What with World Cup qualifying, Champions League, Europa League, CONCACAF Champions League and  the domestic leagues in full flow there is a major tournament on the horizon that is currently flying under most radars.

Next Thursday the FIFA Under-20 World Cup starts in Egypt. The climatic conditions has meant a later start than most clubs would want but the oppressive heat of an Egyptian summer make it impractical to do otherwise.

One thing that jumps out from a quick scan of the 24-teams and that is who is missing. The current holders Argentina finished bottom of the six-team South American qualifying group and will not add to their five wins in the last seven tournaments.

The Under-20 World Cup is bill boarded as the place to see the stars of tomorrow and it is a tough statement to refute. Maradona, Henry, Ronaldinho, Xavi, Messi, Prosinecki, Figo and many more have left their marks on the tournament.

Here is a look back at twenty-two players who played at the 2007 Under-20 World Cup and where they are today.

Sergio Romero kept goal for Argentina in 2007 and went on to win a Gold Medal at the 2008 Olympic Games. Last season Romero was AZ Alkmaar’s starting goalie when they became the first team in 28 years to break the league winning domination of Feyenoord, PSV and Ajax.  

Emiliano Insúa was not a stand out in the 2007 winning side but he offered reliability at left back.  He was signed by Liverpool on loan in late 2006 and later the move became permanent. This season it looks as if Insúa has locked down a starting spot in the Premier League side.

Ever Banega was the man that made the Argentine midfield tick but so far he has failed to build on what looked back then to be a promising future. “Starring” in a self made explicit video that generated more headlines than his play there are doubts about his ability to settle in European football.

A high priced move to Valencia in Spain was followed by a loan spell at Atletico Madrid and a failed attempt by Everton to secure his services. He is now back at Valencia.

Mauro Zarate scored the winning goal in the final and it is fair to say that no player has enjoyed a more varied existence over the last two years. In 2008 he moved from Vélez Sársfield in Argentina to Qatar club Al-Sadd.

His Middle-East adventure lasted only a few months before he moved to Birmingham in the Premier League. Zarate was unable to save Birmingham from relegation and he moved again on loan, this time to Lazio of Serie A. This past summer the move was made permanent and Zarate is regarded as one of Serie A’s top talents.

He won the best player and top scorer trophies in 2007 and is now one of the worlds’ most sought after players. Sergio Aguero had already gained prominence in 2003 when he became the youngest player ever to debut in the Argentine league.

Before he had turned 18 Atletico Madrid had forked over around $40M to secure his signature. He has scored at a rate of around two goals every five games with Atletico and is rumoured to move every transfer window.

Jan Simunek was a defensive rock for the Czech Republic when they finished as runners up in 2007. He moved from Sparta Prague to Wolfsburg of the Bundesliga before the start of the 2007/08 season and has been part of a side that finished fifth and champions respectively in the last two seasons. 

Chile finished third in 2007 and Mauricio Isla was a key part of the team. Isla can play in midfield or in defence and signed for Serie A club Udinese in late 2007. He has since established himself as a regular starter for both Udinese and for the Chile national team.

Arturo Vidal can play at the back or in midfield and contributes goals as well. He moved to Bayer Leverkusen in 2007 and since then he is a key figure in Bayer’s push to the top of the Bundesliga. Vidal’s value will increase significantly after he appears at next summer’s World Cup Finals for Chile. 

By most accounts Brazil was the disappointment of the 2007 tournament. They struggled at time in the group stage only to blow a two goal lead to Spain in the round of 16 and eventually lost 4-2 after extra time.

All the same a good number of their players have gone on to greater things. Marcelo is regarded as the first choice left back for Real Madrid and he can also push forward and get amongst the goals as well.

Joao had already moved to CSKA Moscow prior to the 2007 competition and he had attracted much attention based on his goal scoring record. After three years in Russia he was part of Manchester City’s first group of high prized signings in the summer of 2008. However, he never established himself and moved to Everton on loan in January of 2009, returned to City temporarily only to move to Goodison once more on loan. It is fair to say that the jury is still out on the Brazil striker.

