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The F365 World Cup Qualifiers Preview - Part Two

After the roaring success of Part One, we thought it would be a grand idea to follow it up with Part Two of our World Cup qualifiers preview. Come on in to learn about Groups Six to Nine......

Group Six - Croats Not Looking Quite So Hot
So, it's going rather well for England at the moment. Gloriously astride the group after two wins, toughest game out of the way with dismissive laughter and a hat-trick from a child, and two fairly easy games ahead.

But you know all this, so let's have a look at the rest of the group.

Second on goal difference are Ukraine, who haven't started quite as impressively as the boys from Blighty. They required a 94th-minute penalty from some chap called Shevchenko to beat Belarus first up, but had a slightly easier time in the 3-1 win over Kazakhstan.

The really interesting game in this round comes in Kharkiv, where Croatia - the pre-group favourites to progress - face Sheva and the boys. All of a sudden things are looking slightly shaky for Slaven Bilic, and their prospects don't exactly look tip-top for this game. Key men Niko Krancjar and Eduardo are obviously both long-term absentees, but for this match they'll also be missing skipper Robert Kovac (suspended for four matches after his red card against England) and Dario Simic, who has retired from international football.

Add to that the problems Luka Modric and Vedran Corluka are having at Tottenham, and the side that performed so well at Euro 2008 suddenly isn't looking so formidable. Although on the up side, both Ivica Olic and Mladen Petric have started the season in cracking form for Hamburg, bagging six goals between them to climb to the top of the Bundesliga.

It's pretty clear who the whipping boys of the group are going to be. Andorra have squeezed in three games, but still haven't a point to their name. Defeats to the Kazakhs, England and Belarus have firmly set the tone, and we here at F365 will gladly perform La Cucaracha on hot coals while wearing a frilly tutu if they finish anywhere other than bottom of Group Six.

Group Seven - Clowning Around With The French
Remember back in the dark days of 2007, when England were a confirmed shambles with a grinning clown for a manager? Sucked, didn't it?

Well spare a thought for the people of France. At least the English FA sacked their clown when failure came a-knockin', something that their friends at the FFF have stubbornly refused to do.

Raymond Domenech ended Euro 2008 with his finest Eugene Levy impression, followed by a marriage proposal to his TV presenter girlfriend. We laughed and expected the guillotine to fall, but remarkably Domenech was given a second chance.

That second chance was spat back in the FFF's collective face like a globule of chewing tobacco come the first Group Seven clash, when France shambled to a humiliating 3-1 defeat to Austria. This is the same Austria whose fans launched a pre-tournament petition to persuade the co-hosts not to participate in Euro 2008, and the same Austria who - having ignored that advice - managed a single goal and a single point in their group.

However, excitement was brought back into the French footballing public in the next game, when yet another 'new Zidane' inspired them to a 2-1 win over Serbia. The Zizou-lite playmaker in question is Yoann Gourcuff, about whom much was expected when he moved to AC Milan back in 2006, but failed to make an impression. Now back in France (on loan at Bordeaux), Gourcuff was called up and delivered an inspirational showing to save Domenech's bacon. For a while at least.

Next up the French face a tricky trip to Romania at the weekend, although their hosts haven't started off at all well either. A calamitous 3-0 home defeat to Lithuania was followed less than convincing 1-0 win over the Faroes, meaning there will be two teams with a hell of a lot to prove in Constanta come Saturday night.

Group Eight - Encouragement From Trap
It's been an encouraging start to Giovanni Trapattoni's reign as Ireland coach. Encouraging, but let's not get too carried away, eh?

Four points from two away games in Montenegro and Georgia is a decent start, especially when none of their competitors for the second spot (Italy are well on their way to wrapping up the automatic slot with two wins) started convincingly, with Bulgaria and Montenegro drawing in the other significant encounter.

With just the one game this round, Trap has already used the free time to take a look at a number of fringe players in a slightly odd friendly against Nottingham Forest, of all people, in preparation for a game against another bunch of barely professional no-hopers in the shape of Cyprus next Wednesday.

A couple of injury problems will cause Ireland a problem or two, however. Steven Reid will probably miss out, while Steve Finnan is out with a calf strain, and with Stephen Carr clubless and Stephen Kelly also injured, it looks like Trap will have to turn to Paul McShane to fill in at right-back. Yikes.

By that time the Italians will probably be even further ahead of the pack, with games against Bulgaria and Montenegro to come. However, they will have to do without Gigi Buffon, who has been ruled out of both games with a muscle tear in his right leg, and Mauro Camoranesi, who pulled out with a similar ailment. They're also without Andrea Pirlo and Marco Materazzi, although the latter might not be too much of a problem, given that he managed to get himself sent off from the bench in the recent Milan derby.

Group Nine - Mental Preparation
George Burley's boys didn't get off to the best start in a group that looks like a stroll in the park when compared with their last qualifying task.

While the Scotch managed to do the double over France in their brave but ultimately doomed attempt to reach Euro 2008, beating Macedonia in their opener this time around was beyond them. Huffing, puffing and moaning about the heat, Scotland lost 1-0, but redeemed themselves in slightly more familiar climes a few days later, by sneaking past Iceland in Reykjavik.

Topping the group as expected are Holland, despite having only played once. That was a fairly routine 2-1 win in Macedonia, and the Dutchies will expect to continue their fine start against Iceland and Norway in this round of games.

The Scotch also have a decent chance to get going, with the Norwegians visiting Glasgow on Saturday, and both sides have significant injury worries. Norway's midfield seems to have fallen over, with Bjorn Helge Riise, Martin Andresen and Per Ciljan Skjelbred all likely to miss out. Even John Carew, scoring goals for kicks with Aston Villa, is doubtful with a neck injury picked up against Chelsea at the weekend.

Scotland aren't in much better shape either. Kenny Miller, Kris Commons and Kevin Thomson have pulled out of Burley's squad, meaning the in-form Chris Iwelumo might get a go up top.

They might be 'inspired' by assistant coach Terry Butcher, who made the maverick decision to reference squash in a pre-match press conference.

"I'm not saying that it is but it's like a squash player being 8-0 down in the last game. I think it was Jahangir Khan who played every game like that. We have to do that as well. Sometimes a mental preparation like that can help. Players these days are their own psychologists."

That certainly is mental preparation.

Nick Miller

Missed Part One? Come this way...

For a full run down of all the matches, pay a visit to the ever excellent Fixtures365.com