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?

AC Milan - The Club I Supported Since Childhood

This is my first blog: So please bear with me!

My first Affair with Football:
The first FIFA World Cup that I watched was way back in 1986 held in Mexico. The mastery of Diego Maradona won Argentina their second World Cup. But hey, I was small that time and I can't recall that event very clearly nor remember many of the star player. But still remember people gathering around the black and white TV set at my uncle's porch.

But it was at the Italia 90, I first got the taste of International football. 24 countries fighting out for the coveted trophy made of solid 18 carat (75%) gold. Even though Germany won the trophy, other teams that impressed me throughout the tournament were Argentina, Holland, England, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia and Republic of Ireland. But the team that played most amazing football in the tournament was none other than host Italy. But sadly a magical moment from Maradona ousted Italy in the hotly contested Semi-Final. Schillaci scored to put Italy ahead , but Caniggia equalised midway through a deflection from Maradona's free-kick. Argentina went through on penalties. Italy had not conceded a goal in the tournament prior to the goal by Caniggia.

When the World Cup was over my attachment to the soccer world grew wider. As a kid I remember buying Sportstar mags but I barely managed to read those English alphabets let alone understanding them! Something of Italian football etched my brain. Slowly I came to know about Star Players. Roberto Baggio, Paolo Maldini, Roberto Donadoni, Franco Baresi, Walter Zenga, Gianluca Vialli. Now as the World Cup was finally over, my attention turned towards club football. Much before English Premiership and Spanish Liga, the first league to revolutionize with the investments, marketing etc. took place at Italian Serie A in the early 80s. So obviously we can say that most of the star players of that era heralded the Italian League. It will be impossible to enlist all the players here but some notables are Maradona, Batistuta, Scifo, Socrates, Zico, Platini, Zidane, Klinsmann, Lothar Matthaus, Muller, Rudi Voller, Marco van Basten, Rudd Gullit, Frank Rijkaard, Rui Costa. During 90s the Italian League was used to telecast by Doordarshan at 12:00 midnight. It was an awesome sight seeing so many star players with their magical spells. It simply took my breath away. Then I started having a liking specially for AC Milan, simply because they played the most beautiful football!

From the above mentioned players, at least half dozen played for Milan. Who on earth can think of beating a team that consists of players like Maldini. Baresi, Tassotti, Costacurta as the defnders; Gullit, Rijkaard, Donadoni, Albertini at the midfield; and Marco van Basten poachering at the rival's D-box!! They were so good at Italy as well as at Europe so much so that people started calling them The Invincibles!! This was the beginning of the most successful time in the club's history, as AC Milan won seven domestic titles, five UEFA Champions' League, and three Intercontinental Cups.


Here is what is AC Milan:
Associazione Calcio Milan, commonly referred to by the abbreviation Milan. The club was founded in 1899 and has since spent most of its history in the top flight of Italian football.

In European and World competitions AC Milan have won 18 officially recognized international titles, more than any other club in the world. The club have won UEFA Champions' League on 7 occasions. As far as Italian competitions are concerned, AC Milan is the second most successful club with 17 league titles; only Juventus have won more (27). AC Milan have won Internatinal Cup/Club World Cup four times, more than any other team in the world.
Other important titles which Milan have won includes the European Super Cup 5 times, the Cup Winners' Cup twice. In Italy, Milan has won the Coppa Italia 5 times as well as five Italian Super Cups. AC Milan is also one of the G-14's founding members, a group that represented eighteen of the largest and most prestigious European football clubs before its disbandment.
Their home games are played at San-Siro also known as the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza. The ground, which is shared with rivals Internazionale is the largest in Italian football stadium, with total capacity of 82,955.
Milan is known by the nickname Rossoneri or the Red Devil.


Some Unique Records and Honours of the Club are:
The club hold the unique record of having gone a whole season without losing a game during the 1991-92. In total, that unbeaten streak lasted 58 games. This unbeaten streak is a Serie A record and is the 3rd longest unbeaten run in top flight European football. AC Milan has the most FIFA international club titles in the world. Milan is also the number two team in Europe in line with UEFA Co-Efficient ranking system. This allows Milan to be in the number one spot for all European draws, which allows Milan to avoid other highly rated European teams in UEFA competitions. Milan is only second behind Real Madrid in terms of winning UEFA Champions' League. Milan have so far won 7 titles. Milan is one of the most successful clubs in Italy, having won a total of 27 trophies, and the most winning team in the world for International competitions won a record of 14 European trophies and 4 World titles. Milan have earned the distinction of being allowed to wear a Star on their shirt representing the fact that they have won more than 10 scudetti. Added to this Milan are allowed to wear the UEFA Badge of Honour their shirt during Champions' League matches as they have won more than 5 European Cups.

AC Milan Recently:
Milan were involved in the 2006 Serie A Scandal where five teams were accused of fixing matches by selecting favourable referees. Milan were initially punished with a 15 point deduction and consequently did not qualify for the Champions League. An appeal saw their penalty reduced to 8 points and allowed to retain their 2006-07 Champions League participation, where they won the competition.

In 2007-06 season Milan had a poor season finishing a disappointing fifth in the league meaning failing to qualify for Champions' League. The main reason for failure may be the due to the fact that Milan had a aging squad with average team age of 32. The future of Milan look bright again because there are many young players in Milan's squad. Milan already had youngsters like Kaka, Pato, Alberto Poloschi in addition to the likes of Pirlo, Seedorf, Nesta. And in 2008 transfer market Milan stole the show by buying players like Ronaldinho, Flamini, Zambrotta, Shevchenko. Borriello. With these new signings, Milan will be a force to reckoned with in the years to come. Milan will once again be The Invincibles!!