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

WC 2014: 21st June

Argentina v/s Iran. Can anyone see this other than an Argie win?

Nigeria v/s Bosnia H. My opinion of these teams has changed since I watched their first games. I have reason to believe that Bosnia will go through after their solid display against Argentina. Nigeria look like a fully-exposed team and I see Bosnia win this crucial match here.

Germany v/s Ghana. This German team looks like it will go far and I can't see Ghana causing a shock against the European powerhouse. This should be a straightforward win for the Germans.

Win: Argentina, Germany, Bosnia

Ramblings from the week-end

Sitting pretty on Ireland and the Czechs as they are virtually through to the Finals after convincing wins in the first leg. Portugal was unable to strike in Bosnia, and although they are still the favourites, there is a risk that they could be outdone on away goals. Imagine Bosnia scoring the first goal and parking the bus... My opinion is that Portugal have enough quality and firepower to score a few against the Bosnians at home and are still the more likely to go through. It wouldn't hurt however to cover your positions if you're already loaded on them to qualify in case the visitors play for the away goals. After all, returns from the Ireland and Czechs qualifying should be more than enough to take a small cover on Portugal-Bosnia match.

A few tidbits from the sporting world over this past week-end. I was looking much forward to the return to the track of Overdose, the Budapest Bullet, in Italy. He duly won and beat Italy's best sprinter by half-a-length. Considering that he won this race by 10 lengths a couple of years back, before his feet problems, it can be strongly argued whether he's still at the peak of his powers. Being a 6-year old now definitely does not help. My assessment is that he's still a good sprinter and can win in lesser fields of Italy and Germany, but will find it very hard against proven sprinters in France, England and Hong Kong, where the connections are planning to race him next. We'll see if he can be better than what he showed on Sunday.

In football, England beat Spain in the international friendly. Whether they were dominated or not, a Win is a win, and a great moral boost for the hosts. No nation will beat Spain at the moment by matching their football. Even a great footballing side like the Netherlands had to resort to negative tactics in the World Cup final to try to break the rhythm of the Spanish team. It nearly worked for them. I think Saturday's win will have given the team belief that they can get a result against any team but they have to build on that result, or else they are bound to regress to the doldrums and remain a perennial disappointment.

In golf, could Tiger be on his way back? It certainly looks so after an encouraging third in the Australian Open. The guy's trying new things with a new caddie; it will take time for him to get back to his winning ways and dominance, but he'll win again for sure. Next year is definitely the year to start following him like at the start of this century.