FOOTY FAIR

5 Players to Watch in the 2015 Copa America

2015-06-05T12:00:00.000-04:00

Kicking off on June 11, Chile will play host to the 2015 Copa America and some of the finest players in the world will be hoping to lead their sides to glory.

The following are five players to watch for in Chile:

Lionel Messi

This one is a no-brainer. Lionel Messi is the undisputed greatest player on the planet at the moment and, incredibly, seemed to find his richest vein of form in the last few months of the Spanish season for Barcelona. Argentina are inevitably among the favourites to win this tournament and they will look to the "Magisterial" Messi to inspire them.

Neymar

One of Brazil's lone bright spots as they scraped through to the Semi-Final of the 2014 World Cup, Neymar missed his country's 7-1 humiliation at the hands of Germany and will hope to be a big part of a side looking to restore their dented pride. Neymar has been brilliant at times for Barcelona this season and should shine in Chile.

James Rodriguez

The Golden Boot winner in last summer's World Cup, James Rodriguez will again be key to Colombia's hopes. A good first season for Real Madrid confirmed that he was the real deal as he showcased his outstanding passing range to go along with his goals from midfield since his big money move last summer. For Colombia to win their first Copa America since 2001, James will have to be on form.

Alexis Sanchez

After a strong showing in last summer's World Cup, Chile's Alexis Sanchez will be counted on lead his side to the first Copa America win in their history. The 26-year old, who stars for Arsenal in the English Premier League, is Chile's creative fulcrum and if he's able to reduce his club form for his country the hosts could be in for a great tournament.

Edinson Cavani

With Luis Suarez suspended from the tournament thanks to sinking his teeth into Italian Giorgio Chiellini at the 2014 World Cup, Edinson Cavani will be counted on more than ever to provide the inspiration and goals for Uruguay. After firing his club side PSG to a French domestic treble Cavani will be trying to help his country defend the title they won at the 2011 Copa America, but they're facing some stiff competition and won't be helped by the absence of Suarez.

The Roundtable: The Best Player You've Seen in Person

2015-05-17T12:00:00.000-04:00

Every weekend we go beyond the headlines and talk to real football fans about current topics or issues in the football world.

Today the group discussed their the best players they've had the privilege of seeing in the flesh.

On the round table today we were joined by:

Bramble
Parmar
Luka
Wes
Hawk
Iain (me)

Who is the best player you've seen play in person, when did you see them and why were they so special?

Iain:

Best player I've seen in person is Zinedine Zidane in a pre-season friendly between his Real Madrid side and Roma in 2002. His touch, balance, range of passing and control was out of this world. The guy was magical. Even in the pre-match warm up he was ridiculous to watch.

Bramble:
I guess for me the best player i've seen live would be either Romario or Eric Cantona. I saw Romario here in Canada post WC 94 and he was phenomenal. A bit of a douche though. He went on to win the World Cup that summer. The King (Cantona) I've seen enough times during my reign of going to Old Trafford regularly in the 90's he was good before his kung fu incident but after he was somehow even better. His touches were amazing and the flicks and tricks and vision were always unparalleled to me. I agree with your opinion on Zidane but for me the King has to be.

Parmar:
Eden Hazard. I was in attendance for Chelsea v Sporting in this year's Champions League. The kid was magic to watch; what he does with the ball to beat opponents, his confidence when taking on opponents 1 v 1 or as I had the pleasure of seeing 1 v 3 or 4 is truly precious. For me, all Chelsea bias aside, this kid will be one of the greats in the history books once he's finished with his career.

Bramble:
Some of the players of today are something special, I just chose mine based on the fact that it was a bit of a tougher game back then. Yet the skill was top notch.

Parmar:
If I had to choose one from waaaay back when, and some of you pricks may laugh at me for even bringing his name up in this conversation, Domenic Mobilio. I had the pleasure of growing up watching and even training with him in Van. When it comes to Canadian football he was special in my opinion.

Wes:
Is it a bad thing that the best player I've ever seen live was David Beckham? It was the first leg of TFC vs LA Galaxy. What made him so special, is that honestly, looking at everyone on that pitch, you could tell he was worlds apart from the rest of them. Even with people tossing toilet paper, and I think a beer cup, he kept his cool.

I don't think I got a chance to see what he is truly capable of live, but it was a pleasure to watch him.

Parmar:
I remember saying to my buddy "his passes are still pinpoint" in that match.

