Wednesday, June 25, 2014

WC 2014: 25th June

BosniaH v/s Iran. Were it not for the magic of Messi, the Iranians would have secured a historic draw against Argentina in their last game. They are a well-organized group that defends with a purpose and relies on fast counter-attacks. They however, need to win this match to have any chance of going through. That means they will have to play a more open game. Bosnia were disappointing in their last loss to Nigeria. I thought they would secure at least a point out of that match and it is true that Dzeko had the equalizer at the death only for the ball to hit the post. I think the Bosnians will be suffering in the heat and Iran can fancy getting something out of this match provided they take their chances. I can see Iran edging this contest.

Nigeria v/s Argentina. This is the fight for top spot and Argentina will have to be on their guards against a dynamic Nigerian team. The Argies are already qualified and will again be relying on Messi to do the damage. Nigeria will be happy to come away with a point to qualify and they can cause problems to the Argentinian defence which has had its patchy moments in the first 2 matches. This match could very well end up in a draw.

Ecuador v/s France. France are through but will be keen to get top spot by not losing this match while the Ecuadorians need to win to go through. The French have been so rampant in the first 2 matches that it is hard to see them lose this match. Their team seems to be clicking well and the absences of Ribery or Nasri seem to be benefiting them. The Ecuadorians have the potency to score and will fancy their chances for the upset, particularly if they were to score first. Probably France will win this by just.

Honduras v/s Switzerland. As expected, Honduras have been the weakest team in this group and have been conceding by the bucket load. The Swiss have not impressed me at all in this tournament and their FIFA ranking of 6th in the world is just a joke. Although I think they will struggle to break down their opponents, they should eventually win this match and hence their qualification to the next round.

Win: Iran, France, Switzerland
Draw: Nigeria/Argentina

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