This is certainly the Group of Death as many will expect, the prospect of a champion dropping out at the group stage is on the cards. Italy plays France in a do-or-die match for both teams and also, a re-match of the World Cup 2006 final.
Italy has got to be terribly disappointed with their current form, losing to the Netherlands 3-0 and then only manage a 1-1 draw with Romania. Fate is not entirely in Italy's hands (they have also got to count on Romania failing to win) and to avoid an embarrassing drop out at the group stage, they also have to beat France by at least 2 goals.
One of the more notable problems is their goalscoring ability. Del Piero is often caught in no-man's land and Luca Toni looks to be isolated up front. With Pirlo unable to provide the incisive passes, Italy looks toothless. However, as terrible as Italy may seem at the moment, they have the ability to perform when under pressure.
France on the other hand, looked tame and woeful. Netherlands comfortably dealt France a 4-1 trouncing and all hope seems lost. A draw will do France no good, and France will need a victory and hope Romania does not win their encounter against the Netherlands. If anyone thinks the French are terrible this term, you are not alone. Half the globe were expected Italy and France to head the group and looking at things now, they need to play at an exceptional level.
Expect Henry and Benzema to start, with Vieira possibly returning for this important clash.
Netherlands have nothing to play for and this is what Romania is looking to capitalise on. The Romanians know that a victory will send them to the quarter-finals and knock out both Italy and France. The Romanians also know that the Netherlands have a more important task to keep their players injury-free and card-free. Therefore, one will not expect the Romanians to hold back on attacking today.
Romania looked particularly good against France and Italy, the underdogs suddenly become favourites to go through with the Netherlands. Adrian Mutu, the culprit who missed his penalty kick against Italy, may be forgiven for his "crime" if he can send Romania to victory today. Kicks 4 Kicks! thinks that Mutu still needs to ply his trade for Fiorentina in Italy, and therefore suspects he may have purposely screwed that penalty up.
Anyway, Romania's defence looked a notch up from being wanting. In fact, the centre-back Goian played impressively against Italy, shutting out Luca Toni on countless occasions. One would expect Romania to stick to the same back-four again, however Goian picked up his 2nd yellow card and will miss the match against the Netherlands. With Goian out, there is a loophole in Romania's defence and I would expect the Netherlands (especially Van Nistelrooy) to capitalise on Goian's absence.
Kicks 4 Kicks! says Italy will beat France by 1 goal. Both teams have nothing to lose, knowing even a victory may not be enough. That said, expect a classic re-match of the World Cup 2006 final. Italy may sneak home a victory from giant Toni, producing the goods at the final moment.
However, this will not be enough as Romania will beat the Netherlands after some effort. The Netherlands will prefer to sit back and attack on the counter for this match, saving some energy and strength for the quarter-finals. This will prove to be enough for Romania as their endless pursuit of victory will see them clinch the winning goal for a 1-0 victory...possibly through Adrian Mutu...
K4K! predicts : Italy 2-1 France, Romania 1-0 Netherlands
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