Bramble:
Wasn't that me? (Laughs)

Iain:
Beckham comes in for a lot of grief, because of his underwear modelling and strange looking wife mainly, but he looked miles better than anyone on the pitch when he played for LA against us in Toronto. His crosses and delivery from set plays seemed effortless.

Hawk:
It was a treat to watch him.

Bramble:
Yeah, but oh man did we raise a unholy noise when TFC scored those two goals against LA that night. Toronto has not known such fearsome noise.

Parmar:
It was special.

Luka:
Best player I've seen live I think is Luka Modrić. Saw him play against Milan at San Siro, in the 2nd leg of r.16 of CL. He came around the 60th minute as he was coming off an injury and despite this he was still amazing. The vision, off the ball movement, skills, timing and that outside of the boot pass! He's the type of player you really appreciate when you watch live.

I also really enjoyed watching Neymar and Alexis Sanchez in the Brazil v Chile friendly at skydome last year. Also it's an absolute joy to watch Niko Kranjčar, saw him play three times within two weeks (EPL, CL and international friendly) and he's just a magician with the ball at his feet.

I've seen a lot of good players play in MLS but none of them come close to those 4.

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Thank you for reading this week's Roundtable.

EPL's Oscar Awards

2015-02-22T20:00:00.000-05:00

It's Oscar Awards night and I decided to take this opportunity to give out some awards myself. Using the exact wording of the existing Hollywood categories, I applied them to the world of EPL football and the award goes to...

Best Costume Design: Manchester City

From its simplicity to the fact that the sponsor is actually willing to get any color treatment for its logo for the sake of the kit looking good in all shades, the Manchester City kit is the absolute winner this year (at least in my opinion). The color combinations are on points with the dark blue contrast colors being used in just the right spots and in just the right amount.

Best Actor in a Supporting Role: Frank Lampard

Perhaps the biggest off the bench asset in the EPL is former Chelsea legend Frank Lampard. Who would have thought that his detour on his way to new MLS side New York City FC would actually have the impact it did in Manchester.

Best Original Story: Harry Kane

From substitute in the first match of the season to club hero in less than 6 months, Harry Kane's story writes itself. After a few loan spells in the last few years the 21 year old has woken the beast and is now one of, if not the most exciting players in the league.With 14 goals to his name so far this season, Kane sits just 3 shy of joint league leaders Diego Costa and Sergio Agüero.

Best Director: Ronald Koeman

Sure, he's not a director of football or anything but I will use this category for a manager since he is kind of directing what the footballers do on the pitch. It's almost a sure bet that Southampton will not finish in the top 4 this season, but after what seemed like a selling spree by The Saints has turned into a fantastic season under the new Dutch manager.

Best Actor in a Leading Role: Alexis Sánchez

Ever since setting foot in London with The Gunners, the Chilean has been an absolute marvel. His work ethics are second to none and his leadership on the pitch is perhaps the sole reason why Arsenal is even in the hunt for a top 4 finish this year.

Best Original Score: Philippe Coutinho

Luckily the Oscar's are on tonight and not a week earlier because just today Liverpool's Philippe Coutinho scored what can very well prove the goal of the season in England. The distance and precision of this strike surely deserves some praise.

Best Picture: Thibaut Courtois

Whatever this is, it wins!

The Monday Meltdown - Jose Mourinho and Arsene Wenger

2014-10-06T15:00:00.000-04:00

Sunday's much anticipated match between Chelsea and Arsenal saw yet another incident in the long running feud between their respective manager's Jose Mourinho and Arsene Wenger.

The touch paper had been lit earlier in the day when Mourinho congratulated Wenger on his 18 years of service at Arsenal, before refusing to apologize for calling the Frenchman "a specialist in failure" last season.

This particular attack had followed Wenger's comments that last years Premier League title was Chelsea's to lose and that Mourinho feared failure and was therefore playing down his side's chances.

According to the Guardian, Mourinho had the following to say about his infamous remark about the Arsenal boss:

“I don’t apologize, he didn’t apologize. My feeling is not to go over it – forget it, to move forwards without thinking about what happened. He doesn’t need to apologize, so I don’t need an apology or to apologize.

“Intelligent football people don’t need that, it’s finished. Let’s go for another match with big responsibilities for both of us.”

