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Kick Off: Tuesday, June 15, 2010. 19:30 CET
Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg

Looking For A Sixth Star

It never seems like the World Cup has truly begun until Brazil have got their campaign underway. The most successful nation in the history of the competition always seem to be amongst the favourites before a ball has been kicked, and there is no difference going into South Africa, where the Selecao open their campaign against North Korea.

Dunga’s side have been accused of not having the flair of previous Brazil teams, and this has proven to be something of an affront to the squad, of whom beautiful as well as successful football is expected.

The functional feel to the present unit is underlined by their qualification campaign. Though the Selecao would only lose twice in 18 matches, they would be held to a draw on no fewer than seven occasions. This hard-to-beat makeup ultimately proved successful, as Brazil topped the CONMEBOL qualification group ahead of Chile.

Pre-tournament matches against Zimbabwe and Tanzania, which ended in 3-0 and 5-1 victories respectively, were somewhat flattering to the South American side, yet these were ultimately exercises geared towards acclimatisation as opposed to winning. And still the Selecao managed to achieve comfortable victories in both fixtures without clicking into anything like top gear.

All-time great Pele has already tipped Dunga’s men to win a sixth World Cup tournament, while the signs coming from the camp would appear to be positive, despite the coach banning the media from their training sessions.

Seeking The Spirit of ’66

North Korea’s introduction at just their second World Cup finals could barely be any stiffer, yet the East Asian nation has previous history of causing upsets on football’s greatest stage. When they previously qualified in 1966, Italy were famously beaten 1-0, and Eusebio’s Portugal had to recover from a 3-0 deficit to avoid a monumental quarter-final shock.

Repeating such feats seems the stuff of fantasy, but the Chollima approach the Selecao fixture with a positive mindset. “We know that all the players on the team are famous and that Brazil is the strongest team in the world. It doesn’t seem like they have any weaknesses,” coach An Yong-hak told the media. “Our chances may not be that great, but we can’t say there’s no chance at all.

“The mentality for victory, strong organisational power and unity in fighting – these attributes are further ahead in us than the Brazil team, I think.”

In the AFC qualifying matches, the team rated 105th in the FIFA rankings were found to have an at times impregnable defence. During the third group stage, which consisted of six matches, they didn’t concede a solitary goal, and when it mattered in the final pool, they lost only five goals in eight matches, battling to a gutsy 0-0 draw in Saudi Arabia to secure their qualification.

Now Luis Fabiano, Robinho and Kaka are amongst the players lining up against Kim Jong-Hun’s side, whose defensive ability will be stretched to breaking point on Tuesday.

FORM GUIDE

Brazil

WON 5-1 (a) Tanzania (Friendly, June 7)

WON 3-0 (a) Zimbabwe (Friendly, June 2)

WON 2-0 (a) Oman (Friendly, November 17)

WON 1-0 (n) England (Friendly, November 14)

DREW 0-0 (h) Venezuela (World Cup qualifier, October 14)

North Korea

LOST 3-1 (n) Nigeria (Friendly, June 6)

DREW 2-2 (n) Greece (Friendly, May 25)

LOST 1-0 (n) Paraguay (Friendly, May 15)

DREW 0-0 (n) South Africa (Friendly, April 22)

LOST 2-1 (a) Mexico (Friendly, March 17)

TEAM NEWS

Brazil

The Selecao don’t have too many injury issues, though it seems that they are still fretting over the well-being of goalkeeper Julio Cesar, who missed the final warm-up match against Tanzania due to a back complaint. If the Inter goalkeeper is not fit, Heurelho Gomes appears to be the man to take over.

Ramires could be called after scoring twice against Tanzania during a second half cameo.

Probable Starting XI: Gomes; Maicon, Lucio, Thiago Silva, Michel Bastos; Gilberto Silva, Ramires; Elano, Kaka, Robinho; Luis Fabiano

North Korea

The decision to name Kim Myong-Won as a third choice goalkeeper has rather backfired as FIFA have decreed that his side can only use the striker between the sticks.

There have been no reports of injury issues in the North Korean camp.