Renato Augusto was another who arrived with a fantastic reputation but disappointed. Nonetheless he was another South American signing made by Bayer Leverkusen (2008) and he quickly became an important cog in the Bayer team. His creative skills are outstanding although his goal scoring record shows room for improvement.

(12-22 next week)

The Best…..

Emmanuel Adebayor garnered the headlines but for me Craig Bellamy was the main reason Manchester City beat Arsenal on Saturday. He worked tirelessly on the left hand side – one moment charging forward, the next making sure that Wayne Bridge had support. I didn’t hurt that he scored what also turned out to be the winning goal.

Sunday night’s marquee game in Serie A lived up to billing with Genoa and Napoli going at it. The game swung one way and then another as Genoa recovered from a goal down and a man down to beat Napoli 4-1.

The game became ten-on-ten when Napoli’s Campagnaro gave away a penalty and was sent off in first half added time. The goal of the game – perhaps of the weekend – came from Genoa’s Mesto who picked up a clearance wide on the left before cutting inside and hitting a rocket passed Napoli keeper Morgan De Sanctis. (Any young player looking at how to stay onside on a counter attack should take a look at Genoa’s third scored by Hernan Crespo.)

Manchester United had to come from a goal down and played the last thirty minutes with only ten men but still beat Spurs 3-1. Wayne Rooney’s capper was an absolute peach of a goal – wonderful control, strength and a couple of nutmegs to boot.

It looks as Bayern Munich has cast off early season problems just in time for the start of the Champions League group stage.  They opened the season with a couple of draws and a loss but in their last two Bundesliga matches they have beaten Champions Wolfsburg 3-0 and then thrashed Borussia Dortmund 5-1 after giving up the first goal.

Yossi Benayoun did not get the widespread credit – or often playing time – that his performances for Liverpool deserved last season. He showed Saturday that he is picking up where he left off. He was involved in all four goals in a 4-0 win over Burnley with a hat trick and a helper.

Honorable mentions

Inter battered Parma for more than seventy minutes before Samuel Eto’o opened the scoring with an exquisite piece of finishing from just outside the penalty area. It took Eto’o one touch to set it up and another to curl the ball into the far corner and in just below the crossbar.

Franck Ribery’s free kick and Thomas Müller’s second goal were the pick of Bayern Munich’s five goals.


Best forgotten…..

With ninety minutes on the clock of their World Cup Asia play off Saudi Arabia was on their way out of the World Cup on the away goals rule to Bahrain.  Sixty seconds later the scenario had turned upside down as the Saudi’s took a 2-1 lead.

Almost immediately Bahrain earned a corner and substitute Ismail Abdullatif climbed above the Saudi defenders to send a header in at the back post – just where a defender should have been stationed - a costly mistake indeed.  Bahrain now faces New Zealand in another play off and the winner of this one goes to South Africa next summer. 

Arsenal left back Gael Clichy had a nightmare second half against Manchester City. A triple combination of a mistimed tackle and two ill-advised forays up field contributed City’s three goals in the last 16 minutes of the game.

Scotland will not be in South Africa for the 2010 World Cup Finals. That means that another generation will suffer the same fate as mine – not being able to enjoy a Scottish appearance at the Finals during their formative years. After a disastrous performance in 1958 it took sixteen years before the opportunity arose again.

Manager George Burley’s fate will likely be decided this week and although he is receiving some support it is highly unlikely that he will survive. The fans are not behind the manager and that ultimately makes his position untenable. Firing Burley is one thing but who will replace him? Gordon Strachan is the bookies favourite but there is no guarantee that WGS wants the job.

After the Berti Vogts fiasco naming another foreign coach would be a gutsy move but Burley’s successor may already be coaching in Scotland. Heart of Midlothian boss Csaba László was voted Scotland's manager of the year by the football writers last season and the Hungarian might be a good dark horse bet.

