Euro 2012 Fearless Predictions - Day 12

After almost two weeks of Euro 2012 excitement we have reached the final round of games in the group stage. Group D takes center stage as France, England and Ukraine battle for the final two remaining spots in the knock-out round. Sweden, by virtue of their two defeats, have already been eliminated. Well let's get to it with our fearless predictions.

Euro 2012 Fearless Predictions - Days 6-8

You could argue I have been lazy, but I would rather say I have been pre-occupied. See, I have traveled down south to the coast of Maryland for the lovely wedding of two good friends from business school. Unable to post any fearless predictions, has clearly left my readers in a loop, but here is recap of what I would have predicted.

Euro 2012 Fearless Predictions - Day 4

Mondays are typically bad and when you compound them with being at the office while the Euro is ongoing, it really does not make for a fun start to the week. Regardless, this is my situation, what is yours? Skipping work, taking a 'sick' day or enjoying the life of being a graduate student and waking up just in time for kick-off? Anyways, here are today's fearless predictions.

Euro 2012 - Group D Preview

Before I jump into the Posts By Panos preview on Group D at Euro 2012, we should all take a step back and respect the spectacle for what it is, the best 16 teams in Europe battling for a continental championship. See in four years in France for Euro 2016, the tournament expands to 24 teams thus diluting the product and ruining what is probably the best month in sports. Regardless, let's get into Group D.

Fearless Predictions - Women's World Cup - Day 8

Exhausted, so this is a short fearless predictions for Day 8 at the Women's World Cup.

Fearless Predictions - Women's World Cup - Day 4

Day 3 at the Women's World Cup continued with Marky Mark's good vibrations for our fearless predictions as both Sweden and the United States won their respective matches. Day 4 sees Group D take center stage and all the focus will be on Brazil and the attacking threat of their superstar Marta.

Women's World Cup Preview - Group D

Welcome to the final World Cup group preview featuring Brazil, Norway, Australia and Equatorial Guinea. This group will likely come down to the Brazil-Norway match to determine who finishes first and second. Norway has been one of women's soccer greatest powers while Brazil have dominated South America due to the all-world talents of Marta. The key is if they can avoid a slip against Asian champion Australia or newcomer Equatorial Guinea.

Day 13 Fearless Predictions

After making a spirited comeback to climb two games above .500 I faltered on Day 12 and picked games based on my heart rather than my head. But, I can hold my head up high, I did pick the French to choke and hoped that Nigeria and Greece would be able to accomplish the miracles needed, but sometimes in soccer the better teams win. So congratulations to Uruguay, Mexico, Argentina and South Korea for reaching the Round of 16. We are onto Group C & D and at the end of the day we will have more than half of the teams who will continue onto the next stage. Onto the picks!

Day 13

Slovenia - England

John Terry is a complete jackass, there I said it. First he sleeps with Wayne Bridge's baby mama, and then he speaks out of line and is a rat to the media regarding Fabio Capello. If I was Don Fab I would bench Terry and play Dawson and Upson in the center of the defensive back four. Regardless this is it for England. To fail to advance to the Round of 16 will a complete and utter disappointment and although they are playing a very tough Slovenian squad, there are weaknesses that the United States exposed that England could use to their advantage. The Brits need to use their wingers and Wayne Rooney needs to be at this best form or else good bye England.

Slovenia - England (0-2)

United States - Algeria

Did you know that the United States is 0-6 in the third game of the group stage at the World Cup? Well tomorrow the tide needs to turn for the United States to advance into the Round of 16. I believe Bob Bradley needs to encourage Uncle Sam's men to attack from the onset and play a complete game, because the US in their two earlier matches allowed early goals. The key for the Algerians is defensive organization coupled with counter-attacking play. As the game draws further along still scoreless, the Algerians could sneak in a winner. Should be an exciting match.

United States - Algeria (2-1)

Ghana - Germany

Ghana is the last great hope for the African teams at the World Cup. So much for the 'home-continent' advantage, it has been a complete joke. Ghana needs to play strong defensively to shut down a German attack that will be playing without Miroslav Klose due to his red card in the match against Serbia. The Germans should be able to exploit Ghana's weaknesses if it uses Philip Lahm as a wingback and the darting runs from midfielder Ozul. Germany should be able to overcome Ghana in this match.

Ghana - Germany (0-2)

Australia - Serbia

Australia will be welcoming back Tim Cahill for this match against the Serbians still hopeful of a chance to advance to the Round of 16. I am not sure what to make of Serbia. Picked by many to be a dark horse in this tourney they have disappointed but I see them playing a full 90 minutes of football and squeezing out a result against Australia. The key for the Serbs is the focus and organization from center backs Vidic and Subotic.

