World Cup Playoffs: Which Teams Would Be Better For Football
Tonight marks the start of the Playoffs for the final European places at the World Cup in Brazil next year. There are 4 games and 8 teams in action tonight and the second legs are played next Tuesday. Most people will be predicting who will go through from each of the ties, but i’d prefer to analyse each tie and decide who i’d like to go through for the sake of football. It’s quite a selfish endeavor but after all the World Cup is a spectacle and we want to see the best and most exciting football.
Sweden v Portugal
This one for me is just an incredibly tough decision. In terms of ability you would think Portugal would have enough to overcome Sweden across two games but anything can happen. Two of the best players in world football battle it out. Ideally you’d want them both to go through just for the chance to see both Ronaldo and Zlatan at the world cup next year. Out of the two i’d have to choose Ronaldo and Portugal but only by a tiny amount. Ronaldo is probably the most in form player in the world right now, and if he keeps up this form it’ll be amazing to see what he can do on the world stage.
France v Ukraine
France were always going to find their group difficult, as would any country that were unlucky enough to draw champions of everything ever Spain in their group. Ukraine on the other hand had a much closer group and their battle with England for the top spot went down to the final match day. For me the standout of players are Franck Ribery and Yevhen Konoplyanka, the latter of which ran England ragged in when the two met in Ukraine earlier this year. However in terms of the love of football i have to choose France here. Franck Ribery is enjoying the year of his life and is rightly on the shortlist for the Ballon D’or. This alone is enough for me to want to see him perform on a world stage. The world would miss him if he wasn’t there.
Greece v Romania
This clash is more of a battle for which teams are going to represent Europe’s underdogs. Romania haven’t qualified for any major competitions for a while but do have a rich history in this competition with famous wins over England and Argentina to name but a few. Greece on the other hand shocked the world by famously winning EURO 2004 so maybe they can take that underdog status to the world stage. I think out of the two i would like to see Greece go through, if only due to the delight i get from listening to commentators strain every vocal chord trying to pronounce the names of their players.
Iceland v Croatia
This one is a bit of a no-brainer for me and hopefully for a lot of other football fans. Iceland have performed incredibly just to get to this stage and if they were to qualify they would be the smallest nation ever to reach the World Cup Finals. A title which they would take from Trinidad and Tobago. This one is the ultimate underdog story and if they were to make it to the finals. I and many other fans may find themselves with a second team to support. Let’s face it, what’s not to love about plucky Iceland?
About the Author
SYC Matt A football fan just like the rest of us. Battling with the usual ups and downs that come with supporting one of the less glamorous teams. Crusader for footballing justice.
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