Mission Impossible?

Chile wins: 7
Draws: 12
Brazil wins: 46 47


28 June 2010: Chile - Brazil World Cup in South Africa

They have the numbers, we have the heart and spirit

Focus on our Rivals: Brazil

Qualification: 1st in South American qualification group World Ranking: 1 Head Coach: Dunga Captain: Lúcio Most Capped Player: Cafu 142 (1990-2006) Top Goalscorer: Pelé 77 (1957-1971).

Star Players: The Whole Team!

The Team: Brazil is the most successful National team in the history of the World Cup with 5 Championships. They are one of the favorites of winning the tournament, as they are for this one as well. They come as the number one ranked team in the World and they won their qualification group with 34 points, however only one more than Chile. To this World Cup, they come with one of the greatest goalkeeper in Inter Milan's Julio Cesar, winner of the Serie A, Coppa Italia and the Champions League this season. The defence is top class as well with two more players from this year success Inter Milan, Lucio and Maicon. Juan and relatively new player Michel Bastos from Lyon. Their midfield is mainly concentrated to the creative play of Kaka, star player from Real Madrid. Brazil's top weapon has always been their attacking play. Luis Fabiano and Robinho are two of the chosen players to conduct a 6th championship to Brazil.

How They Got Here: Just as Chile, Brazil were outstanding in the South American qualification round. However, they are always keeping the same top quality no matter what team they bring out. They played 18 games and managed to only lose two of them. Chile lost both matches, at home with 0-3 and in Brazil with 4-2. Luis Fabiano was the top goal scorer with 9 goals and managed to get on top of the worst discipline list with one red and 3 yellow cards.

Form: They are always winning. In the group stage of the World Cup, They won 2 games against North Korea (2-1) and against Ivory Coast (3-1). The final game against Portugal was left scoreless.

Our Chances of Beating You: According to FIFA, Chile have not overcome Brazil since a friendly in 1993. Last time Chile went to the round of 16, they met Brazil who won with 4-1. Brazil won both matches in the qualification round with a total of 7-2. In the Copa America in 2007 Brazil met Chile in the group stage and won with 3-0. They met again in the quarter final and Brazil crushed Chile with 6-1. Castrol gives Chile a low 22% chance of winning the game.

Chile can win if they play as they have before, fearless. They need to forget who they are playing and just do their game. They will only have a few chances so they must score on any opportunity they get. Once again Alexis Sanchez will play against the left defender who is the weakest in the lineup, Michel Bastos. Bravo needs to show that he is better and not make the same mistake as he did against Spain, when they scored the first goal. Bielsa must show that he is several levels better a manager than Dunga.

My Prediction: Chile - Brazil 2-2 (5-4 on penalties).

Chile - Spain 1-2

The day after. Chile has qualified to the round of 16 against Brazil this Monday. Even though Chile lost to Spain, Switzerland could not manage to win against Honduras. These results lead to Spain winning Group H with 6 points but with better goal difference than Chile.

The game started in a somewhat slow tempo, and Chile had a golden opportunity to take the lead when M. Gonzalez easily could have put the ball behind Casillas, but the ball hit his shinguard missed the open goal. It would have been a different game, with Spain chasing two goals instead. The Mexican referee took charge of the game by starting to blow for everything and started to hand out yellow cards to the Chileans. Medel and Ponce were wrongfully booked in the first 20 minutes. This would mean that Chile's best two defenders will miss the game against Brazil. It could have not started worse. Estrada got a yellow card after a tackle, that was mainly the only right decision in the first half. Right after that, Spain got an opportunity when Bravo put the ball by Villa's feet and he made no mistake and scored from 40 meters into an open goal.

Beausejour got a chance when he was alone with Casillas but missed by centimeters. That would have mean 1-1 but instead Iniesta put all hopes to an end when he scored for Spain after a mistake from a Chilean defender. During that goal, worst player of the tournament, Estrada was sent off after a second yellow card, when he unintentionally (?) interfered golden boy Torres. Torres crocodile tears were sad enough to affect Rodriguez. Every play and decision went against Chile in the first half.

During the second half, Bielsa made some changes when Valdivia and Gonzalez were replaced by Paredes and Millar. Paredes took Gonzalez place and Millar took Estradas place as Valdivia's offensive role was sacrificed.

Millar took the opportunity and gave all Chileans hope when he scored from outside the penalty area with a shot that left Casillas standing still. The rest of the game was a stalemate and Spain seemed confirmed with the result. Chile, with one man less since 40th minute fought very courageous and Rodriguez seemed more humane. Orellana came in with 30 minutes left when he replaced Sanchez who had run throughout the whole match. Pretty much nothing happend from minute 60 and forward.