With Sunday's encounter only twenty minutes old, Wenger lost his cool over Chelsea defender Gary Cahill's heavy foul on Alexi Sanchez and raced out of his technical area to shove Mourinho.

Wenger, who has had a fractious relationship with Mourinho since the self appointed "Special One" first joined Chelsea in 2004, has been on the receiving end of the Portuguese bosses verbal assaults several times over the years. Mourinho accused Wenger in 2005 of "having an unhealthy obsession with Chelsea" and that he was "a voyeur".

This Sunday just appeared to be a case of the Frenchman snapping after several years of provocation. It probably doesn't help that he has failed in eleven attempts to beat Mourinho's sides.

Wenger though is not blameless in this feud, as he has shot back at Mourinho on occasion, as he often does when faced with a managerial rival who he views as a threat.

The long time Arsenal's bosses aloof attitude towards other managers is often viewed as arrogance. For his part in the altercation with Mourinho yesterday, Wenger had this to say to the media:

"I don’t regret it, what is there to regret? I want to go from A to B and someone (Mourinho) confronted me before I got to B without any sign of a welcome."

The Chelsea manager said: "It becomes heated because it's a big game, big clubs, big rivals, an important match for both teams. ‘I think these conditions make a game of emotions. After that, there are two technical areas. One for me, one for him.

"He was coming into my technical area and not for the right reasons, to give some technical instructions. He was coming to push the referee for a red card, and I didn't like that. But I think Moss did a good job.

"A football pitch is a football pitch. Yes. He did well, Jonathan Moss. And Atkinson did well too. But, to be fair, I do so many wrong things in football, sometimes you lose emotion, but not this time. This time I was just in my technical area and it was not my problem. Game over, story over."

Predictably the two refused to shake hands at the end of the match and their petty squabbling will likely continue unabated.

The worry for Arsenal fans though, rather than a bit of verbal sparring between their manager and the Chelsea supremo, is another limp performance by their side in a big match and the lame excuse served up by Wenger afterwards.

"As well, at the end of the day, they have a financial power and they used it in a very efficient way when they had the chances.

"Their individual players who can make the difference made the difference -- Hazard and Costa.''

The real issue is that for the past few seasons Arsenal have had real gaps in their side and rather than address them, as Chelsea have done them by bringing in a badly needed striker in Diego Costa, Wenger has persisted with turning a blind eye to his sides shortcomings and loading up on small, technical midfielders.

Arsenal haven't had a dominant physical force in the middle of the park since Patrick Vieira left for Juventus in the summer of 2005, they also haven't had a reliable back four since shortly after that time either, but Wenger has failed to address this.

There is a fallacy in Arsenal not spending money, as they invested significantly in bringing in Mesut Ozil, Danny Welbeck and Alexis Sanchez in the past two summers, but his stubbornness in bringing in the type of players the club truly needs must be excruciating for their fans.

Is finishing fourth every year, but with the exception of last spring's FA Cup, not winning trophies enough for a side of their stature? I tend to think it isn't.

PES 2014 Worst Faces (Gallery)

2014-08-06T06:00:00.001-04:00

Sure this game is called PES 2014, some of the player faces however seem like they were designed a decade before that. Here are the game's worst footballer face designs.

2014 World Cup Round of 16: Best XI

2014-07-02T06:00:00.000-04:00

The round of 16 is now completed; let us take a look at who the best starting XI was during this round.

Goalkeeper – Keylor Navas (Costa Rica)

He has incredible in the matchup against Greece. He was let down by his defense late in the game which led to an equalizer, but he stopped everything else that was thrown at him. During the penalty shootout he was also incredible saving the Gekas penalty which won them a spot in the quarter finals. This was the hardest choice to make, since I had other goalkeepers that were equally outstanding to choose from, like Howard, Cesar and Ochoa, but in the end Navas for me was the best of the bunch.

Defender – Yedlin (USA)

He came off the bench on the 32 minute for an injured Johnson, but his impact in the game was felt immediately. USA offensive dynamics would not have been the same without him. He was a box to box player, defending well, and moving forward in attacking maneuvers creating dangerous plays near the Belgian box. For such a young player his presence on the field looked more off a veteran and not a rookie. This kid will have a bright future.

Defender – Thiago Silva (Brazil)

He is the only player in the Brazilian backline that seems to know what he is doing and where he is on the field at all times. He is the glue that keeps David Luiz together. He is a solid anchor at the back, and in the game against Chile he was once again their best defender. Also dangerous when he goes forward, he was the player that deflected the ball off the corner to David Luiz score the first goal.

