It seems that Liverpool have finally agreed a deal for Roy Hodgson, the compensation with Fulham which was causing the delay is rumoured to be around £2m. Manuel Pelligrini, Kenny Dalglish, Martin O'Neil, Mark Hughes, Guus Hiddink, Frank Rijkaard, Slaven Bilic, Marcello Lippi were all

We run the rule over what could be some of the possible fixtures of the last 16.

Every group has now finished 2 matches and many groups are still left with very very interesting fixtures. Although heavy-weights Argentina, Brazil and Netherlands have already qualified for the knockouts, the future of England, Spain, Italy, France, Germany and Portugal still remains in balance. Here is the fixture list of the 1st knockout round if the group standings stay as they are.

( Time: GMT )

June 26, 2010

Uruguay v Korea Republic 14:00 Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium

With Uruguay and Mexico both locked at 4 pts while France and South Africa with 1pt each, the teams which will be going through still depends on both the matches. But only a miracle can save France and South Africa now!

Slovenia v Germany 18:30 Royal Bafokeng Stadium

Slovenia just need a draw against England to go through and a win to top the group. Meanwhile, if England and USA both win their respective matches, they both go through eliminating Slovenia.

June 27, 2010

Ghana v USA 14:00 Free State Stadium

Ghana is right now top of their group but they can even not qualify to the knockouts such is the situation in this group. Germany play Ghana while Australia play Serbia. All the teams are in with a shout of qualifying!

*Argentina v Mexico 18:30 Soccer City Stadium

Argentina is sure to top their group. Now, the fight is between Greece and Korea Republic who are with 3 pts each. Nigeria also have a glimmer of hope although they are on 0 pts.

June 28, 2010

*Netherlands v Italy 14:00 Durban Stadium

Netherlands need a point to secure top spot. Japan and Denmark are both locked at 3 pts, Cameroon with 0 pts. Japan play Denmark while netherlands play Cameroon.

*Brazil v Spain 18:30 Ellis Park

Brazil meet Portugal in their last match. Brazil will retain top spot if they do not lose. While Portugal need only a point to ensure progress to the knockouts. Ivory Coast plays Korea DPR in their last match and the Africans have to win to have any hopes of qualifying.

June 29, 2010

Paraguay v Japan 14:00 Loftus Versfeld Stadium

Italy play Slovakia while Paraguay go against New Zealand. Paraguay, with 4 pts, need a win to ensure top spot. Italy(2 pts) will have to win against Slovakia(1 pt) to totally ensure their qualification. New Zealand(2 pts) will also hope to win against Paraguay.

Chile v Portugal 18:30 Cape Town Stadium

Chile has 6 pts but can still be knocked out if results go against them. If Switzerland(3 pts) secure a win against Honduras, then Spain(3 pts) has to beat Chile to have a chance of going through. Things are tight in this group.

* Team has already qualified.

South Africa - Tshabalala

Mexico - Marquez

It almost goes without saying that Brazil, the five time World Champions, go into every World Cup favoured to add yet another star to the legendary Amarelinha shirt. This year too, bookmakers believe that Brazil are in with a fantastic chance of winning the showpiece event. And frankly speaking, I don't blame the bookies given Brazil's squad quality and rich footballing past.

Under manager Carlos Alberto Perreira, the FIFA World Cup 2006 had been very much of a disappointment for fans and players alike after Brazil crashed out in the Quarter finals after a 1-0 defeat at the hands of eventual finalists France. They boasted of a brilliant 11 match unbeaten run since FIFA 1998 which came to an end in the Quarter finals at FIFA World Cup Germany, 2006. The road to the quarter finals was smooth for Brazil and many had already put their bets on Brazil winning the event. But, a solid defensive display from France coupled with fantastic swift attacking led to the downfall of a surprisingly lacklustre Brazil side. The defending champs were undone with a moment of brilliance from Thierry Henry although it was the master Zinedine Zidane who wreck havoc on that day.

Carlos Caetano Bledorn Verri, better known as Dunga, upon taking the job in August 2006, had already experienced the high level of emotions that came with playing for Brazil. The powerful midfielder had skippered Brazil to victory in the FIFA World Cup 1994, USA. A master tactician and with Brazilian football in his blood, Dunga silenced his critics when he won the 2007 Copa America and The FIFA Confederations Cup 2009 alongwith clinching qualification for the 2010 event with 3 match days to spare. The Brazilian has a very talented and spirited team at his disposal and it wouldn't be surprising to see them playing at their best under this Master.