The LA Galaxy keeper Donovan Ricketts went into the match against FC Dallas having not conceded a goal in three games and having only had to make six saves. Ninety minutes later he had conceded six goals in a 6-3 defeat but it was more a case of the LAG defence abandoning him than the other way around. 


Stat facts…..

After beating Scotland on Wednesday, the Netherlands became the first side in 28 years to complete a World Cup qualifying campaign with a 100% record. Spain and England are only two games away from matching the Dutch performance.

Frank Lampard's penalty kick against Croatia on Wednesday was his fifth success from the spot and he is now only one behind Alan Shearer and Ron Flowers who jointly hold the record of six.

Alan Shearer needs no introduction but Ron Flowers probably does for most readers. Flowers was a half back who played his club football for Wolves and held down the England position for many years  before losing his place to Jackie Charlton just before the 1966 World Cup Finals. Flowers was on call for the final against West Germany when Jackie Charlton came down with a cold during the lead up. Ultimaltely Charlton declared himself fit and played.

How many men who managed at the 2006 World Cup Finals will return in 2010? At the moment we have four who still have a chance of back-to-back appearances.

Guus Hiddink was in charge of Australia three years ago and looks set to at least take Russia into the play offs; Marcello Lippi won the Cup last time before taking what turned out to be a two year sabbatical and is now plotting Italy’s title defence; Lars Lagerback has remained continuously in charge of Sweden since 2006 but his country’s hopes are hanging by a thread; the fourth is France’s Raymond Domenech who remains in a job no matter how hard he tries to get fired.
 
Bordeaux’s 1-0 home win over Grenoble means they are now unbeaten in their last 36 Ligue Une home games.

Barcelona’s 2-0 win against Getafe was the first time that the Catalan club had scored more than a single league goal against Getafe in their last seven meetings.

Since taking over Dundee United Craig Levein has seen his side line up against Celtic 12 times but he has yet to see them win – 4 defeats and 8 draws with the latest split coming on Saturday. But this pales into insignificance when you consider that United has not beaten Celtic in over ten years – in all 38 games without a win.

What was said….

A look back at how England performed in previous WCQ and ultimately at the WCFs.

And what won’t happen to England between now and the World Cup Finals by Harry Pearson.

Barney Ronay writes for the Guardian and WSC and has just had a book called “The Manager: The Absurd Ascent of The Most Important Man in Football” published. Ronay discusses the book with EPLTalk.

Reading between the lines it seems that Jason de Vos may be drinking but isn’t swallowing TFC’s kool-aid.

The Ukraine government is struggling to deal with the cost of hosting the 2012 European Championships.

Former Liverpool defender Avi Cohen whose son Tamir now plays for Bolton discusses his time at Anfield.

Extra officials are ready to make their debuts on Thursday in the Europa League.

As Genoa keeper Marco Amelia laid on the ground after a collision, the commentator described him as being “a little unconscious.”

An interesting article on former Chicago Fire striker Damani Ralph who moved to Rubin Kazan in 2005.


Coming up this week…..

Here are this week’s Champions League and Europa League fixtures.

Feel free to post your game predictions for Tuesday and Wednesday’s Champions League games on the blog and keep count throughout the tournament.

There are also CONCACAF Champions League matches on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

The normally brutish English tabloid press has gone all weak at the knees when it comes to national team manger Fabio Capello. Now that a place at next summer’s World Cup Finals in South Africa has been secured the sport pages have been doting on the Italian who they claim “rules with an iron fist.”

The theories as to how Capello has England moving forward in unison have come thick (some thicker than others - his full head of hair and his choice in designer eyewear?) and fast. 

There is also a wide-eyed sense of wonder that purveys many of the articles. A genuine sense of bewilderment that England has a manager - a foreigner no less - who knows what he is doing. 

But anyone with an eye to Capello’s history would not be surprised. With the exception of a second spell at Milan during the 1997/98 season Capello has brought success to every coaching job he has taken on. He has won the league at every team he has managed, many in more demanding environments than his current one.