Defender – Mario Yepes (Colombia)

Mario Yepes is like a good wine, gets better with age. He is without a doubt the leader of this team, and once again he showed against Uruguay in the round of 16 game. He covered and rendered Cavani obsolete for the duration of the game. His presence at the back reminds me of Baresi, an old veteran with a tremendous heart and ability to elevate his game when it is needed the most.

Defender – Mertesacker (Germany)

He has been Germany’s best defender and most reliable as well. He was incredible against Algeria. He was able to shut down Slimani who had been a very influencial player up until the round of 16. His stability at the back also helped Mustafi adjust to the high demands of World Cup soccer. He has emerged as one of the great players of this German squad.

Midfield – James Rodriguez (Colombia)

This kid is quickly becoming the MVP of the tournament. He was fundamental in Colombia’s victory over Uruguay, scoring 2 more goals bringing his total to 5 goals in 4 games. He has been the best player overall, and in a tournament where everyone coming I was looking at Messi and Neymar he has taken his game to a new level putting his name on above those two in the race for best scorer and MVP.

Midfield – Cuadrado (Colombia)

He has gone unnoticed in a team that has James Rodriguez, but he has been the Robin to James’ Batman. His influence on the midfield of Colombia and how they play is incredible. He is a younger, faster version of Pirlo. He is the maestro of the Colombian squad, and his quality of pass is evident in most of the goals that James Rodriguez has scored. He is a star in the making.

Midfield – Paul Pogba (France)

He finally had a game at his level and ability. He had been dormant during the group stages, but during the match against Nigeria the giant within woke up and brought his A game. His winning goal was the icing on the cake of a performance that made us all wonder where had this Pogba been, he is capable of controlling a midfield all by himself and against Nigeria he did.

Midfield – De Bruyne (Belgium)

He was fundamental in Belgium’s victory over the USA. He scored a goal and assisted on the second. He was an incredible spark on a midfield that lack imagination. Hazard has been subpar and against the USA De Bruyne was the brain; irreverence and creativity that his team needed to break a very good USA side.

Forward – Messi (Argentina)

He didn’t score for Argentina during the round of 16, but he was close. He assisted Di Maria for the winning goal against Switzerland, and was the only positive player going forward. On a team that lacked some imagination and creative to break a very well organized Swiss side, he seemed to be the only one swimming against the tide. So no surprise that the play that originates the goal was created by him.

Forward – Alexis Sanchez (Chile)

His goal against Brazil tied the game and gave Chile a lifeline in the match. He was their best offensive player, and his individual ability and skill was always a step above everyone else, not only from Chile but also from Brazil. When compared to most of the forwards in the round of 16, Sanchez comes up on top by a long mile. He is a player full of skill and class, and a deadly finisher when given a small window of opportunity as he proved against Brazil.

Mauricio Pinilla: One Centimeter from Glory

2014-07-01T17:00:00.000-04:00

Sometimes we get tattoos to commemorate great moments or to celebrate the names of loved ones, but occasionally someone will remember a moment of great sadness in ink.

With less than a minute to go in extra time, in an intense Round of 16 match between World Cup hosts Brazil and a talented Chilean side, Mauricio Pinilla found himself with a chance to win it.

On 119 minutes, Pinilla slammed the ball off of Brazil keeper Julio Cesar's crossbar and the match went on to a penalty shoot out that Brazil would eventually win. It was a cruel end to a thrilling campaign for Chile. In a match in which they had dominated for great stretches the Chilean side had taken the favourites to the limit and were so close to going through.

Despite Chile's loss, thousands of fans lined the streets of Santiago to welcome the players home, with President Michelle Bachelet honouring the team.

For Mauricio Pinilla, rather than try to forget the moment where he almost sent his side through to the Quarter Finals, he chose to get the moment tattooed on his back with the inscription: "One Centimeter from Glory" written in English below the scene of him striking the bar.

It was a terrific World Cup for Chile and one can expect more to come from many of the stars in their ranks in the next few years. As for Pinilla he'll always have the tattoo to go along with the memories to go along with his contributions to their campaign.

