The 2010 South Africa world cup thread!

[avanti]

30 days to go! I predict that Italy will win!

Matches

Group standings

Our preliminary squad:

Goalkeepers: Buffon, De Sanctis, Marchetti, Sirigu.

Defenders: Bocchetti, Bonucci, Cannavaro, Cassani, Chiellini, Criscito, Grosso, Maggio, Zambrotta.

Midfielders: Camoranesi, Candreva, Cossu, Gattuso, Marchisio, Montolivo, Palombo, Pepe, Pirlo, De Rossi.

Attackers: Borriello, Di Natale, Gilardino, Iaquinta, Pazzini, Quagliarella, Rossi.

First thought, where is Cassano?

 

[Clockwerk]

Here is my slightly biased predicted results...I think I have the match ups right...

Group A: 1. France 2. Mexico
Group B: 1. Argentina 2. Greece
Group C: 1. USA 2. England
Group D: 1. Germany 2. Ghana
Group E: 1. Netherlands 2. Cameroon
Group F: 1. Italy 2. Slovakia
Group G: 1. Brazil 2. C?te d'Ivoire
Group H: 1. Spain 2. Chile

France over Greece
USA over Ghana
England over Germany
Argentina over Mexico
Netherlands over Slovakia
Brazil over Chile
Italy over Cameroon
Spain over C?te d'Ivoire

USA over France
Brazil over Netherlands
Argentina over England
Italy over Spain

Argentina over Italy
USA over Brazil

Argentina over USA 1st place game
Brazil over Italy 3rd place game

 

[Magners]

Spain will win it. Netherlands will lose the semi-final on penalties. England will lose a quarter-final on penalties to Germany. Losing finalist will be Brazil. North Korea will lose all three matches by a combined score of 0-10 but no one will know because Kim Jong Il has banned World Cup coverage in North Korea. The USA will upset England in their opening match, then go on to draw Slovenia and lose to Algeria.


Edit: England wouldn't be able to play the Germans in the quarterfinals with the way the draw is set up. It would either be the second round, or the final. England's potential opponents in the knockout phases would be from these groups:

16: Group D
QF: Group A or B
SF: Group E, F, G, or H

My realistic prediction for England is that we'll get out of the group stage without too much trouble and then go out to the first world-class opponent we face. If we avoid Germany in the second round I'd count on us in the quarterfinals; from groups A and B the teams I could see knocking us out would be France or Argentina. If we actually did get to the semi-finals it would easily be the end of the road, because potential world-class opponents are the likes of the Netherlands, Italy, Brazil, Portugal, and Spain.

 

[Heathrow]

Group A teams
France
Mexico
South Africa
Uruguay

Group B teams
Argentina
Greece
Nigeria
South Korea

Group C teams
Algeria
England
Slovenia
USA

Group D teams
Australia
Germany
Ghana
Serbia

Group E teams
Cameroon
Denmark
Netherlands
Japan

Group F teams
Italy
New Zealand
Paraguay
Slovakia

Group G teams
Brazil
Ivory Coast
North Korea
Portugal

Group H teams
Chile
Honduras
Spain
Switzerland

* * *

England's 30-man provisional squad for the World Cup finals:


Goalkeepers: Joe Hart (Manchester City), David James (Portsmouth), Robert Green (West Ham).

Defenders: Leighton Baines (Everton), Jamie Carragher (Liverpool), Ashley Cole (Chelsea), Michael Dawson (Tottenham), Rio Ferdinand (Manchester United), Glen Johnson (Liverpool), Ledley King (Tottenham), John Terry (Chelsea), Matthew Upson (West Ham), Stephen Warnock (Aston Villa).

Midfielders: Gareth Barry (Manchester City), Michael Carrick (Manchester United), Joe Cole (Chelsea), Steven Gerrard (Liverpool), Tom Huddlestone (Tottenham), Adam Johnson (Manchester City), Frank Lampard (Chelsea), Aaron Lennon (Tottenham), James Milner (Aston Villa), Scott Parker (West Ham), Theo Walcott (Arsenal), Shaun Wright-Phillips (Manchester City).

Forwards: Darren Bent (Sunderland), Peter Crouch (Tottenham), Jermain Defoe (Tottenham), Emile Heskey (Aston Villa), Wayne Rooney (Manchester United).

* * *

At the press conference regarding Jamie Carragher an international retiree, Fabio remarked that he was unable to persuade Paul Scholes of Man U to join the squad.