In taking on the England job he stepped into a situation where failure to qualify for the 2008 European Championships had left far more upside than downside to whoever became Steve McClaren’s successor.

That wasn’t the case when Capello stepped into the position vacated by Arrigo Sacchi at Milan in 1991. Sacchi had taken a club that had only won one scudetto and one European Cup Winners Cup in the last twenty years and turned them into Italian Champions and back-to-back European Champions in his first three seasons in charge.

Capello’s record – four Serie A titles in five seasons and a Champions League win achieved in spectacular fashion when Milan crushed Johan Cruyff’s Barcelona side 4-0 in the final in Athens. Maintaining and some would argue improving upon a successful team - particularly one owned by Silvio Berlusconi – is perhaps the hardest task in the game.

His next stop was the Bernabeu for the 96/97 season taking over a side stung by the domestic double achieved by Atletico the season before. A year later he was fired after winning the league but with a side that lacked the required panache to satisfy the Real Madrid faithful.

It is telling that Real recalled Capello almost a decade later after three trophy less seasons and with the lunatics (or sometimes known as players) apparently in charge of the asylum.

Both club and manager would have known that the chances of a successful long term relationship was zilch to nil but so desperate was Madrid management that they were willing to acquiesce to a lucrative three year deal insisted upon by Capello.

A year later Capello’s pragmatic approach had not surprisingly alienated Madrid fans (once more) but the team had been revived and had won the Liga. Capello was duly fired.

And it is perhaps the second stint at Real Madrid that most clearly demonstrates Capello’s character. He knew that his style was not going to be accepted (no matter how many trophies Real won), he knew that he would be vilified by the media; he knew that he would not be popular with the players.

And he didn’t care then and he doesn’t care now.

So no matter how much the press, fans and players swoon over Don Fabio it won’t change him one bit. Because at the heart of the matter Capello is a leader who understands what it takes to lead and popularity is not a necessary requirement.

Post-script – Success is quickly imitated so look for teams in England to start casting their nets in search of mini-Fabios in the next few months.

The Best…..

In the battle of the old war-horses Switzerland’s Ottmar Hitzfeld won out over Otto Rehhagel. The difference turned out to Hitzfeld’s substitutions. Hakan Yakin and Johan Vonlathen both came off the bench to create Switzerland’s breakthrough goal.

Vonlathen was fouled, Yakin took the free kick and the head of defender Stephane Grichting deposited the ball into the Greek net with less than ten minutes left to play.

It is often said that when players pull on their countries jersey they grow in stature and perform at a level above their normal. Like many sayings it is generally rubbish. However, there are exceptions and Scotland’s James McFadden is one such case.

He has rarely, if ever, let Scotland down and in an era when players seem ready to pass the buck McFadden stands out as a player willing, ready, and able to take the ball when others don’t want it and to take on defenders in tight situations.

His sixty yard run through the Macedonian defence and around the keeper secured a 2-0 win for Scotland. If only he had been blessed with lightning speed to go with his attitude and touch.

Nicklas Bendtner is a player that polarizes opinion. Some encourage patience with the 21-year-old while others promote a quick exit from Emirates Stadium. His goal on Saturday against Portugal perfectly illustrated why no one should be giving up on a player that appears to have the physical and technical tools but can’t get them in the correct order. His control and left foot drive into the roof of the Portugal net was of the highest order.

On an evening that will not be fondly remembered by fans of Argentine soccer the only memorable moment was the cracking goal from Jesús Dátolo. The Napoli striker launched a rocket from 30 yards that left Julio Cesar grasping at thin air.  

As we have seen a number of times Mexico has a habit of coming back from close to World Cup death.   Giovanni dos Santos applied the paddles against Costa Rica with a stunning drive to put Mexico 1-0 up on the stroke of half time.