2014 World Cup Match Day 16: Goals & Highlights

2014-06-28T19:30:00.000-04:00

Game 46: Brazil 1-1 Chile (Brazil wins on PK 3-2)

Game 47: Colombia 2-0 Uruguay

2014 World Cup Match Day 16: Recap

2014-06-28T18:30:00.000-04:00

Round of 16 had its first two games today, let us recap all the action for you.

Game 46: Brazil 1-1 Chile (Brazil wins on PK 3-2)

The game started in such high tempo and it was obvious that Brazil was looking for an early lead that would get the fans involved in the match and be a true 12th man. They need their home field advantage if they were to defeat this strong Chilean side.

It was a cagy affair for the first 5-10 minutes of the game with a lot of fouls from both sides, and it looked worrisome for Brazil when Neymar was brought down in the middle of the field and needed medical treatment. He looked like he had injured his knee and it didn’t look like he was 100% from it. If had to leave the game that early with an injury would have been a huge blow for the Brazilian hopes of advancing to the next round. He was able to continue and that was a good sign for Brazil.

Brazil continued to push forward at a very high pace, able to have extremely quick transitions from defense to offense and Neymar’s speed was the main reason for it, since Hulk was absent from the game. Chile was more concentrated on holding Brazil off, and looking at exploring organized counter attacks when Brazil was dispossessed in their own half.

We didn’t have to wait long for a goal, and in the 18th minute from a Neymar corner, Thiago Silva deflects the ball with his head to the second post where David Luiz shows up to finish it with his thigh. It was a very un-orthodox goal, but a goal that counts and gives Brazil the lead. It was a deserved lead from Brazil that had looked like the most dangerous side.

Chile needed to get an equalizer before halftime if they were to continue in this game and have a chance at advancing. Almost 15 minutes after Chile went down a goal, Marcelo has a throw in near his corner flag that Hulk miss plays and allows Chile to regain possession, cross it into the box where Alexis Sanchez shows up with no marker and puts it in the back of the net. Not sure Julio Cesar could have done any better, his defenders and specifically Hulk had let him down.

There were 10 minutes left in the game and we had a 1-1 score, but Brazil was looking to regain the lead before the break. Neymar was involved in two of Brazil’s best chances of scoring the go ahead goal. First he quickly sprints into attack after Chile lost possession in the midfield. He loses control of the ball in the penalty area, while surrounded by two defenders and Fred that is arriving late, hits it with his left foot over the bar. Neymar had also a header that went only inches from the post, but they weren’t able to getting anything from those chances and both teams would go into the half tied at 1.

The second half started almost in a similar fashion as the first one, with a few fouls from both sides. Brazil looked better in the first 10 minutes, with very good ball control in the midfield, and well organized attack. Brazil’s superiority during this period almost resulted in a goal. Hulk chests a ball in the penalty area and taps it in out of the reach of Bravo, but Howard Webb called it back for a handball by Hulk and the goal was called off. Hulk saw a yellow card on the play for his handball, but the replays were not clear if indeed it was a handball.

After that play Chile took over the game, they took it to Brazil and looked extremely dangerous, specifically by Alexis Sanchez who has been their best player. Brazil was pushed into their own half and was forced to play long balls forward since they were unable to play the ball on the ground and pass it around like they normally do. Chile’s high lines pressing close to Brazil’s penalty area was causing Brazil a lot of problems.

During this period of Chile dominance, Brazil still managed to have two great goal opportunities. First it was Neymar with an open header in the 79m that Bravo was able to stop with ease, and Hulk in the 84m with a shot from short range that Bravo responded with an incredible save.

The last 5 minutes of the game it was all Chile, and you felt that if someone was going to score it would be Chile. It wasn’t meant to be and the game ended in a 1-1 draw. They would have to go into extra time to find a winner.

The 30 minutes of extra time brought a strong Brazil that decided that they wanted to resolve this game before PK’s. It was the Hulk and Bravo show during those incredible 30 minutes. Brazil just packed all their troops in Chile’s half and was resilient in their attack of the Chilean penalty area. Incredibly, the best chance of the 30 minutes of added time came from Chile. Pinilla with a long range shot that hits the crossbar with only minutes left in the game. It would have been the winner for sure, but it wasn’t meant to be, so off to penalty kicks they went. Still 1-1 after 120 minutes, penalties would be decisive in finding a winner.