THE SQUAD

Goalkeepers :

Julio Cesar, Gomes, Doni.

Defenders :

Maicon, Juan, Dani Alves, Thiago Silva, Lucio, Michel Bastos, Luisao, Gilberto Melo.

Midfielders :

Felipe Melo, Gilberto Silva, Josue, Julio Baptista, Elano, Kaka, Ramires, Kleberson.

Forwards :

Luis Fabiano, Nilmar, Robinho, Grafite.

The Brazilian squad is full of World Class players. The spine of the team is very strong and the players playing around the spine are equally talented. The Brazil squad is a perfect blend of Youth and Experience and they effortlessly can make opponents look helpless. Add to that a master technician in Dunga and you get a complete entertainment package. Brazil is and always will be a massive threat to opposition teams because they have more players capable of producing magic on the pitch. Defensively, Brazil look very miserly whereas their swift passing and flair on the ball make for some attractive attacking play as well.

Normally you wouldn't relate weaknesses with Brazil but I think this time if there is a chink in the armour then its gotta be their Strike Force. Robinho has been out of form lately whereas Nilmar and Grafite are relatively inexperienced on the World stage. Luis Fabiano, on the other hand was in tremendous goal scoring form during the qualifiers but even he has failed to score in the past 3 matches. Though this is not much of a weakness given Brazil's stock of attacking players, it can be exposed by some tight defending and counter attacking football. To describe their weakness in a line, I would say that if u play football "Mourinho" style, you have got a chance against them..!

Iker Casillas (c) Víctor Valdés Pepe Reina

Sergio Ramos, Joan Capdevila, Álvaro Arbeloa, Raúl Albiol, Gerard Piqué, Carlos Marchena , Carles Puyol

Andrés Iniesta, Xavi Hernández, Cesc Fàbregas, Juan Manuel Mata, Xabi Alonso, Sergio Busquets, Javi Martínez, David Silva, Jesús Navas

David Villa, Fernando Torres, Fernando Llorente, Pedro Rodríguez

Iker Cassillas, has been a phenomenon for both club and country. With over 100 caps, the Real Madrid star is the worth candidate leading a phenomenol team. He has to be considered as a very special part of a golden team as he consistently produces some of his match winning saves in front of goal. And to make sure the Spanish team doesn't rely heavily on him, there's Carlos Puyol at the back. Calm and composed, he's responsible for the organised defence and sanity at the back

Yes, Fernando Torres and David Villa make a tremendous strike pair but there's always the engine of the team which makes them such a lethal and attractive proposition. Xavi is often shadowed by the star pair in attack - Stellar in midfield, Xavi has the key to the most stubborn defence by picking the right pass at the right time.

LAST WORLD CUP JOURNEY

Portugal had a relatively easier group last time around with Mexico, Angola and Iran in their group. Portugal coasted through to the knockout stages with wins in all their three matches.

In the knockout 1st round match, they faced a tough opposition in Netherlands. They managed to win that tie 1-0 courtesy a 23rd minute Maniche goal. The match was a live wire with tackles flying everywhere. Boulahrouz tackled Cristiano Ronaldo which apparently injured Ronaldo forcing his substitution at half-time. Cristiano left the field in tears. In the 78th mnute, Deco was sent off after collecting his 2nd yellow card. Netherlands were also down to 10 men when Van Bronckhorst was sent off for a foul in injury time. Next, Portugal faced England in which Deco and Costinha were unavailable due to suspension. This match is infamously remembered for the sending off of Wayne Rooney in extra time, allegedly triggered by his then United team-mate, Ronaldo. The match ended 0-0 after extra time. Portugal went through by winning 3-1 on penalties and they would now appear in their 1st ever WC Semi-Final after 40 years. There, they met a strong team in France where they faced a hostile crowd of English and French fans, accusing Ronaldo of unsporting behaviour. France won the match 1-0 with a Zidane goal and ended Portugal's dream of appearing in a World Cup Final. In the other semi-final, Germany lost to Italy resulting in a 3rd place playoff between Portugal and Germany. The first half, both the teams played cautiously. But the Germans managed to bang in 3 goals in 20 mins of the 2nd half. Portugal got a consolation goal through Nuno Gomes in the 88th minute and the match ended 3-1 in favour of Germany resulting in Portugal finishing 4th in the 2006 World Cup.

After having left the Manchester United no. 2 job for Portugal's no.1 job, Carlos Queiroz has certainly struggled to make his mark as a top coach. He has often been termed as 'lucky' by the Portugal fans. He will certainly be looking forward to impress the Portugal fans and the world alike at the World Cup.