As the Ticos pushed forward in the second half Mexico hit on the counter with goals from Franco and Guardado both set up by dos Santos. Honduras awaits at the Azteca on Wednesday and if Mexico can collect three points then things are looking good as they close out against T&T and El Salvador.

Honorable mentions

Ghana and Brazil booked passage to South Africa while Ivory Coast is as near as dam it.

Two set ups from Landon Donovan helped the USA back from a one goal deficit to beat El Salvador 2-1. A vital three points but after the weekends results they need to get another three on Wednesday. They travel to T&T two decades after Paul Caligiuri’s goal unexpectedly sent the USA to their first World Cup in forty years - and they have been to every one since.  

Spain dismantled and brutalized a young Belgian side 5-0.

Adel Taarabt on loan at QPR from Spurs’ scored a last second equaliser to give Morocco a 1-1 draw in Togo. It kept Morocco in contention (just) but damaged Togo’s chances of a return trip to the WCFs.

Another case of late heroics in Africa qualifying with an equalizer from Tunisian Oussema Darragi securing an invaluable point at the expense of Nigeria. It leaves Tunisia as favourites to move on.

They have a two point lead on Nigeria and have Kenya at home and then Mozambique away. A second consecutive qualifying miss for Nigeria will have many shaking their heads.

Best forgotten…..

Any previews of foreign teams facing British opponents in the Champions League. The formula goes something like this.
1.    Mention where they finished last year and drop in a remark that makes them sound a little bit odd
2.    Big up some of their players – focus on forwards who are big and strong, midfielders’ quick, defenders rock like etc.
3.    Then point out that the British teams have players who should be able to handle them.
4.    But remind everyone that they shouldn’t be underestimated
5.    And finish off with – all the same the British team should still pull through

It was a terrible weekend for Georgia’s Kakha Kaladze. Two own goals by the Milan defender who is just returning from injury was a bonus to an Italy side that has struggled to score for themselves lately.

Uruguay squandered a great chance to make inroads into Argentina’s hold on fourth place in CONMEBOL qualifying when they lost 1-0 to bottom of the group Peru.

What can you make of Argentina’s marking that allowed Luisao a free header for the opening goal?  

Panic stations for Costa Rica? Sseven gaols against and none scored in their last two CONCACAF matches. A trip to El Salvador is followed by a visit from T&T before the group finishes with a visit to the US. Costa Rica is still only a point behind the leaders but can they pull themselves together after two horrendous drubbings?

Stat facts…..

I doubt if it is a record but three successful penalties, all converted by different players within a 17-minute spell is pretty unusual. It is what the Ukraine did on Saturday when they beat Andorra 5-0 and recorded their biggest ever win.

Latvia brought Israel’s 15-year unbeaten run in home World Cup qualifying games to end on Saturday when QPR defender Kaspars Gorkšs scored the only goal of the game.

Jano Ananidze, a 16-year-old with Spartak Moscow, made his full international debut for Georgia against Italy.


What was said….

This article from Gabriele Marcotti was posted by Albertagooner on Saturday. This article along the post made by Ursusarctos (Sept 5, 4:39 pm on the previous blog) represents two of the best comments you will read anyplace on the issue of the Chelsea transfer ban and the wider implications.

It seems to me that the core of the issue is the wording in the FIFA regulations referencing a club inducing the breaking of a professional contract while in the Kakuta situation he was too young to sign a professional contract but was tied to the club though an elite training contract. It appears that the FIFA chamber that made the decision extended the meaning to any contract rather than just a professional one.

In a related manner you can look forward to a political referendum that is due to be held in Ireland on October 2nd gaining some column inches in the football pages in the next few weeks. At stake in the referendum is the future of the Treaty of Lisbon which would substantially change the workings of the European Union. 

Ireland rejected the treaty in 2008 but at the moment 23 of the 27 members of the EU have ratified the Treaty. Of the four remaining countries ratification is working through three parliaments while Ireland is the only country that is going through a referendum – again.