1st PK – David Luiz – Goal (Brazil 1-0)

2nd PK – Pinilla – Saved (Brazil 1-0)

3rd PK – Willian – Missed (Brazil 1-0)

4th PK – Sanchez – Saved (Brazil 1-0)

5th PK – Marcelo – Goal (Brazil 2-0)

6th PK – Aranguiz – Goal (Brazil 2-1)

7th PK – Hulk – Saved (Brazil 2-1)

8th PK – Diaz – Goal (Brazil 2-2)

9th PK – Neymar – Goal (Brazil 3-2)

10th PK – Gonzalo Jara – Missed (Brazil 3-2)

Brazil wins on penalty kicks and advances to the QF.

Game 47: Colombia 1-0 Uruguay

The game started with both teams playing a cautious game and waiting to see what each other would do. These are two countries that know each other well from South America qualifiers and Copa America matches so there is mutual respect and that is visible in the way these two teams approached the game.

Colombia controlled most of the game and possession, but they weren’t able to do much with it. The game was being played in the midfield and both teams were playing it safe, not trying to break through and get caught in the counter attack which is the main weapon of both these teams. Uruguay was resorting to long balls to Cavani, but they were being dealt with by Yepes & Zapata with ease.

The way the game was going it was obvious that would take a stroke of genius to break the deadlock and at the 28th minute mark that genius sprung out of the bottle and his name was James Rodriguez. James Rodriguez chested a ball that was played into him, and one timed it with his left foot, pass Muslera and into the back of the net. This will be the goal of the tournament, and James Rodriguez is quickly making this World Cup the James Rodriguez show. Incredible player and he had now given Colombia the lead with a goal that came from the heavens.

You could tell that Uruguay without Suarez, and down a goal against this Colombia with a very hot James Rodriguez, would be a team lost at sea, with no bite in them.

Following the goal Colombia continued to press forward with quality passing and Uruguay continued to go with long balls to Cavani. Nothing would change for the next 15 minutes and they would go to halftime with Colombia leading 1-0.

The second half had barely got underway and James Rodriguez was already scoring his second of the match to put Colombia up 2-0 in the game. Cross from Armero, Cuadrado with his head lobbies it for James, that in front of net just has to tap it with his right foot.

Now, the feeling that this was the last nail in Uruguay’s coffin was sinking in. Sure there was a lot of game left to be played, but the way this team was playing you just felt like there was no chance they could come back from a 2-0 deficit.

Uruguay took out Alvaro Pereira and Forlan, brought in Stuani and Ramirez, different names but much of the same. The game didn't change for Uruguay; they were unable of constructing am offensive play and string more than 5 passes together.

Colombia continued to control the ball, the game, the score and by the looks of it this tournament. Cuadrado was the general on the field and James Rodriguez his best sharp shooter.

Uruguay would come close of scoring by Cavani with a low shot that the Colombian keeper finger tipped to corner. He seemed like the most unsatisfied player in Uruguay squad, looking for a goal that would bring life into his team. For what he did he deserved a goal, for what Uruguay did they deserved to go home, and indeed they are. The game came to an end and Colombia was the winner by a score of 2-0, both goals from James Rodriguez that now leads the tournament with 5 goals in 4 games.

Colombia advances to the QF, they will play Brazil.

Match Day 16 - Staff Picks

Kon: Brazil 1-2 Chile & Colombia 1-1 Uruguay (Col win on PK)
Pedro: Brazil 1-2 Chile & Colombia 2-0 Uruguay
Iain: Brazil 2-1 Chile & Colombia 2-0 Uruguay

Both Iain and Pedro had the exact result for the Colombia game, but Iain was the only one with Brazil advancing. The edge on today's predictions goes to Iain.

2014 World Cup Match Day 12: Preview

2014-06-23T06:00:00.000-04:00

Match day 12 sees the conclusion of play in Groups A and B, with much to still be decided. There will be four matches taking place on Day 12.

Australia vs. Spain

Match Info

In the one of the early matches to kick off on Match Day 12 the two teams in Group B that have already been eliminated from progressing in the tournament will be playing for pride.

The match will be played at the 39,631 capacity Arena da Baixada in Curitiba that has already hosted the draw between Nigeria and Iran, along with the match between Ecuador and Honduras.

These two nations have never met in International competition.

In a World Cup that can only be seen as an unmitigated disaster for Spain, they will be hoping to salvage at least a little bit of pride with a win over the underdog Australians. As for the team from down under, they are coming off of a defeat in one of the games of the tournament as they fell 3-2 to the Netherlands. They will also want to bow out of the World Cup with some points on the board and they may just get them from a devastated Spanish side.