Probable Starting XI: Myong-Guk; Jun-Il, Nam-Chol, Song-Chol, Kwang-Chon, Chol-Jin; In-Guk, Young-Hak, Nam-Chol, Yong-Jo; Tae-Se

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Brazil

With a plethora of stars, it’s tricky to pinpoint just one player in the Brazil team to shine. Against a side like North Korea, striker Luis Fabiano will aim to get his quest for the Golden Boot off to a strong start. As of Monday morning, no individual had scored more than one goal in the 2010 Finals, and the prolific Sevilla man will fancy his chances of bagging two or three against poorly rated opponents.

North Korea

Jong Tae-Se has been branded the ‘Asian Rooney’ and will be hoping to enhance his reputation further against one of the greatest sides in the world. The Kawasaki Frontale forward may have been born in Japan, but he is fully committed to the North Korean cause, boasting a hugely impressive scoring record in the international game. He found the net against Nigeria recently, and twice against Greece.

PREDICTION

It would be one of the World Cup’s all-time shocks if Brazil were to even draw this game. The Castrol World Cup predictor suggests that the Selecao have a whopping 86 per cent chance of winning this match, though the North Korea’s have proven defensively apt in the past and will simply aim to play out a scoreless draw. If the South Americans score early, it could get ugly for the Asians.

Brazil 4-0 North Korea

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Kick Off: Tuesday, June 15, 2010. 16:00 CET
Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth

Tough Task

Group G of World Cup 2010, better known as the ‘Group of Death’, kicks off with a fascinating fixture between Cote d’Ivoire and Portugal, the two sides expected to battle it out for the right to qualify in second place behind Brazil.

The Castrol World Cup predictor has this battle down to be probably the closest in the tournament. While Ivory Coast are given a 51.1 per cent chance of progression, they are bettered marginally by Portugal’s 51.7 per cent chance.

On African soil, the Elephants have a great incentive to excel, though their build-up to the competition has been dogged by the ‘will-he-won’t-he’ saga of star forward Didier Drogba. Injured in a warm-up clash against Japan, the Chelsea striker was initially ruled out of the competition, but that initial fear seems to have been something of an overreaction.

Drawing a pool of players from many of Europe’s strongest leagues, the Ivorians are certainly not a team to be dismissed, but without Drogba’s cutting edge they are definitely a little more restricted. No other Elephant can match the scoring power of the 32-year-old, with Aruna Dindane’s 16 goals in 55 internationals a rather uninspiring tally.

Still, Cote d’Ivoire, who are competing in just their second World Cup, have never been shut-out in the Finals previously, and they are hoping that if they can maintain that proud record, a first berth in the knockout round may be theirs.

Are Wins Like Ketchup?

Portugal’s ‘Golden Generation’ may be a thing of the past, but there are still hopes that Carlos Queiroz’s present vintage can go deep into the World Cup, inspired largely by the presence of the world’s most expensive player, Cristiano Ronaldo.

Preparations for the tournament haven’t always gone smoothly. The Seleccao were unconvincing as they defeated China 2-0 at home in March, while a scoreless draw against Cape Verde in May did little to fire the hopes of the public.

June has brought with it a rise in the team’s fortunes; a 3-1 success against Cameroon was followed by a 3-0 victory over Mozambique. Though the Portuguese finished strongly in the latter of these encounters, a fringe squad had been unimpressive for significant spells of the match early on, with the Mambas having the better chances of the first half.

Friendlies, of course, count for nothing now the competition has started, though doubts over Portugal’s scoring ability remains. Ronaldo has toiled for international goals of late, and has gone over a year without registering for his national side, though he is not concerned. “Goals are like ketchup; when they come, they come all at once,” he told the press, confident of scoring in South Africa.

‘CR9’ will hope that wins are like ketchup, and that Tuesday’s match is simply the first step to world glory.