Beto, Daniel Fernandes, Eduardo

Fabio Coentrao, Paulo Ferreira, Ricardo Carvalho, Bruno Alves, Rolando, Ricardo Costa, Duda, Pepe, Miguel

Tiago, Deco, Raul Meireles, Ruben Amorim (in place of injured Nani), Miguel Veloso, Pedro Mendes

Simao Sabrosa, Hugo Almeida, Liedson, Cristiano Ronaldo, Danny

Solid in defence, exceptional in midfield and with plenty of options in attack, Portugal are not short of highly-rated players. Technique, speed, alertness, the Portuguese have access to individual strengths on a world class level. In Ronaldo, they have one of the best players in the world. During qualification, their defensive skills allowed for a series of four games in which not a single goal was conceded and which made World Cup participation a reality for the Portuguese.

The Portugal captain and arguably, the best player in the world, is definitely the key man for Portugal. Cristiano Ronaldo has the potential to change any match at any given point of time and will have to be at his best if Portugal are to have any hopes of lifting the World Cup. Having scored 26 goals for Real Madrid this season, Portugal are sure to rely heavily on their captain to provide inspiration.

Portugal have been very inconsistent in terms of their results in the recent past having required to play a playoff to qualify for the World Cup which clearly doesn't make worthy of their 3rd rank in the world. With Nani now out of the World Cup and having Brazil in their group certainly doesn't make things easier for them, but the uncertainty of Ivory Coast captain Didier Drogba's presence in the initial stages of the tournament means that Ivory Coast will be a far lesser threat to the other teams. Portugal should qualify to the knockout stages.

FIFA Ranking: 4

You can never write off Oranje of any major competition. They are one of the strongest contenders for this WC too . The team is famous for their Total Football and was nicknamed as Clockwork Orange for their precise passing . Their strong counter-attacking and free flowing football makes them one of the best in business .

The Dutch team went on to secure a 100 percent record in their World Cup 2010 qualification campaign , winning all eight games and becoming the first European team to qualify for the World cup .


Last World Cup Journey:
Netherlands were drawn in the same group with Argentina , Serbia and the Cote d'Ivoire and secured the second spot in the team . Though they had as many points as Argentina had , Argentina had a better goal difference . Oranje were eliminated in the round of sixteen after the " Battle Of Nuremberg " . The match was played between The Dutch and Portugal and it saw Sixteen Cautions And Four Red Cards .Four Red Cards in a single WC match was a record in iteslf. Netherlands lost the game 1-0 and were out of the WC .



The Manager:

Squad:

Goalkeepers :
Maarten Stekelenburg (Ajax), Sander Boschker (FC Twente), Michel Vorm (FC Utrecht)


Defenders:
Khalid Boulahrouz (Stuttgart), Edson Braafheid (Celtic), Giovanni van Bronckhorst (Feyenoord), John Heitinga (Everton), Joris Mathijsen (HSV), Gregory van der Wiel (Ajax), Andre Ooijer (PSV);


Midfielders :
Mark van Bommel (Bayern Munich), Nigel de Jong (Manchester City), Stijn Schaars (AZ), Wesley Sneijder (Inter), Rafael van der Vaart (Real Madrid), Demy de Zeeuw (Ajax), Ibrahim Afellay (PSV);



Forwards:
Dirk Kuyt (Liverpool), Eljero Elia (HSV), Ryan Babel (Liverpool), Klaas-Jan Huntelaar (AC Milan), Robin van Persie (Arsenal), Arjen Robben (Bayern Munich).

 

 
Squad Weakness :

Bastian Schweinsteiger came under the limelight for his spirited performance in 2006 World Cup. The 25-year-old midfielder offers immense experience having already crossed 75 caps for Germany. He can operate in central midfield or on both flanks thus providing his manager plenty of options. His long-range shooting skill and wicked vision has made him an important weapon in the German armoury. 

FP Verdict

Despite many persisting woes one can never write off Germany. Out of 16 times that Germany has appeared in World Cups, they have managed to reach semifinals an astounding 11 times and finals 7 times. Placed in group D along with Australia, Ghana and Serbia, Germany have enough quality and depth to surpass the group stages. Although, as of now, reaching the finals is looking highly unlikely, but history has shown time and again that Germany is capable of producing wonderful footballing spectacles which might just give them an outside chance of clinching their fourth World Cup. So let the game begin!