2010 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers return on 11 February

Monday, 26 January 09, 02:36 PM · Comments(4)

After a long break the 2010 World Cup qualifying is back. We're now 500 days away from the kick-off in South Africa and now it's time for the countries to invest hard on performing their best to secure their spot for final tournament.

20 nations will step on the pitch on February 11 for another round of the qualifying battle. There aren't quite any interesting matches for the Europeans and none for the South Americans but for the countries battling in North and Central America (CONCACAF) and Asia (AFC) it's time to start defining who will win the ticket to the 2010 World Cup.

Here is a table with all the matches happening on the 11th of February

2010 Word Cup Qualif. - 11 Feb. 2009
	Iran	South Korea
	North Korea	Saudi Arabia
	Uzbekistan	Bahrain
	El Salvador	Trinidad & Tobago
	USA	Mexico
	Japan	Australia
	Malta	Albania
	Ireland Republic	Georgia
	San Marino	N. Ireland
	Costa Rica	Honduras

Three matches of the bunch deserve a special look:

Iran v. South Korea: The Koreans are on top of Group B for this final stage of the AFC qualifying process with 7 points in three matches. Iran comes right behind with 5 points. The draw would benefit the South Koreans that would still keep the first place on the group even if their neighbors from the North beat Saudi Arabia. In that case the Iranians would fall to the third place in the group. For the Iranians a win is a must.

Japan v. Australia: Qatar, Bahrain and Uzbeskitan were just warm-up matches for this big clash between the socceroos and the samurais.Australia is at the top of the Group A with 3 wins in the three first matches and no goals allowed so far. Coach Pim Verbeek already declared that the pressure is on the Japanese side "They have to win at home against us. That means they are under more pressure than we are, we want to win, but we don't have to win. The pressure is more on their side." Those were his words. Japan knows about this immense responsibility to beat Australia in Yokohama. The Japanese failed to impress so far especially after the draw against Uzbekistan in Saitama. For Japan it's not only the three points it's a matter of honour.

flags USA v. Mexico: Although it's only the first round of the final stage for the CONCACAF qualifying tournament for the 2010 World Cup, this match between the United States and Mexico is the most important of the year for both teams. The USA hasn't had any problems so far to reach their goals in the qualifying tournament. They will play with the home advantage and the support of the fans from Columbus, Ohio. A "soccer city" as they call it, that is the home of the current MLS Champions, Columbus Crew. The drama is really on the Mexican side. Mexico hasn't been able to beat the North Americans in USA grounds since 2000; a 10-match run that has been bothering the supporters and the federation. And to add to the "Telenovela" the team has not shown the quality football that the fans expected since the arrival of Sven-Göran Eriksson. This one promises to be a great battle!