WORLD CUP PREDICTIONS WEEK 3
World Cup Predictions Week 3 & Correct Scores
by Doug Martin
World Cup Preview: Week 3 Part 1:
World Cup Preview: Week 3 Part 2:
Hello everyone. As Gary Lineker said the other day this world cup is proving very difficult to predict on a match by match basis. This is certainly true as you & me are finding out. The correct results that I have correctly predicted since last week are as follows, Chile beating Honduras, Argentina beating South Korea, Holland beating Japan, Denmark beating Cameron & Paruguay beating Slovenia. A very difficult world cup to predict. There have been some shock results. How on earth did Switzerland beat Spain? Or Germany lose to Serbia? Greece had never even scored a goal in the World cup finals let alone managed a win but they came from 1-0 down to beat Nigeria 2-1 thanks mainly to the sending off of a Nigerian player (Deservedly so). Nobody could have predicted England’s shocking performances as well. Oh well, it all makes it interesting. After these predictions we are in to the knock out stages which should work out easier to predict, shouldn’t they???
Good luck everyone.
Match 33: Group “A” - South Africa - France: (Tuesday June 22nd 3pm):
Both these sides should be out of the World cup by the time the final whistle has blown. Both sides have had a bad world cup. South Africa are simple not good enough as proved by their performances against both Mexico & Uruguay. Against Uruguay they were completely outplayed in a 3-0 defeat which begs the question what the hell have South Africa been doing since they know they were going to host the World cup? France seem to have a lot of internal problems in that the players don’t appear to like their manager very much. Anelka has been sent home which will probably be a relief to all concerned. I cannot understand why the French FA have employed this manager when he is obviously so disliked by the players. France were very poor when they lost to Mexico 2-0. They were lucky to get 0 as the saying goes. Very hard to see which team will win this game but I am going to go for a French win just because they are simply a better side on paper than South Africa.
Result Prediction: France to win
Score Prediction: South Africa 0 France 2
Match 34: Group “A” - Mexico - Uruguay: (Tuesday June 22nd 3pm):
This is the other game in group A where a draw will be enough for both sides to qualify. I will not be surprised at all if that is what happens. Both sides look good enough to qualify anyway. Uruguay had a very convincing 3-0 over the hosts South Africa to go with their 0-0 draw with France in their opening game. Mexico look good as well & have been playing the best football in this group as far as I am concerned. They were a tad unlucky to only draw 1-1 with South Africa in their opening game but made up for that slight disappointment to beat France 2-0. This game will either be a 0-0 draw or both sides will go for it & produce a good opening game. Being cynical I am going to predict a 0-0 draw which of course will mean that both sides will go through to the last 16. This is good for football as both sides deserve to go through mainly because of the football they play.
Result Prediction: A draw
Score Prediction: Mexico 1 Uruguay 1
Match 35: Group “B” - Greece - Argentina: (Tuesday June 22nd 7.30pm):
Well Greece managed not only a goal but a victory. It was as you will know their first goal & victory in a World cup finals even though it is only their second appearance ever after their first appearance after 1994. The sending off of a Nigerian player for a crazy foul off the pitch when they were leading 1-0 was the turning point. Within minutes Greece had levelled & they then went onto win with a second half goal thanks to another goalkeeping error. Argentina thrashed South Korea 4-1 (as I Predicted) & have now qualified. Argentina are playing so far the best football at this world cup. They look great when they are in the final third of the pitch with some really sexy football. Maradona is bloody funny in his interviews after the game & it is nice to see a manager who doesn’t give bland boring answers to err, bland boring questions. I think that Argentina will win this game as they don’t seem capable of slowing down & not playing well. If Greece were playing anyone else I might say they stand a chance of going through to the knockout stages.
Result Prediction: Argentina to win
Score Prediction: Argentina 2 Greece 0
Match 36: Group “B” - Nigeria - South Korea: (Tuesday June 22nd 7.30pm):
Nigeria will be really annoyed that they lost to Greece after seemingly been on course for two points after being 1-0 up until the stupid sending off that screwed their chances. They now face a South Korean side who must fancy their chances of two points & progression to the knockout stages. South Korea did well to only hold Argentina to only four goals in their defeat. They pulled the score back to 2-1 just before half time & only conceded the last two goals late one. They were simply brushed a side by a very good Argentina side who any side will have had trouble beating. I think that because Greece will lose to Argentina South Korea will therefore qualify. The African sides in this world cup have not performed that well at this world cup & to be honest I don’t know why? This will be a disappointment for them with the world cup being played on African soil for the first time. A South Korean win & because of their two points against Greece in their first game they will qualify. More Disappointment for Africa I’m afraid.