Top news today?s is probably from the Brasil squad.
BBC Sport ? Brasil Squad Named Ronaldinho NOT Included

Today?s Squad News Headlines Link to BBC Sport for full story

Skrtel selected in Slovakia squad
Denmark include Sorensen in squad
Totti left out of Italy Cup squad
Injured Kewell in Australia squad
Van Nistelrooy misses Dutch spot
Capello postpones ratings website
Pepe named in Portugal Cup squad
Ivory Coast to look beyond Drogba
Cameroon announce World Cup squad
Forlan named in Uruguay Cup party
Shaqiri is shock Swiss inclusion

Greece select injury-doubt pair
Slovenia boss keeps core of squad
Welcome change for Honduras squad
SA football officials suspended
N Korea fans face Cup TV blackout
South Africa given extra Cup cash
England get Rooney fitness boost
Nigeria announce World Cup squad
New Zealand name World Cup squad
Nakamura earns Japan squad place

* * *

International friendly fixtures

Tuesday, 11 May 2010
China PR OFF Ecuador
Mexico v Senegal, 02:00

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thursday, 13 May 2010
Germany v Malta, 17:00

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Friday, 14 May 2010
Mexico v Angola, 02:00

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Saturday, 15 May 2010
Paraguay v North Korea, 12:20

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sunday, 16 May 2010
Mexico v Chile
South Africa v Thailand, 14:30
South Africa OFF China PR
South Korea v Ecuador

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Wednesday, 19 May 2010
Austria v Croatia, 19:30
Belgium v Bulgaria, 19:45

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Friday, 21 May 2010
Estonia v Finland

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sunday, 23 May 2010
Croatia v Wales, 17:00

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Monday, 24 May 2010
England v Mexico, 20:00

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tuesday, 25 May 2010
Rep of Ireland v Paraguay, 20:00

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Wednesday, 26 May 2010
Turkey v Northern Ireland, 18:30

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Friday, 28 May 2010
Rep of Ireland v Algeria

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sunday, 30 May 2010
Chile v Northern Ireland, 21:00
Japan v England, 13:15

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Wednesday, 11 August 2010
Montenegro v Northern Ireland
Rep of Ireland v Argentina
Sweden v Scotland

 

[Clockwerk]

This is a bit surprising...

Ronaldinho and Adriano will both miss the World Cup in South Africa after being omitted from the 23-man Brazil squad named by Dunga on Tuesday.

 

[Heathrow]

This is a bit surprising...

Yup, I put that in my EDIT post a few minutes ago. :shock:

 

[devil500]

Not really. I kind of expected it to happen.

 

[essentialatom]

England will be fine in the group stage, probably come unstuck in a quarter-final as per bloody usual

It'll annoy me if Rooney gets sent off for losing his temper, as has happened before. We need him on the pitch, not off it. Since carrying Man Utd this season he's matured quite a lot I think.

 

[Heathrow]

BBC Sport ? World Cup Squad News Today - Link

South Africa finalise Cup squad
French trio cleared for Algeria
World Cup 'set to boost spending'
English-based duo in Mexico squad
Algeria add five players to squad

Valdes earns shock Chile recall
Vieira & Nasri left out by France
Injured trio make Spanish squad
Serbia stick with familiar faces

* * *

England will be fine in the group stage, probably come unstuck in a quarter-final as per bloody usual

That?s what I was thinking, but then again that is quite good for a team who are normally ranked around 10th. I reckon one or two teams may get to the quarter finals other than ?the usual suspects?.

Capello is good, it could be England.

It'll annoy me if Rooney gets sent off for losing his temper, as has happened before. We need him on the pitch, not off it. Since carrying Man Utd this season he's matured quite a lot I think.

Nah, he should be OK.

 

[stevanford1]

Serbia has a very good squad.

 

[Alasondro Alegré]

International friendly fixtures

Portugal is playing Cape Verde on the 24th, and Cameroon on the 1st.

 

[Whappeh]

The United States is going to win it all. You heard it here first.

We bring Freedom and Democracy to the world cup.

 

[Sir Stiggington]

The United States is going to win it all. You heard it here first.

We bring Freedom and Democracy to the world cup.

Just like you brought it to the world of politics eh?

 

[Whappeh]

Team America World Soccer Police doesn't care.

 

[Clockwerk]

Prediction...this man will have a 5/1 goal to fight ratio...

 

[h-p]

Netherlands or Spain will win, hopefully.

 

[Heathrow]

Prediction...this man will have a 5/1 goal to fight ratio...

?Jozy" Altidore of Hull City? I didn?t notice him play that much this season and, did he have a lot of injuries?
Bellamy, & Bowyer and the like, are the really violent trouble makers in the EPL, I did not realise he gets into fights.

 

[devil500]

One fight on the pitch and you call him a trouble maker?...He played in NY for 2.5 years, and never had any incidents. Don't compare him to the likes of Bellamy.

I'm really disappointed in how he's progressed after his great start in NY.

 

[essentialatom]

?Jozy" Altidore of Hull City? I didn?t notice him play that much this season and, did he have a lot of injuries?
Bellamy, & Bowyer and the like, are the really violent trouble makers in the EPL, I did not realise he gets into fights.

How many fights did you see Bowyer get into this season?
<--- Birmingham fan

He's been great for us this season and not at all violent. Just saying.

 

[Canuck]

Considering I don't care about footie, I'm going to arbitrarily pick a team to cheer for at random. That Team will be Australia.