So how will this impact football in Europe? Part of the proposed Treaty confirms sport as something that has wider social and community benefits and implications. As such it would not be treated as a business and not automatically fall under labour and business legislation. It would open the way for UEFA and the EU to work cooperatively and to craft solutions that previously had to conform to existing legislation.  This is a big deal. 

George Burley is still manager but Tom English is already mounting a “No Souness” campaign for the Scotland job.

Simon Kuper on how to be England’s manager and still prosper.


Coming up this week…..

World Cup qualifiers this week and rather than listing them all just follow the links.

Africa –only one.

Asia-playoff game

Europe

CONCACAF

CONMEBOL

The Hosts

The thing about throwing a party is that you are guaranteed an invitation. South Africa will be be encouraged by their performances at the 2009 Confederations Cup but they have a long way to go if they hope to make any impact on next summer’s tournament.

Passage guaranteed

Australia and Japan finished first and second in Group One in Asia qualifying while South and North Korea mimicked in group 2.

The Netherlands cruised through UEFA Group 9 with seven straight wins to date, scoring 16 goals and conceding only 2. The Dutch have now gone 23 games since failing to score in a game.

Almost there

Ghana leads Mali by five points with three games to go. A win this weekend at home to Sudan and a Benin v Mali draw would put Ghana through for a second World Cup Finals appearance. Even if it doesn’t work out that way Ghana’s qualification seems inevitable.

Ivory Coast is in an even stronger position. A home win against their nearest rival Burkina Faso would put them six points up with two games left and the others would be left hanging on to the old favourite a “mathematical” chance of qualifying.

Wins over Belgium and Estonia will all but seal European Champions Spain’s place in South Africa. Failing that, three points against Armenia in October will be enough to put the Spanish over the top.

With three games remaining England is unbeaten and with a seven point lead over nearest rivals Croatia. The maximum any other country in Group 6 can garner is 23 points which means that England only needs to beat Belarus in October at Wembley or at least draw with both Croatia and Ukraine. Either way the first part of the job is close to complete.

Brazil has to play Argentina at the Gigante de Arroyito Stadium in Rosario this weekend followed by a home match against second place Chile in Salvador De Bahia next week. Not easy games but with four teams qualifying automatically, Brazil seven points up on 5th place Ecuador and the chasing pack liable to eat each other Brazil is the closest we have to a certainty in COMNEBOL qualifying.

Looking good

Denmark may only be three points ahead of Hungary with four games left but they have a seven point advantage on Sweden and Portugal. Three of Denmark’s remaining games are at home including Saturday’s clash with Portugal.

With a two point advantage and a game in hand on second place Northern Ireland Slovakia is edging closer to a first appearance at the World Cup Finals. Slovakia has a critical match in Bratislava against the Czech Republic this weekend.

Serbia faces what looks to be a group deciding game on Wednesday in Belgrade against France. France has played one less game but that will be rectified on Saturday against Romania in Paris. A win would pull France to within two points of Serbia but a draw on September 9 would probably suit the Serbs.

It perhaps looks closer than it might actually be in Group 8. Italy is only a point ahead of the Republic of Ireland but with a game in hand. This weekend Italy is away to Georgia while the Irish face what has in the past been a tricky fixture, away to Cyprus.

If Italy can beat Georgia and Bulgaria next Wednesday then they can afford to lose to the Republic in Dublin in October and still go through as an automatic qualifier by beating Cyprus on Italian soil four days later.

Chile are the surprise team in South American qualifying and after this weekend they could be down to needing only one win (or even less) in their last three games to guarantee a place in the final thirty-two for the first time since 1998 in France. Venezuela provides the opposition in Santiago and they are desperate to stay in contention for at least a play-off spot.

Too close to call

Group A in Africa has two teams with three games played and two having played twice. The qualifying game involving group leaders Gabon and bottom of the group Cameroon on June 20 was postponed due to the death of Gabon’s President. It will be played on Saturday with a return game four days later in Yaounde. If the results go the way of Cameroon then the group table may turn on its head in the space of four days.

