Three World Cup qualifiers that matter

By on October 14, 2013

England v Poland

England need a win at Wembley to assure qualification to next summer’s World Cup, yet Poland will prove tough opponents. The two sides drew 1-1 the first time they met in Uefa qualifying Group H, and although Poland have already lost their chances of making it to Brazil, Ukraine sit one point behind The Three Lions with only San Marino, who are yet to earn a single point, left to play.

Thus, England will surely need a win, unless they want to face the possibility of drawing France in the playoffs. Roy Hodgson’s side will be without starting full-back Kyle Walker through suspension, but Andros Townsend, who broke into the England lineup one Friday via a man of the match performance against Montenegro, looks to be able to play despite worries of an injury.

Meanwhile, Poland are suffering from no big injury or suspension threats, so look out for Borussia Dortmund forward Robert Lewandowski and Jakub Błaszczykowski, currently Poland’s two top scorers in the qualifiers. The away side have brought 18,000 fans to Wembley, but England’s home advantage will help Poland feel more like Montenegro, who England beat 4-1 in their latest qualifier.

Prediction: 2-1; Expect England to win their final qualifier, and advance to the World Cup finals.

Norway v Iceland

Final match days of any sort of league or group almost always come with frantic, last minute changes that can favor one team, or another. This will certainly be the case in Uefa Group E, where Iceland and Slovenia battle for their final chance to make it to Brazil. Iceland sit in second in the group on 19 points, while Slovenia are one point behind in third.

But if Gylfi Siggurdson’s Iceland can triumph over a slightly less strong Norway they seal a playoff spot.

Prediction: 2-1

Costa Rica v Mexico

Following their 2-1 win over Panama, expect Mexico’s final qualifier to produce a fabulous spectacle. Victor Vucetich’s side produced a stunning late comeback at home, but Mexico will desperately want a win in San Jose to give them a chance of automatic qualification, and seal them at least playoff match against New Zealand. Although Honduras sit three points above Mexico, with only one match left in qualifying round four they need only a single point to keep themselves above Jamaica before worrying about the win.

Costa Rica have already booked their flight to Brazil, yet they certainly won’t sit back as they look to keep up their good form. The Central American side have only lost three of their last ten matches in all competitions, compared to Mexico’s four losses. But a draw would be unusual, considering Mexico have not tied in any of their last twelve matches in all competitions.

Prediction: 2-3; It might be a slight upset, but with Bryan Ruiz and Celso Borges Costa Rica look slightly the better team.

About Alex Morgan

Alex Morgan, founder of Football Every Day, lives and breaths football from the West Coast of the United States in California. Aside from founding Football Every Day in January of 2013, Alex has also launched his own journalism career and hopes to help others do the same with FBED. He covers the San Jose Earthquakes as a beat reporter for QuakesTalk.com and his work has also been featured in the BBC's Match of the Day Magazine.