Players to Watch

Sadly for Australia, and the man himself, talisman Tim Cahill has been suspended for this match, so they will rely on captain Mile Jedinak for inspiration. For Spain, you have to assume that Vicente del Bosque will ring the changes for a match that is a dead rubber and I have a feeling that the underused Juan Mata will be a player to watch out for if he finds his way onto the pitch.

Netherlands vs. Chile

Match Info

Played simultaneously to the other match in Group B, this match will decide the group winner and almost certainly determine who will be playing hosts Brazil in the Round of 16.

The match will be played at the 62,601 capacity Arena Corinthians, São Paulo which played host to the World Cup opener between Brazil and Croatia, along with Uruguay's win over England.

These two countries have only played each other once, which resulted in a 2-2 draw.

This match should be interesting to say the least. Both sides have looked to be among the best in the tournament and both had little difficulty in dispatching reigning champions Spain. Both sides are already assured of a spot in the Round of 16, however with Brazil almost certain to win Group A with a win over Cameroon they will await the runner up from this group in the next round. The Netherlands, by virtue of their 5-1 thrashing of Spain and 3-2 win over Australia hold the advantage heading into this one and can win the group with a draw. Playing for a draw against this talented Chilean side though may prove to be a mistake, as they have the weapons at their disposal to exploit some of the weaknesses the Australians found in the Dutch back line.

Players to Watch

The Netherlands Arjen Robben has already proven to be one of the players of the tournament and Chile will have to keep a close watch on him if they hope to stop him from doing what he's done in the first two matches. For Chile, Alexis Sanchez has been terrific so far and they will be hoping he can fire them to the top of the group.

Cameroon vs. Brazil

Match Info

The last two matches of Group A go at 5pm local time in Brazil. Cameroon vs. Brazil will be the one most of the local fans will be following.

The match will be played at Estadio Nacional in Brasilia, which has a capacity of 69,329 people.

These two nations have met four times in International competition. Brazil has 3 victories and Cameroon has 1. Brazil scored 7 goals and allowed only 1 during those four matches.

Cameroon is already eliminated from the tournament but Brazil is still fighting for first place in the group and being the host nation and heavy favorites to win the tournament every game is a must win for them. Cameroon will try to leave Brazil with their heads lifted after two horrible first matches, but it won’t be an easy task against Brazil.

Players to Watch

The player that I expect to have a great game is Neymar. He is looking at bouncing back and what better team to do it against, Cameroon. He should be able to help Brazil finish first in Group A and start to ensure his name is mentioned along side some of Brazilian greatest players.

Croatia vs. Mexico

Match Info

The other match of Group A goes also at 5pm local time in Brazil. Croatia vs. Mexico will be the marquee match of Group A on this day, the winner advances and the losing team goes home, a draw will also see Mexico advancing.

The match will be played at Arena Pernambuco in Recife, which has a capacity of 42,610 people.

These two nations have met three times in International competition. Croatia has 2 wins while Mexico has 1. Croatia scored 5 goals and Mexico 2 during those three matches.

Mexico has a slight advantage coming in after getting a tie with hosts Brazil in the previous match, but Croatia has also bounced back after the opening loss to Brazil with an incredible win over Cameroon. Mexico needs a tie or win, while for Croatia only a win will do. I expected Mexico to play on the counter and give Croatia the initiative of the game, after all they are in urgent need of a good result.

Players to Watch

For Croatia, Mandzukic will be the player to watch. After missing the opening game due to suspension, he came back in the game against Cameroon and scored 2 goals and had one assist. If Croatia is going to advance they will need him firing on all cylinders. Mexico will look at Guillermo Ochoa for another incredible performance and to ensure Croatia stays off the scoring sheet. It should be a very interesting match to watch.

Match-day 12 - Staff Picks

Pedro: Australia 1-1 Spain, Netherlands 2-2 Chile, Cameroon 0-3 Brazil & Croatia 1-2 Mexico

Kon: Australia 0-3 Spain, Netherlands 2-1 Chile, Cameroon 0-3 Brazil & Croatia 0-1 Mexico
Iain: Australia 0-1 Spain, Netherlands 1-2 Chile, Cameroon 0-4 Brazil & Croatia 1-0 Mexico