Notable after the game was:

It would have been a totally different game if Gonzalez had scored in the 8th minute.
Gary Medel was again, Chile's best player.
Villa's goal was a present.
Estrada never should have played.
El Niño vs. El Niño Maravilla ended in a narrow win for Sanchez.
Spain can not be happy with their play.
Marco Rodriguez was totally predictable.
Marco Rodriguez will not be the referee in any more matches.
FIFA and their referees are useless this far.
Yet another red card in the first half.
Estrada, Klose, Gourcuff, Kaita, Kewell and Behrami have been sent off in the first half.
Brazil will, even with Ponce and Medel, be too difficult.
I am sorry Honduras, you were not spectators, thanks for holding Switzerland down.

El Niño vs. El Niño Maravilla

Alexis "El Niño Maravilla" Sanchez
Date of Birth: 19 December 1988
Height: 168 cm
Shirt number: 7
Position: Forward
Current club: Udinese (ITA)
International Caps: 31
International Goals: 11

Fernando "El Niño" Torres
Date of Birth: 20 March 1984
Height: 181 cm
Shirt number: 9
Position: Forward
Current club: Liverpool (ENG)
International Caps: 75
International Goals: 24

Let's show the world who the real El Niño is.

Tshwane/ Pretoria Lotus Versfeld Stadium

The match tonight will be played in Tshwane/ Pretoria at the Lotus Versfeld Stadium. It is an old stadium built in 1903 and renovated in 2009. It is an open stadium with no roof so hopefully the Vuvuzela sounds will disappear into outer space. It is also used as a Rugby stadium. Four matches have been played there to this day.

Serbia - Ghana 0-1
South Africa - Uruguay 0-3
Cameroon - Denmark 1-2
U.S.A. - Algeria 1-0

The match starts at 20:30 local time and the other game in Group H, between Switzerland and Honduras is played at the same time in Mangaung/Bloemfontein.

The referee is Mexican Marco Rodriguez, with International appearances since 1999. He speaks Spanish as all the players on the field, so hopefully there will not be misunderstandings. He has been the referee at the game Germany - Australia 4-0 (1 red - 5 yellow). Let's hope that he will not choose to be the center of attention. We have had really bad referees, and many people have reacted on the level that they have had. Lots of warning have been handed out without motivation and red cards are given out like presents on Christmas. Unfortunately, with so much on stake and with players with same native language, I believe that it will be a tough game with many warning and maybe even a red card in the game tonight. We will not be given the same advantage as we did against Switzerland. Will the Mexican take the pressure and help us take down the Motherland?

Pórtate bien, Cabrón !

Focus on our Rivals: Spain

Qualification: 1st in European Qualification Group 5 World Ranking: 2 Head Coach: Vicente del Bosque Captain: Iker Casillas Most Capped Player: Andoni Zubizarreta 126 (1985-1998) Top Goalscorer: Raúl 44 (1996-2006).

Star Players: The whole team!

The Team: The European champions Spain have a golden generation of players who are all on top of the World's greatest. With Real Madrid and Barcelona's success in European Championships and attractive football, many foreign players choose the Spanish La Liga the number one league to play in, thus making it more competitive and creating better domestic players. Spain are the only nation in the World that have 3 goalkeepers that are World Class players, unfortunately only one can play and Casillas has had that spot since 2000. The defense is Spain Achilles heal but that says much about the rest of the team. The midfield is their strength with creator Xavi as their architect. They have adapted Barcelona's tiki-taka play with short passes and lots of movement to the National team. Villa and Torres play at top, and they have done that successfully, however Villa has been the better one at this tournament with 2 goals. There has been a small generation shift since Spain's last tournament where Pique, Fabregas, Busquets and Navas have more important roles than they did two years ago.

How They Got Here: Spain played in European Group 5, the toughest one and went impressionable easily through with 10 wins, no losses or draws and a goal difference of +23 goals. They left behind countries like Bosnia/Herzegovina, Turkey, Belgium, Estonia and Armenia. Casillas and Capdevila played most of all and Villa was top goalscorer with 7 goals in the qualification.

Form: In the first game of the World Cup, Spain lost to Switzerland. It was a lost that shook the world because except for a loss at the 2009 Confederations Cup against U.S.A., Spain had not lost for over 3 years.