Australia - Serbia (0-1)

OVERALL RECORD

18-18

Who Can Still Qualify?

Group A

Uruguay need only a draw to progress to the next stage in first place. Should they lose and France or South Africa draw, they will qualify in second place. Should they lose and one of France and South Africa wins, it will come down to goal difference.

Mexico need only a draw to progress to the next stage in second place. Should they lose and France or South Africa draw, they will qualify in second place. Should they lose and one of France and South Africa wins, it will come down to goal difference.

France require a win over South Africa; and for Uruguay and Mexico not to draw; and to secure a superior goal difference to the losing side of the other fixture, in order to qualify in second place.

South Africa require a win over France; and for Uruguay and Mexico not to draw; and to secure a superior goal difference to the losing side of the other fixture, in order to qualify in second place.

Group B

Argentina need only avoid defeat against Greece to qualify in first place. Defeat is fine, too, unless it is by three or more goals, and South Korea win, in which case they will finish third. Second place is possible if they lose by a high margin to Greece but are not leapfrogged by South Korea.

South Korea are guaranteed to qualify in second place if they win and Greece drop points; or if they win by a higher margin than Greece; or the same margin whilst preserving a goals scored superiority.

Greece will finish second if they secure more points than South Korea. If they win and South Korea win, then it comes down to three-way goal difference, in which the Greeks must score two goals more than the Koreans.

Nigeria must beat South Korea and hope that Greece lose to Argentina. Only this set of results will see them qualify in second place while scoring more goals than both Greece and South Korea.

Group C

Slovenia will qualify for the next stage with a draw against England. They can also qualify in second place - or even first - with a narrow defeat, providing that Algeria win only by a slim margin against the United States.

United States will guarantee qualification with a win over Algeria, and will finish first if Slovenia can only draw at the time, or if England win by a narrow margin. A draw will be enough if Slovenia beat England, or if Slovenia and England draw while the USA preserve a better goal record than England. The only scenarios that see the USA finish first instead of second is if they secure a better goal difference than Slovenia whilst the Europeans draw with England; or if England beat Slovenia and the USA retain a better goal difference than them. Meanwhile if the USA lose they are definitely out.

England are guaranteed to progress if they defeat Slovenia. They can also qualify in second place if both matches end in a draw and they score three more than the United States do in their tie with Algeria (e.g. 3-3 and 0-0.) Defeat eliminates England entirely, as does a draw if either USA or Algeria pick up a win. First place is possible for England only if they win and the USA and Algeria draw, or Algeria win.

Algeria cannot win the group but can qualify in second if they beat the USA and Slovenia win; draw; or lose by a significantly greater margin than Algeria currently possess.

Group D

Ghana need only avoid defeat to qualify. If Serbia beat Australia and Ghana and Germany draw, Ghana finish second. If Serbia beat Australia and Germany beat Ghana, Ghana finish third.If Australia draw with Serbia and Ghana retain their goals scored advantage over Serbia in a one-goal loss, Ghana qualify in second; a larger margin of defeat results in a third place finish. If Australia beat Serbia and Ghana lose, Ghana qualify in second place.

Germany will qualify in first place with a win over Ghana, assuming Serbia fail to beat Australia by a three goal margin. A draw with Ghana will see them through in second if Australia and Serbia draw; or if Australia win without repairing their goal difference. Any other scenario results in elimination for the Germans.

Serbia will qualify with a win over Australia. They will finish second in doing so unless Ghana and Germany draw; or if Germany win and Serbia can repair their goal difference over them. A draw will be sufficient for Serbia to qualify in second place if Germany lose; or if Germany win and Serbia secure a better goal record than Ghana.

Australia will qualify in second place if they beat Serbia and Ghana beat Germany. They can also qualify in second if they win and Ghana and Germany draw, providing that Australia  can overcome a mammoth goal difference margin of seven; or if Germany beat Ghana and Australia can overcome a their goal difference margin vis-a-vis the Africans. Realistically Australia need a win, and a Ghana win.

Group E

Netherlands have already qualified and are likely to finish first. They will only finish second if they lose and if the winner of the Denmark-Japan fixture can secure a better goal record than the Dutch.

Japan will qualify in second place with a draw or a win against Denmark. They can win the group if the Dutch lose and the Japanese can secure a superior goal record while winning versus Denmark.

Denmark will qualify in second place with a win against Japan - no other result will suffice. They can win the group if the Dutch lose and the Danes can secure a superior goal record while winning versus Japan.

Cameroon are eliminated.