FORM GUIDE

Cote d’Ivoire

WON 2-0 (n) Japan (Friendly, June 4)

DREW 2-2 (n) Paraguay (Friendly, May 30)

LOST 2-0 (n) South Korea (Friendly, March 3)

LOST 3-2 (n) Algeria (Africa Cup of Nations, January 24)

WON 3-1 (n) Ghana (Africa Cup of Nations, January 15)

Portugal

WON 3-0 (n) Mozambique (Friendly, June

WON 3-1 (h) Cameroon (Friendly, June 1)

DREW 0-0 (h) Cape Verde (Friendly, May 25)

WON 2-0 (h) China (Friendly, March 3)

WON 1-0 (a) Bosnia and Herzegovina (World Cup playoff, November 18)

TEAM NEWS

Cote d’Ivoire

Didier Drogba has not yet been declared forfeit from this match, though coach Sven Goran Eriksson has confirmed that he is drawing up a ‘Plan B’ in case his star man isn’t ready to play. Drogba, however, will be given every chance such is the importance of this match to Cote d’Ivoire.

Probable Starting XI: Barry; K. Toure, Eboue, Boka, Tiene; Y. Toure, Zokora; Gervinho, Romaric, Tiote; Drogba

Portugal

Nani has claimed he could be fit by next week but has been sent back to Portugal because of his injury complaint, sparking rumours that there may have been another underlying reason for his return to Europe.

Winger Simao has been suffering from exhaustion but should be fit to start on the left flank, with Cristiano Ronaldo on the right.

Hugo Almeida struck twice against Mozambique, potentially earning himself a start against Cote d’Ivoire.

Probable Starting XI: Eduardo; Miguel, Carvalho, Alves, Duda; Meireles, Veloso; Simao, Deco, Ronaldo; Almeida

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Cote d’Ivoire

If Didier Drogba does miss out, the focus on the Ivorian midfield will be intense. If Didier Drogba plays, the focus may be a little off the midfield, but it will still be essential that the unit performs strongly. Yaya Toure will have a huge role to play in the engine room as it will be his job to break up play and prevent the Portuguese from dominating. Alongside Didier Zokora and potentially Romaric, the Africans are well equipped to win this battle.

Portugal

During the Seleccao’s recent friendly against Cameroon – a fixture designed to prepare the team for this very challenge – Porto’s Raul Meireles was the outstanding player on the Portuguese side. The midfielder bagged two goals in that game, but against a more competitive side, he will have to raise his game another level. If he can help Portugal win the midfield battle, three points could be going the way of Carlos Queiroz’s side.

PREDICTION

Though Portugal have not always been at their best in the warm-up games, they are favourites to start the tournament with a win over an Ivory Coast side who are liable to be shorn of their best player. Cote d’Ivoire are more than just Didier Drogba and should prove to be strong opponents. If Portugal lack cutting edge, they may be punished.

Portugal 1-1 Cote d’Ivoire

The 2010 World Cup is finally upon us, so keep up to date with all the news at Goal.com’s World Cup homepage and join Goal.com USA’s Facebook fan page

Kick-Off: Tuesday, June 15, 13:30 CET.
Royal Bafokeng Stadium, Rustenburg.

World Cup Return

The only time New Zealand had qualified for the World Cup finals before South Africa 2010 was in 1982, and as expected they lost their three group matches. The All Whites would likely not have qualified for the world’s most prestigious event this time around had Australia not switched from the Oceania Football Confederation to the Asian Football Confederation.

That meant that the real task New Zealand had to fulfill to secure qualification for the World Cup finals was to defeat Asian side Bahrain in a two-legged play-off, which they did, but only just.

However, the Kiwis have looked impressive in a couple of friendly games in the build-up to the South Africa finale. They narrowly lost to defending world champions Italy 4-3 in a friendly last summer and defeated fellow World Cup finalists Serbia 1-0. However, their last friendly before the World Cup ended in a comprehensive loss to Slovenia.

There’s not much expectation from New Zealand in the World Cup finals and most observers suggest that they will bow out of South Africa from the group stage itself. However, for a team that is comprised of players mostly from the Australian A-League, the lower leagues in England and New Zealand’s amateur leagues, and in which two players are without a club, it is an achievement in itself that they are among the elite 32 nations in the world.