Tunisia goes into Sunday’s away game against Nigeria with a two point lead and a draw would leave them on the cusp of qualification with two games remaining. However, a defeat and Nigeria flip to group favourites and to move on.

Algeria enjoys a three point lead in Group C but is being closely tracked by Zambia and Egypt. Algeria is at home to Zambia on Sunday in a pivotal fixture for all three hopefuls.

Three points separate four countries in CONCACAF qualifying. The reality is that barring miracle performances from El Salvador and/or Trinidad and Tobago, Costa Rica (12 points), Honduras (10), USA (10), and Mexico (9) are playing to see who must take the much more problematic play-off route versus one of three automatic places.

All four of the leading countries have 100% home records. Could the next two rounds be when one or more blinks? Costa Rica is at home to Mexico followed on Wednesday by a trip to El Salvador. Honduras is at home to T&T and then travel to Mexico City.

The US has a fantastic chance to take advantage of their three rivals playing each other when they line-up at home against El Salvador on Saturday and T&T away on Wednesday. However, any slip or two could prove lethal.

Greece and Switzerland are locked together at the top of Group 2 in Europe. Both have 13 points from six matches and play each other in Basel on Saturday.

In Group 4 it looks to be a case of Germany and Russia fighting it out for the automatic spot with the key match-up coming in a month’s time in Moscow.

Paraguay have managed to turn an impressive start in South American qualifying into something that is nearing a meltdown. They have collected only a single point in their last four games and desperately need to arrest their decline.

A home fixture against second from the bottom Bolivia seems to promise a possible revival of hope and belief. A win would guarantee that they would go into another home game next week against Argentina with at least a two point cushion and at a minimum sitting third.

Argentina still falls into the category “too close to call” but are edging towards “hanging by a thread.”

Croatia and Ukraine look set to duke it out for a play-off spot in Group 6 with possibly goal differential deciding each countries fate.

Play off bound

Bahrain and Saudi Arabia finished third in their respective Asia qualifying groups and face off in a two-leg play-off. The winner plays New Zealand in an another play-off to decide who gets to go to South Africa.

Bosnia-Herzegovina is in a strong position to secure a play-off spot from Group 5. Four points ahead of Turkey and five up on Belgium a win away to Armenia on Saturday would mean a draw against Turkey on Wednesday in Zenica and an away win in Estonia in October would seal it with a game to spare.

Hanging by a thread – play-off hopes or otherwise

Ecuador, Uruguay, Colombia and Venezuela all retain hopes of sneaking past Argentina and/or Paraguay to capture an automatic spot. A more realistic ambition might be finishing 5th and facing the fourth placed country from CONCACAF in a fall play-off.

Moroccan players are becoming more prominent in the major European leagues but it has still to translate onto the international scene. Togo made it to Germany 2006. They face each other this weekend (Togo at home) and the winners will need results to go their way to qualify from Group A in Africa.

Sweden and Portugal were thought to be the favourites for Group 1 when the draw was made but it looks as if only one will make the play-offs and even that is far from certain given that Hungary currently sits second.  

Israel has been knocking on the door of the Finals of both the World Cup and the European Championships for close to a decade but with no one answering. A win against third place Latvia on Saturday is mandatory while the long term hope would be to have a win against Switzerland in the last round sealing a play-off spot. Home fixtures that land in between against Luxembourg and Moldova make the scenario not that farfetched.

The Czech Republic has been close to a fixture at major finals since the split-up of Czechoslovakia but their chances of the streak continuing have become tenuous at best.

Seven points behind leaders Slovakia and with Northern Ireland and Poland sitting in-between, it will require a tremendous effort to overcome these impediments.

After a 4-0 pummeling in Oslo Scotland’s hopes should be extinguished by there remains a flicker – as there is for Macedonia and Norway. However, maximum points for either of these countries may still not be enough given that the worst place runner up out of nine groups does not make the play off round.