i just love the fact that brazil/portugal/ivory coast will depart in the same round as New Zealand. Oceania ftw!

Eriksson is probably the biggest chink in their armour.

yeah but i've just had a strange feeling ever since they underachieved at the AFCON in angola that they would be no good at the world cup, sven goran eriksson as your coach doesn't help after the joke he made that was his mexican team

Ivory Coast are a tallented side with the likes of Kalou, Drogba, Zokora, Toure, Dindane, Kone, Kone, Keita, Toure, Miete, Eboue, Demel...there's plenty of tallent there to roll over NoKo.

ivory coast are being hyped up too much and will fail terribly in this group imo, i've just got a feeling about it. they'll finish bottom with no points after losing to DPR korea 1-0 thanks to a goal extremely late in injury time

The teams are a lot more even in out group. In that group it's three heavyweights and shark chum.

North Korea won't put up a fight at all. The only reason they qualified is because of their home form and that's because of the torrid conditions their opposition had to endure.

Portugal are going to struggle!!! North Korea's discipline will be key to them

Brazil and Portugal for me.

For what it's worth, I reckon it might finish 4 points each with Brazil and Cote d'Ivoire going through on goal difference from Portugal (though I haven't done the math to figure out what that means on head to head). It's that tight and Brazil will have to be perfect not drop points somewhere. I think the Portuguese, who play a technical style that East Asian prefer, will be a more familiar prospect for North Korea than CIV, who will combine technique with a very physical presence. But who knows - one slip or bit of brilliance will be the difference here.

makes our group look a litlle easier dont you think???

Two points in that group would have been an achievement for Australia.

This is one of the stronger groups we've had in a long time! Imagine if instead of North Korea, it had been Mexico or Australia trying to act as the spoiler!

Personally, I don't think it will come down to who scores the most goals against the Kim Jong-Il XI. I think Portugal and Ivory Coast will tie, while Brazil will beat Ivory Coast and draw with Portugal. Two draws and a win will be enough for the sneaky Portuguese to sneak ahead of an Ivory Coast team that will rightly feel hard-done-by!!!

You're spot on to say all 3 of those teams should be hoping for a semi-final spot, and the fact that 1 of them won't even reach the second round just seems unfair. My tip though is for Brazil and Portugal to spoil Sven's party.

I remember reading somewhere that if they can't split the two teams they seriously flip a coin:lol:

I think they run down all of the stats and then draw lots if the teams cannot be separated.

I guess...theoretically it's possible for two teams to tie for second place...:-k what would happen then?

Whatever happened to best third placed teams getting through? Obviously now with 8 groups, there's only two per group, sorry. Obviously there is no justice in this world! :lol:

And how would that be possible Gaz?

Drogba and Ronaldo, two players I love to hate, hot on the heels of the classy Brazilians. I think Ronaldo's boys will pip the Cotes, but if there's any justice all three teams might squeak through to the next round.

That was a long time ago, back before the gulf in class in professional football was such a gaping schism.

North Korea in that group is like leaving a baby in a room with three Rottweilers.

Portugal to limp in past Ivory Coast IMO.

I'm tipping Brazil and Ivory Coast to get through this.

North Korea are interesting. They caused some upsets last time they were at the World Cup by beating Italy and leading 3-2 IIRC against Portugal so maybe just maybe they can surprise a few people.


What do you think about the FourFourTwo blog The group of mass destruction?
Oh dear, who thought of this?  Brazil, Portugal and Cote D'Ivoire in one group, playing for two spots... and North Korea for goal difference cannon fodder.  Any of Brazil, Portugal and Cote ...

Have your say.