Our Chances of Beating You: Normally Chile's chances are minimal, however Chile has played a wonderful football in the 2 games yet played in the World Cup and Spain's loss to Switzerland has increased our chances. Last time these teams played each other was in a friendly match in 2008, with Spain beating Chile with 3-0 in Spain. The numbers are misguiding as del Bosque said it was one of the best opponents to Spain. Chile comes to play with Mati Fernandez and Carmona ineligible to play due to yellow cards. Spain have all their players eligible for play. Spain must win this match, because with a draw they will be dependent on Honduras winning against Switzerland. Not advancing would be a disaster for Spain, one of the favorites of the World Cup title.

I think that Chile needs to play the same as they did in the first two games. Spain are not used to opponents who are able to control the attacking pace. I also think that Sanchez will have an important role tonight because he will face the "worst" player in Spain's starting squad, Capdevila. We will have an advantage with Sanchez quick feet, he needs to be more concentrated in his finishes though.

My Prediction: Chile - Spain 2-2

Picture of the Day #2

Let them come, this time we will be ready.

Port Elizabeth / Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium

This is the stadium where the Chile vs. Switzerland match is to be played tomorrow. The stadium is newly built and has a capacity for approximately 43,000 persons. Let us hope that it will be filled with red (both team) fans and please NO Vuvuzelas. Three matches have been played there so far.

South Corea - Greece 2-0
Ivory Coast - Portugal 0-0
Germany - Serbia 0-1

The match will be the second of the day, which means that it starts at 16:00 local time. Be sure that you don't miss it.

The referee will be Khalil Al Ghamdi from Saudi Arabia. He has according to FIFA been at an International level since 2003. He was the referee in the match between France vs. Mexico (0-2). Reports say that he was okay, although the referee team missed an offside on Hernandez. He gave away 6 yellow cards and gave Mexico a correct penalty.

Behave

Swiss Alps vs. Chilean Andes - Size Matters?

Swiss highest mountain, Monte Rosa: 4,634 meters.

Chilean highest mountain, Ojos del Salado: 6,880 meters. + 2246 meters

source: scaruffi.com

Goalkeepers
Benaglio 193 cm +10 cm
Bravo 183 cm

Defense
von Bergen 183 cm + 12 cm
Medel 171 cm

Midfield
Huggel 190 cm + 17 cm
Valdivia 173 cm

Forward
Derdiyok 190 cm +22 cm
Sanchez 168 cm

Swiss' average height: 183 cm + 7 cm
Chile's average height: 176 cm

Focus on our Rivals: Switzerland

Qualification: 1st in European Qualification Group 2 World Ranking: 18 Head Coach: Ottmar Hitzfeld Most Capped Player: Heinz Hermann 177 (1978-1991) Top Goalscorer: Alexander Frei 40 (2001-present).

Star Players: Tranquilo Barnetta (Bayer Leverkusen, Ger), Alexander Frei (Basel).

The Team: The Swiss National Team is by European standards, a relatively unknown team. They have two generations that have qualified for the World Cup. Between 1932 and 1966 they qualified for 6 World Cups out of 7 possible. Then in 1994 they made a comeback to the big stage and finally in Germany 2006 and South Africa 2010 they participated. Today’s team has its strength in the defense. Giant players like Senderos and Huggel stand as towers in the mid-defense to protect the goalkeeper Benaglio. Much of Switzerland’s play go through the wings where there are players that run up and down and handing crosses to Nkufo who is a strong center. Many of the players are regulars in middle sized European clubs. Switzerland has league winners in Dutch champions Twente’s Nkufo and 3 players from Swiss champions Basel. They are Frei, Huggel and the talent Shaqiri, born in 1991. Other players who are key players in their clubs are: Benaglio, Lichtsteiner, Inler and Behrami, just to name a few.

How They Got Here: Switzerland was very fortunate in the qualification lottery and got the easiest group of the European qualification round. They only lost one game, a surprise lost against Luxemburg. The Swiss ended in first place above Greece, Latvia, Israel, Luxemburg and Moldova. They scored 18 goals for and got 8 goals against. Nkufo and Barnetta played all 10 games and top goal scorers were Frei and Nkufo with 5 each.

Form: The Swiss’ went on a cautious preparatory stage before the World Cup with only 3 International games where they lost against Uruguay and Costa Rica and got a draw against Italy. Those opponents were supposed to match their rivals at Group H. In the first game of the World Cup, Switzerland took an unexpected win against Euro champions Spain with 1-0. This win will give them an incredible amount of self confidence for the rest of the matches, especially Fernandes who scored the goal against Spain. However, their center defender Senderos got injured and will miss the game against Chile. Add Frei and Behrami to the list of players that might miss the next game due to injuries.

