UEFA Matchday Three sees many clashes of contenders, none bigger than Portugal at Russia in Group F action. Portugal are the big name, but Russia are the team that started brightest with big wins over Northern Ireland and Israel. Portugal eked by Luxembourg and struggled for eighty minutes with Azerbaijan, so the form of Russia is certainly stronger at the moment. However, Portugal outperformed Russia at the recent UEFA Euro 2012. Portugal are feeling the injury bug coming into the match with forward Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid), centerback Pepe (Real Madrid), and Raul Meireles (Chelsea) all somewhat hampered at the moment. Russia appear to be a healthier side, and the artificial surface in Moscow may play into a decision to drop the injured Portuguese from the starting lineup. Both teams look assured of a top-two finish in the group, so this match will go a long way in determining who will end up in the UEFA playoffs and who will be group winners. The hole opened up by the lack of a healthy Pepe will allow the crisp final-third passing game of the Russians to take over with forward Aleksandr Kerzhakov (Zenit St. Petersburg) and attacking midfielder Alan Dzagoev (CSKA Moscow) finding plenty of room to operate. All signs point to a Russian victory on this night.
In a Group G with no superpower team, Bosnia and Herzegovina head to Greece with first place on the line. Bosnia have never beaten Greece; in fact, they have only scored two goals in five meetings between the teams. Greece have talent in defense and are always capable of springing a successful counterattack, as they proved in the first hour of their UEFA Euro 2012 quarterfinal against Germany. Young defender Sokratis Papastathopoulos (Werder Bremen) will command the rear with captain Giorgos Karagounis (Fulham) in the middle of the pitch. Celtic striker Giorgos Samaras is always dangerous on the counter, as is strike partner Theofanis Gekas (Levante, Spain). Of course, Bosnia have the far superior attack, led by striker Edin Dzeko (Manchester City) and attacking midfielder Zvjezdan Misimovic (Dynamo Moscow). Centerback and captain Emir Spahic (Sevilla) will need to keep his team alert to the counterattack. Greece are always a tough nut to crack at home, especially for an on-the-rise side like Bosnia looking to qualify for their first major tournament finals. Expect a tense low-scoring draw.
Belgium, after dropping two points at home to Croatia on the previous matchday, now head to Serbia in Group A. Croatia are the best-positioned team in the standings at the moment, so Belgium and Serbia need to keep pace. Marouane Fellaini (Everton, England) will be out for the matchup, so midfielder Axel Witsel (Zenit St. Petersburg) will have to make up for his absence. Star Chelsea forward Eden Hazard leads the attack, but it is the Belgian backline that is spectacular, boasting Vincent Kompany (Manchester City), Thomas Vermaelen (Arsenal, England), and Jan Vertonghen (Tottenham Hotspur). Serbia were shown to be weak in attack during a poor opening showing in Scotland, but thankfully their defense have done well. Branislav Ivanovic (Chelsea) is the leader in the back, but his teammates are quite capable themselves. Neven Subotic (Borussia Dortmund) and Aleksadar Kolarov (Manchester City) are also playing for UEFA Champions League clubs. Though it was against a poor opponent, Serbia's 6-1 home win over Wales is still fresh on the mind, so perhaps they will be able to score against Belgium. This matchup will be interesting, and with so little to pick between the teams, a tie appears a reasonable result to predict.
Group C witnesses Ireland at Germany. For all the talk of the Germans not being in top form, they still managed to win 2-1 on the road against Austria last round. They will be at home against an Ireland time that does not have the talent to match up with Germany, especially with Robbie Keane (Los Angeles Galaxy), Sean St. Ledger (Leicester City), Richard Dunne (Aston Villa), Glen Whelan (Stoke City), James McClean (Sunderland), and Kevin Doyle (Wolverhampton Wanderers) all out for the fixture. Germany will win handily as they will not face the bulk of Ireland English Premier League contingent.
In a tight Group B with four contenders, a key matchup takes place in Bulgaria as Denmark come to visit. The two teams are looking for three points to apply pressure to fellow contenders Italy and Czech Republic. Certainly, Bulgaria looked the stronger side, opening with a 2-2 draw at home to Italy while Denmark struggled mightily in a 0-0 home draw against Czech Republic. The Danes have Daniel Agger (Liverpool) and Simon Kjaer (Wolfsburg) in central defense, though Agger doubles as a threat on set pieces. Up top, they feature Nicklas Bendtner (Juventus) and Michael Krohn-Dehli (Celta Vigo). However, the midfield consist of lesser known players looking to solidify their place as stars of the national side. Bulgaria are less talented top-to-bottom, but that did not stop them from getting a result against Italy. Right back Stanislav Manolev (PSV Eindhoven) is the biggest talent on the roster, although forward Ivelin Popov (Kuban Krasnodar, Russia) is a young man on the rise. With Denmark facing Italy on Tuesday, this matchup in Bulgaria could prove to be a trap game. Bulgaria are always strong at home, but for some reason I have the inkling that Denmark will nonetheless pick up their first victory of the tournament.
Match Previews:
http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/news/newsid=1783048/index.html?intcmp=newsreader_news_box_3
http://www.portugoal.net/index.php/more-natonal-team-news/37105-russia-v-portugal-preview
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1367360-russia-vs-portugal-date-time-live-stream-tv-info-and-preview-2014-world-cup
http://www.uefa.com/worldcup/season=2014/matches/round=2000294/match=2008699/prematch/preview/index.html
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/soccer/10/11/ireland-robbie-keane-germany.ap/index.html?sct=sc_t2_a12
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