Photo by ISIphotos.com
Let the games begin, again.
World Cup qualifying is set to kick off tonight when Paraguay plays host to Venezuela (and Vanuatu faces Fiji), but tomorrow is when most of the world will have its attention turned to a loaded qualifying schedule and all the teams trying to make it to the 2010 World Cup.
At the top of the menu is the juicy England-Croatia clash in Croatia. England surely hasn’t forgotten how the Croats eliminated them from Euro 2008 qualifying and now the Crostians stand between them and an automatic berth in the World Cup.
If you are lucky enough to have tomorrow off or just free, then you could watch soccer all day. There are several juicy match-ups to consider. Here are the Top 10 matches to watch for (and the mid-week World Cup Qualifiers on TV schedule for Wednesday):
Top 10 Qualifiers to Watch
- Croatia vs. England. England will look for revenge after Croatia kept them out of Euro 2008.
- France vs. Serbia. Coming off a loss, the French desperately need a win here. The Benzema-Vidic match-up is a can’t-miss.
- Portugal vs. Denmark. A disappointing draw against Hungary has the Danes needing a result here against the Ronaldo-less Portuguese.
- Macedonia vs. Netherlands. Fresh off upsetting Scotland, the Macedonians will look to add another pelt against a Dutch team favored to win loaded Group Nine.
- Mexico vs. Canada. Mexico is nearly impossible to beat at home, but Canada needs a result to keep faint hopes of reaching the Hexagonal alive.
- Russia vs. Wales. After watching them in Euro 2008, would you miss a chance to watch Russia? Throw in Wales needing a win and this one has potential for good drama.
- North Korea vs. South Korea. The same week we see USA-Cuba, we get another politically-charged clash. This one is being played at a neutral site (Shanghai).
- Uruguay vs Ecuador. Uruguay can put itself in very good shape with a win while Ecuador needs a win to pull back in serious contention in CONMEBOL.
- Iceland vs. Scotland. After losing to Macedonia, the Scottish need three points here to avoid falling too far behind.
- Honduras vs. Jamaica. Honduras can start to pull away from the pack in its group with a win here. Jamaica needs a win here pull even with Hondurans (and possibly Canada if Canada pulls the upset).
Qualifier TV Schedule
- 8AM– FSC- North Korea vs. South Korea (in Shanghai)
- 11AM– FSC- Russia vs. Wales
- 2PM– Setanta USA- Turkey vs. Belgium
- 2:30PM– FSC- Macedonia vs. Holland
- 2:45PM– GolTV- Italy vs. Georgia
- 4PM– Setanta USA- Portugal vs. Denmark
- 4:50PM– GolTV- Spain vs. Armenia
- 5PM– FSC- Slovenia vs. Slovakia
- 6:45PM– Setanta USA- France vs. Serbia
- 8PM- ESPN2/Galavision- USA vs. Trinidad & Tobago
- 8PM– FSC- Uzbekistan vs. Australia
- 8:45pm– Setanta USA- Finland vs. Germany
- 9pm- Telemundo- Mexico vs. Canada
So what match will you be looking forward to the most? I mean other than the USA-T&T match of course:
What do you think of the match-ups? What game/games will you be watching? Will you attend any in person?
Share your thoughts on this upcoming round of World Cup qualifying below.