Our Chances of Beating You: Both Chile and Switzerland won their first games which puts the teams in an uncomfortable position because of the unexpected Swiss win against Spain. I would like seeing both of these teams advance to the knockout stage, but a draw here for Chile would mean that they could miss the next stage. A win here would put Chile on 6 points a lot closer to the knockout stage but not entirely there. Switzerland showed in their last game that they are a team that can win against giants Spain. However, I believe that it was a once in a lifetime shot because they won only by being effective. Spain owned the whole game but Switzerland scored in one of their 3 shots at goal. I do not think that Chile’s game is like Spain’s and Switzerland will not be forced to defending themselves during 90 minutes. That could open up their tight defense a bit more than it did against Spain. Also we have more players that will have more movement, especially on the wings. On the other hand, a draw here for Switzerland and a win against the spectators of Honduras will most certainly place them in the last 16. Chile and Switzerland have a different playing style, therefore it will be very interesting in seeing which kind of football will win, the Latin attacking with superior technique, or the mix of Italian, French or German that Switzerland could surprise us with. Hopefully they will have a game like they did when they lost against Luxembourg (!) in the qualifying round. However, we must remember that the Swiss team has a better player on every position in comparative to Honduras, which we only beat by one goal.

My Prediction: Chile – Switzerland 3-1

Focus on our Rivals: Honduras

Qualification: 3rd place in CONCACAF 4th Round FIFA Ranking: 34 Head Coach: Reinaldo Rueda (2007-) Most Capped Player: Amado Guevara 133 (1994-) Top Goalscorer: Carlos Pavon 57 (1993-)

Star Players: Wilson Palacios (Tottenham, Eng) & David Suazo (Genoa, Ita).

The Players: Honduras is Chile’s first opponents in Group H. The match is the first of the day on Wednesday at Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit. Honduras is believed to be one of the weaker teams at the World Cup. This is mainly because of the difficulty of their qualification round and for their lack of quality players. They have two that are good, Palacios and Suazo, the first could be good enough to be a starter in Chile’s team. David Suazo was very good two seasons ago, when playing in Italian Club Cagliari, then he got less minutes when bought by Italian club Inter. Palacios plays for English Top-4 club Tottenham, where he is a regular starter as a defensive midfielder. Palacios became famous when he played for Wigan, a Honduran colony in Britain that ended their Premier League season at 16^th place. Today, Maynor Figueroa and Hendry Thomas play as starters in Wigan. However, Wigan’s season has been less than good and they ended the season with a remarkable 0-8 defeat against Champions Chelsea. Midfielder Edgar Alvarez played almost every game for his Italian Club Bari this season, and can be considered to be a threat of quality. Julio Cesar de Leon is another Italian based player next to Alvarez and Suazo, however he plays for Torino in the Serie B and only as a starter in one third of the league games. The rest of the players are based on the Honduran league, which is maybe Top-5 in the CONCACAF.

How They Got Here: As a National team, Honduras qualified in a group consisting of Caribbean, Central- and North American teams. They were ranked in the second group together with Panama and Trinidad and Tobago, but after Mexico, U.S.A and Costa Rica. They entered the third round of the CONCACAF World Cup Qualification by beating Puerto Rico by a total of 6-2 in the second round. In the third round they ended first in their group leaving Mexico, Jamaica and Canada behind. In the fourth round, they ended third and direct qualified to the World Cup, after U.S.A and Mexico but at the same point as Costa Rica, who were forced to play against Uruguay in the final play-off to the World Cup.

Form: Chile played against Honduras in an International friendly back in January 2009, when they were defeated by 2-0 in Honduras. One year later, Honduras beat U.S.A with 3-1 in a friendly, besides these two results, there are mainly losses and draws for the Central American team. In their last game, Honduras lost to Romania with 3-0 in a game where D. Suazo and W. Palacios became injured.

Our Chances of Beating You: Chile’s chances against Honduras are by my opinion great. This is the first game and both teams have a strong companionship due to having a consistent team. Chile has much hunger to show their people that they can do well in a World Cup. Honduras is just happy to have made it here. Chile plays a varied football, where European physique meets South American technique. Chile has a young team that are used to tournaments as they have played several Under 20 World Championships. Honduras strength lies in their effectiveness; they know that they must score if they are given a chance. Chile will win because they have 9 starting players that are better. We are hungry, let them come and meet our Pitbull Gary Medel.

My Prediction: Chile – Honduras 4-1