World Cup Quarter Final Preview Part 2
England vs Portugal
In a repeat of the European championship quarter final, the English team have a great chance of revenge. They will be encouraged by the suspension of two key Portuguese players and the return of a proper right back in Gary Neville. This will be an interesting game between two teams who will be confident of progressing to the final should they win here. Portugal have won all their games so far and will be full on confidence after beating Holland. However England are improving and they are not losing, which is the key thing.
One of the things England have in their favour is that no-one will be sure what formation they will be playing. People suspect it will be 4-5-1, but Sven could easily spring a surprise and play Crouch instead of Carrick and go to 4-4-2. This is a good thing as it will keep them all guessing until the last minute. For England to win though they will need their key midfield players to step up to the mark. Lampard so far has not been the player we all know he can be and he needs to step up now, and the others also need to perform. Hopefully John Terry's bad game is now behind him and we will again see a solid centre half performance. England must win this in normal time, extra time and penalties will almost certainly see them lose. England will continue their march to World Cup glory and sneak through 2-1.
Brazil vs France
Brazil will be seeking revenge for their 1998 final humiliation at the hands of France. They should have too much for them, but with France you never know. France have a lot in common with England and Germany, as they are improving with every game along the way. Most people, including myself, thought that Spain would beat them, but an emphatic second half performance saw them through in style.
On the other side of the coin, Brazil were extremely flattered by their 3-0 win over Ghana, but they do now have the threat of the tubby Ronaldo who will worry the French defence. They will need to improve again to get through. The French are getting more confident with every game and will not be scared of the Brazilians. Brazil may be spurred on by the fact that they are now the only South American team left in the competition. This is a tough one to call, I am going to say Brazil on penalties.
In a repeat of the European championship quarter final, the English team have a great chance of revenge. They will be encouraged by the suspension of two key Portuguese players and the return of a proper right back in Gary Neville. This will be an interesting game between two teams who will be confident of progressing to the final should they win here. Portugal have won all their games so far and will be full on confidence after beating Holland. However England are improving and they are not losing, which is the key thing.
One of the things England have in their favour is that no-one will be sure what formation they will be playing. People suspect it will be 4-5-1, but Sven could easily spring a surprise and play Crouch instead of Carrick and go to 4-4-2. This is a good thing as it will keep them all guessing until the last minute. For England to win though they will need their key midfield players to step up to the mark. Lampard so far has not been the player we all know he can be and he needs to step up now, and the others also need to perform. Hopefully John Terry's bad game is now behind him and we will again see a solid centre half performance. England must win this in normal time, extra time and penalties will almost certainly see them lose. England will continue their march to World Cup glory and sneak through 2-1.
Brazil vs France
Brazil will be seeking revenge for their 1998 final humiliation at the hands of France. They should have too much for them, but with France you never know. France have a lot in common with England and Germany, as they are improving with every game along the way. Most people, including myself, thought that Spain would beat them, but an emphatic second half performance saw them through in style.
On the other side of the coin, Brazil were extremely flattered by their 3-0 win over Ghana, but they do now have the threat of the tubby Ronaldo who will worry the French defence. They will need to improve again to get through. The French are getting more confident with every game and will not be scared of the Brazilians. Brazil may be spurred on by the fact that they are now the only South American team left in the competition. This is a tough one to call, I am going to say Brazil on penalties.
posted by Sports Potato at 8:49 PM
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