Previews

Pressure grows on Argentina

Author: Rose Young
Date: 13/10/2009
Football betting

Argentina and Portugal improved their chances of qualifying for next summer's World Cup Finals by winning at the weekend but they are among a host of big names in danger of missing out on the four-yearly football jamboree.

Argentina's dramatic last-gasp 2-1 win against Peru at the weekend lifted Diego Maradona's team up to fourth in the South American section, the final automatic qualifying spot.

Even though their participation in South Africa is still in doubt as they face Uruguay on Wednesday, Argentina remain one of the online favourites to triumph next summer.

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Uruguay are currently one place and one point below Maradona's misfiring outfit.

Argentina's goal difference is such that they need only to draw the game in Montevideo to secure fourth spot, but Uruguay have the best home record in the group.

Uruguay have moved into contention after beating Ecuador 2-1 in Quito on Saturday but they will be aware that if they do slip up they could still drop out of the play-off place.

Ecuador will leapfrog them into fifth if they can beat a Chile side that guaranteed their place in South Africa at the weekend.

Victories for Uruguay and Ecuador would see Argentina finish sixth and leave the likes of Lionel Messi and Javier Mascherano contemplating what to do in June and July 2010.

Diego Forlan, who scored the winning penalty against Ecuador, will be the man Argentina fear as the Atletico Madrid striker has already found the net seven times during the qualifying campaign.

Whoever finishes fourth in the group will play the third team in the North, Central America and Caribbean section and that will be either Costa Rica or Honduras.

Costa Rica are favourites to finish third after thrashing the rock-bottom Soca Warriors 4-0 at the weekend but finish their campaign at the USA.

Defeat for Costa Rica in Washington could let in Honduras who are currently fourth, two points adrift.

Their hopes of reaching their first Finals since 1982 stumbled when they lost 3-2 at home to the USA on Saturday and they finish their campaign with a trip to old rivals El Salvador on Wednesday.

The weekend World Cup qualifying action in Europe left only two automatic places for South Africa to be resolved.

Denmark, Germany, Spain, England, Serbia, Italy, Germany and Netherlands all won their sections but top spots in Groups Two and Three are still up for grabs.

Switzerland look certain to be joining those seven teams as they only need to draw their last qualifier in Basel against Israel to top their group and leave Greece, Israel and Latvia scrabbling for a play-off spot.

Group Three is wide open after Slovenia surprisingly beat long-time group headers Slovakia on Saturday.

That result left Slovenia only two points adrift of Slovakia and they face a San Marino side on Wednesday that has scored only one goal during qualifying and conceded 44.

In contrast, Slovakia travel to Poland in midweek still needing a win to ensure they will be enjoying their first World Cup Finals appearance next summer.

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