World Cup Debutants

Slovakia gained independence in the 1990s and this is the first time that they have qualified for the World Cup. In fact, this is the first time that the Europeans have accomplished qualification for any international competition. Indeed, it was a major achievement for Vladimir Weiss’ side that they topped their group in the European qualifiers given that it also had Poland and the Czech Republic among its ranks.

Pitted against Italy, Paraguay and of course New Zealand in Group F, the Slovaks will be hopeful for a place in the last 16. The Europeans have a young and dynamic side and have world class players both in defence and in midfield.

Liverpool centre-back Martin Skrtel is well known among Premier League followers and his partnership with Jan Durica of Lokomotiv Moscow saw Slovakia concede just 10 goals in the qualifiers. Marek Hamsik in attacking midfield is a world class talent and is being hunted by some of Europe’s biggest clubs.

However, Slovakia’s run-up to the World Cup has been mixed. In the last five friendlies, they defeated the USA and Costa Rica, but lost to Chile and Norway and drew with Cameroon. Nevertheless, they will be hopeful of making their debut in football’s most prestigious competition with a win against New Zealand on Tuesday.

FORM GUIDE

New Zealand

June 9: Chile 2-0 New Zealand (Friendly)

June 4: Slovenia 3-1 New Zealand (Friendly)

May 29: New Zealand 1-0 Serbia (Friendly)

May 24: Australia 2-1 New Zealand (Friendly)

March 3: New Zealand 0-2 Mexico (Friendly)

Slovakia

June 5: Slovakia 3-0 Costa Rica (Friendly)

May 29: Slovakia 1-1 Cameroon (Friendly)

March 3: Slovakia 0-1 Norway (Friendly)

November 17: Slovakia 1-2 Chile (Friendly)

November 14: Slovakia 1-0 USA (Friendly)

TEAM NEWS

New Zealand

Vice-captain Tim Brown has been ruled out of the opening game after failing to recover from his shoulder injury. This means that New Zealand coach Ricki Herbert could deploy experienced defender Ivan Vicelich in the midfield. But Ryan Nelsen should be available for the match against Slovakia after recovering from an ear infection.

Probable Line-up (4-4-2): Paston, Reid, Nelsen, Smith, Sigmund; Killen, Vicelich, Christie, Bertos; Smeltz, Fallon

Slovakia

Slovakia’s most capped footballer, Miroslav Karhan, is out due to injury, meaning that Zdeno Strba will be the defensive midfielder for the World Cup debutants. Liverpool centre-back Martin Skrtel, who suffered an ankle injury in the friendly against Costa Rica, is expected to start on Tuesday.

Probable Lineup (4-4-2): Mucha, Pekarik, Skrtel, Durica, Cech; Weiss, Strba, Hamsik, Stoch; Vittek, Sestak

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Ryan Nelson (New Zealand)

The Blackburn Rovers defender will have to be on top of his game if the Kiwis are to defeat the Slovaks. The Europeans have a strong and creative attack-line, and for the New Zealand to craft out a win or even a draw, they have to stave off the attackers. For this, Nelson has to be the leader at the back and make full use of his experience in the Premier League.

Marek Hamsik (Slovakia)

The 22-year-old is one of the most gifted and complete midfielders in the world. Hamsik has been in sensational form for the past three seasons with Serie A side Napoli, and although he does suffer fits of inconsistency, he can always be relied upon for invention and creativity. Hamsik goes into the World Cup off his most prolific season in the Italian top flight and indeed against a not-so impressive New Zealand side, his abilities from the middle of the park could settle the affair.

PREDICTION

Theoretically Slovakia should be the favourites to win against New Zealand. They have a superior team on paper and indeed have more quality up front than the Kiwis do. The Castrol World Cup match predictor suggests that Slovakia have a 59% chance of winning the game while New Zealand have just 19%. A draw is put at 22%.

However, New Zealand recently defeated Serbia 1-0 and they shouldn’t be taken very lightly. Yet, the Europeans should prevail.

New Zealand 0-3 Slovakia

Who will come out on top? Check out Castrol Football’s 2010 World Cup Match Predictor.

The 2010 World Cup is finally upon us, so keep up to date with all the news at Goal.com’s World Cup homepage and join Goal.com USA’s Facebook fan page