on the world stage. If they do indeed make the final tournament it will be a massive opportunity for some of their young talented players to gain some expsure and really put Iceland football on the map. We only have to look back to the last few tournaments to see how players from smaller countries have relished the big stage and gained recognition from big clubs. Back in 2002 Senegal were the surprise package and with that came players like El Hadji Diouf and Salif Diao who were both picked up by Liverpool and enjoyed decent careers in England. In 2006 we saw Tomas Rosicky shine for the Czech Republic and picked up by Arsene Wenger at Arsenal. And even in 2010 Winston Reid had a fantastic tournament for New Zealand and was signed by West Ham united. Four years on he is their captain and reportedly being chased by Arsenal! I don't know about you, but I think this has to be the most exciting aspect of a World Cup. It is an awesome opportunity for players to gain recognition and rally kickstart their careers. So lets hope Iceland pull off an upset and allow us to see some new stars shine!
Steven McBain
Roar Guru
Good summary Dylan. I'd agree with you for sure that nearly everyone wants to see Iceland get to the World Cup. The weather for the first tie could be crucial as there are not normally games played this late in the year in Reykjavik. Might just play in to their hands. Croatia's recent form has been lousy (losing twice to my very own Scotland although admittedly in dead rubbers) and they have a rookie coach. France should have too much for Ukraine and I think that Greece should be able to see of Romania although it may be closer than I think. Portugal versus Sweden is the one that many are looking at because of the whole Zlatan v Cristiano gig. I think Portugal have the better players on balance but....... other than Ronaldo they don't really have anyone in good shape or form. Pepe has been in and out of the Madrid side, Nani is not a constant in the ManU starting eleven and the likes of Moutinho have been playing only so so at Monaco. Time for some upsets???