World Cup 2014: Playoffs preview

Brazil 2014 World Cup playoffsThe battle for World Cup qualification has reached its final stage, and the fight is on for the last available seats in the plane to Brazil 2014. The european battle will be decided in four tight, tense and mouthwatering ties, while other attraction points include Jordan – Uruguay, Mexico – New Zealand or Cameroon – Tunisia. Who will go trough?

Portugal – Sweden

The most anticipated clash in the playoffs will see giants Portugal take on Sweden. The portugese team, though filled with top-class stars and led by Cristiano Ronaldo, has failed to make an impact on the european stage and again they find themselves having to play a deciding tie in order to qualify. Portugal has fallen behind Russia in the Group, and against a resilient Swedish side they will have to be at their best to advance.

Sweden has done everything possible to finish second behind Germany, as overtaking the “Panzers” was always going to be an impossible task. They feature a great mix of young and experienced players (Svensson at 37 y/o is still going strong), and they have the top-class star that could make a difference: Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

This should be tight, and Portugal will have their hands full. However, sheer quality should see them through in a very tight tie. Expect the portugese side to play through the in-form Ronaldo and he should be Portugal Sweden Zlatan Ibrahimovic Cristiano Ronaldoable to make the difference, while Ibrahimovic, who also has slight fitness problems, might struggle with Sweden`s counter-attacking gameplan.

First leg prediction: Portugal – Sweden 3-2

Second leg prediction: Sweden – Portugal 1-1

 

Ukraine – France

France has been largely disappointing and criticized during their group campaign. The “Les Bleus” have assured playoff qualification only in the last few games, despite having an easy group. The 1st place was never within their grasp with Spain leading the show.

France will meet a very interesting and capable team. Ukraine has almost qualified directly, finishing just 1 point behind England, while easily overtaking teams like Montenegro or Poland in the standings. Except captain Tymoshchuk, all of Ukraine`s players are playing their football in the domestic league, which apparently gives them extra-cohesion and chemistry. Ukraine will be a very tough nut to crack for an underachieving France team, especially with Benzema in abysmal form. France`s quality and experience could see the “Les Bleus” through, but only by a slim margin

First leg prediction: Ukraine – France 1-1

Second leg prediction: France – Ukraine 2-1 (extra time)

 

Greece Romania betting previewGreece – Romania

The match between Greece and Romania will surely be out of the spotlight, with Greece being the weakest seeded team and Romania the worst team in the playoffs alltogether (except maybe Island). Both these sides celebrated getting eachother as an opponent, but the greek team starts as a favorite and for good reason.

Greece might not have the glamor andΒ big-names of other sides, but they are a very strong team and were unlucky to only finish 2nd behind Bosnia in the group, as their 25 points should have been more than enough to avoid the playoffs. Besides this, it seems like the last time the greeks lost at home, the dinosaurs were in their early days on Earth. Romania will have their hands full end enter this clash as outsiders. 1998 was the last time the romanians took part in a World Cup, and they got to the playoffs mainly because Turkey had an abysmal start to the qualies. However, controversial head coach Victor Piturca will be an asset for Romania, as he already qualified this team to two Final Tournaments and he can outsmart his opponent, Fernando Santos, despite the latter being more seasoned in European Football.

Expect two tight, low-scoring encounters, between two defensive teams that will not take any risk. Betting on under 2,5 in both games seems like a good choice. Romania will miss their current best player (Chiriches, Tottenham – at least in the first leg) and their most talented player (Mutu, Ajaccio), which could end up ruining their chances of going through.

First leg prediction: Greece – Romania 1-0

Second leg prediction: Romania – Greece 1-1

 

Iceland Croatia betting tipIceland – Croatia

Iceland did a great job to reach the playoffs, and they played some very nice football in the Group. However, being drawn against Croatia has pretty much ended their hopes of qualifying to their first World Cup. Croatia is a super strong side and they only finished second in the group because they faced the amazing Belgian team.

Croatia does have some problems, being in a poor run of form at the end of the qualifications and changing the coach, appointing Nico Kovac as a manager. Still, the talent they have at their disposal is fantastic and their are used to perform well when it matters.

With the first match set to be played in Iceland, Croatia should win both encounters. They will want the win on the road, and then they`ll have an easier task finishing the job at home, where they surely won`t settle for a draw. Mandzukic should do some damage here.

First leg prediction: Iceland – Croatia 1-2

Second leg prediction: Croatia – Iceland 3-0

Elswhere, Mexico and Uruguay should make light work of New Zealand and Jordan respectively. Ghana, Ivory Coast and Nigeria are virtually qualified from the African playoffs after solid wins in the first leg, while Algeria – Burkina Faso (2-3 1st leg) and Cameroon – Tunisia (0-0 1st leg) will be decided by the slimmest of margins, with the visitors seemingly having the first chance to qualify in both ties.

About Rostick

Born in '88. Running betting tips websites since 2007. Launched Betdistrict in 2013. Worked as a bookie for a year to spy on the other side. Rugby Union and NBA expert. Editor info & statistics.

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