World Cup 2010: Brazil-Argentina, England-Germany - Which Rivals Will Meet In South Africa?

What are the biggest games going to be at the 2010 World Cup? Who do you want your team to face? Check out the possibilities with the Castrol Predictor stats...

Castrol Predictor has put together a comprehensive prediction package for the World Cup 2010, crunching the numbers based on the teams' rankings and players' abilities to see who is likely to reach which stage.

One interesting aspect of the statistical analysis is that we can begin to map out possible paths to the World Cup final. When doing so, we see the chances of attractive matches between old rivals bubble to the surface.

So, why not take a look at which famous encounters could take place at South Africa, and offer your predictions on which will occur, and what the outcome would be?

Let's look at who could face whom. Please note, though: the odds below are calculated using the assumption that the team listed in the header has reached that round. The percentage shows who they are likely to face in that situation - not the overall chance of a game between those sides.

ARGENTINA

Who are Argentina's greatest rivals? No prizes: it's Brazil. Maradona versus Dunga - we saw it in qualification, and the Selecao will feel they're top favourites here.

But perhaps form will go out the window considering that they are set to meet, if at all, in the semi-finals...



BRAZIL

Brazil have other teams to face, too. Italy, for example, could stand in their way in the quarters:



And if they don't meet Argentina, how about the Three Lions?



ENGLAND

Of course England are slated to win their group, but they have some European rivalries to worry about. First up might be Italy:



And then there's a final many are predicting already - England-Spain:



FRANCE

Massively unfancied lately, the French are nonetheless present at the World Cup and have a fairly easy group. But then come some tests, such as Argentina:



How about Germany? Raymond Domenech's side often click into gear when the chips are down. Can the Mannschaft hold their nerve?



Nonetheless, it seems that the odds of a repeat of the 2006 final are slim at best:



GERMANY

Of course we've already seen when the Germans might face the French, but there's another couple of rivalries that need our attention.

First, the obvious. Germany versus England is a match that has both on and off-pitch connotations. The English have the upper hand lately, but what would happen if they met here?



Then there's a potential encounter with Brazil, the type we last saw in the 2005 Confederations Cup, when Brazil won 3-2 in Nuremberg.



ITALY

We've seen fiery games between the Italians and the Dutch before - could we be in line for a repeat?



And then there's the prospect of the World champions against the European champions...



IVORY COAST

For those looking for an all-African clash, two Francophone countries may well meet in the quarters, ensuring at least one side from the host continent in the final four:



But it seems set that the Ivorians will face Spain if they qualify from their group...



NETHERLANDS

To the Oranje, there's one game above all that just has to be won...



SPAIN

The European champions have a significant chance of coming up against their neighbours. Many Real Madrid fans will find themselves in the odd position of cheering against Cristiano Ronaldo.



As for the semi-final, remember earlier we saw that England and Spain could meet in the last match. Well, what about the final four?



That would tee up perhaps the most attractive of all finals - if Spain won, of course.



USA

For the USA, a path to the quarter-finals could see them needing to overcome their neighbours and rivals.



What do you think? What's the most attractive potential match of them all? Who do you think would prevail in any of the above? Who do you think will reach the final?