Result Prediction: South Korea to win
Score Prediction: South Korea 2 Nigeria 1
Match 37: Group “C” - England - Slovenia: (Wednesday June 23rd 3pm):
England were dreadful in their 0-0 draw on Friday with Algeria. I can only guess as to why they played so badly. I think the combination of the manager’s intensity & the constant pressure from the press (scum) is taking it’s toll. I would not like to be an England player in that team right now. I think England are going to go out by only drawing this game. They are playing with utter fear written all over their faces. They are not a happy bunch & it is showing out on the field of play. The media have a lot to answer for as they are like vultures. They constant Ballshit & unhelpful critism is simply not helping. They the media don’t care of course nor will they back off as they would have to admit they are wrong & they never do that. Slovenia were 2-0 up against the USA on Friday but were pegged back to 2-2 by a very good second half performance by the states. The states in fact should have won the game as the referee made a dreadful decision in disallowing a goal for the states when the score was 2-2. I can’t believe England will play as badly again but they won’ t play well enough to go through. The funny thing is that the media have slagged off England when they haven’t deserved it & now that they do they have already used the headlines. Tossers.
Result Prediction: A draw
Score Prediction: England 0 Slovenia 0 (England to go out)
Match 38: Group “C” - USA - Algeria: (Wednesday June 23rd 3pm):
The USA will be really pleased with the way they came from 2-0 down at half time to draw 2-2 with Slovenia. They were cheated by the referee who disallowed a goal when the score was 2-2. Algeria will also be pleased after they easily held England 0-0 last Friday & I mean easily. This was their first point after they lost their first game 1-0 to Slovenia. Can’t see them beating the states especially the way the states played in the second half against Slovenia. The USA will make England look crap by beating Algeria & make people think how the hell Algeria managed to draw with England. This will be the third time the USA will have qualified out of their group into the knock out stages, the other times were 1994 (lost 1-0 to Brazil) & 2002 when they very unlucky to lose to Germany 1-0 in the quarter finals after beating Mexico 2-0 in the last 16. It will be interesting to see how they do this time. Better than England if they were to manage to qualify methinks.
Result Prediction: USA to win
Score Prediction: USA 2 Algeria 1
Match 39: Group “D” - Serbia - Australia: (Wednesday June 23rd 7.30pm):
Serbia did everyone in football a massive favour by somehow beating Germany 1-0 in their last game. The sending off very harshly of a German player was the turning point in the game as the Serbian’s went up the field directly after the sending off & scored the only goal of the game. They were helped by some rather large amounts of luck in the Germans missing a Penalty & hitting the Crossbar. Could England have some of that luck please even though they don’t deserve any. Australia recovered from their 4-0 defeat to Germany in their opening game by drawing with Ghana 1-1. This was a good result as they had Harry Kwell sent off very harshly for handball on the goal line which gave Ghana a penalty which they scored from to bring the scores level after Australia had gone 1-0 up. The Australians did well to hold Ghana with ten men for the rest of the game & in fact could have won the game as they looked the more likely to score. Australia have had to very harsh sending offs in both their opening games & this will hamper them in their final game. I think that Serbia will win but it will be close.
Result Prediction: Serbia to win
Score Prediction: Serbia 2 Australia 1
Match: 40 Group “D” - Germany - Ghana: (Wednesday June 23rd 7.30pm):
Germany were very unlucky as I said in the previous review when they lost to Serbia. I have to laugh as been English has not been much fun at this world cup so my “Cheap Thrills” are laughing at other teams misfortune. Germany despite their defeat did play well as they did in their opening 4-0 win against Australia. I really can’t see the Germans losing this game & therefore going out of the World cup at the group stages for the first time since the Russians took Berlin in 1945...Ghana looked very poor against Australia despite coming from behind to draw 1-1. They failed to beat the ten men of Australia for nearly an hour which was not good. Germany should really win this game & win it well. If England somehow qualify from their group & end up playing Germany then I really don’t fancy their chances as the Germans look a far better side than us at present, in fact Darlington look a better side than us…I also think that Ghana could go out with this defeat as well which would be a shame after their good start when they beat Serbia 2-0. Such is Football.
Result Prediction: Germany to win
Score Prediction: Germany 3 Ghana 0