Group F

Paraguay Paraguay will qualify for the next stage in first place with a win against New Zealand. They can also finish second if they lose and Italy and Slovakia draw; or if Slovakia beat Italy while repairing their goal difference deficit over the Paraguayans. Any other scenario results in elimination.

Italy will qualify with a win over Slovakia. They will also qualify if they draw and Paraguay defeat New Zealand; or if they draw while Paraguay and New Zealand draw, while scoring more than New Zealand. Should Italy and New Zealand both draw by the exact same scoreline then a drawing of lots will take place to determine qualification. Italy can only finish in first place if they win, while Paraguay and New Zealand draw and Italy achieve a better goal difference than Paraguay. Or, if Italy win, New Zealand win, and Italy achieve a better goal difference over New Zealand.  Any other scenario will result in elimination.

New Zealand New Zealand will qualify in first place with a win over Paraguay unless Italy also win with a bigger scoreline. They can also qualify in second if they draw and Italy and Slovakia draw, and while doing so also score more than Italy (e.g. 1-1 and 0-0.) Should New Zealand and Italy both draw by the exact same scoreline then a drawing of lots will take place to determine qualification. Any other scenario will result in elimination.

Slovakia cannot finish first. They will finish second if they win and New Zealand fail to beat Paraguay. They can also qualify in second place if they win and New Zealand defeat Paraguay, providing that the Slovakians can repair their goal difference deficit over the South Americans.

Group G

Brazil have already qualified for the last 16. A draw is all they need to clinch top spot.

Portugal need only a draw to qualify, but a win will see them top the group. They will also qualify if they lose and Ivory Coast fail to win. They can still lose in the event of an Ivory Coast victory so long as the two results don't result in a swing of nine or more goals. Should Portugal lose 3-0 and Ivory Coast win 6-0 then lots will be drawn to determine who progresses.

Ivory Coast require a win, coupled with a Portugal defeat, which ensures a minimum nine-goal swing to progress. A 6-0 victory and a 3-0 Portugal defeat will be mean a drawing of lots.

North Korea are eliminated.

Group H

Chile only need a draw against Spain to qualify as group winners. They will also progress even if the lose and Switzerland fail to beat Honduras. A win will guarantee top spot.

Spain will qualify top of the group if they defeat Chile by even a single goal and Switzerland do not beat Honduras by two goals or more. If Spain can only draw with Chile, they will only progress if Switzerland fail to beat Honduras. If Spain lose, they can still advance provided Switzerland also lose by an equal or bigger margin.

Switzerland will make the last 16 if they defeat Honduras and Spain can only draw with Chile. If Switzerland only manage a draw, they can still go through if Spain lose to Chile. Switzerland can finish top of the group if they win and Spain beat Chile, but they must have a better goal difference than both Spain and Chile. If Switzerland and Spain are levelled on points, goal difference and goals scored, the Swiss will go through having beaten Spain.

Honduras cannot finish top of the group. They can only finish second if they beat Switzerland and Spain lose to Chile, and they record a better goal difference than the Spaniards.

Day 9 Fearless Predictions

Day 8 brought more surprises than anyone could imagine, from Serbia's victory over Germany, to the US's comeback against the Slovenians to finally England's abysmal performance against Algeria. However, most of these games were affected by poor refereeing decisions. I will touch on the poor refereeing in an upcoming 'State of Play' piece and offer my suggestions to FIFA to help solve this problem. But that is for a different day. It's the weekend, so enjoy the games where ever you may be watching and onto to the picks.

Day 9

Netherlands - Japan

The Dutch were victorious in their prior match against the Danes, while the Japanese shocked Cameroon 1-0. The Oranje are expecting Arjen Robben back for this game, and he could provide a difference on the wings and relegate Rafael van der Vaart to the bench. I was thoroughly impressed Eljero Elia in his cameo appearance and he was unlucky not to grab a goal. The Japanese will remain compact and organized and look to nip a goal from a set piece or via the counter attack.

Netherlands - Japan (2-0)

Ghana - Australia

Ghana are in prime position to put a stranglehold on Group D especially with Serbia's victory over Germany the day before. Ghana did not offer much going forward against Serbia but they are still extremely organized and structured and Australia will find them difficult to breakdown. The Aussies are missing their best player Tim Cahill due to suspension and will find it difficult to score.

Ghana - Australia (1-0)

Cameroon - Denmark

The best game of a rather boring group of games sees Cameroon and Denmark embark on a must-win scenario. Both teams lost their previous match and will be going for the three points. I see a determined Cameroon using Samuel E'too as an out and out striker and eventually outscoring the Danes in what might be the match of the tournament. I hope!

Cameroon - Denmark (3-2)

OVERALL

11-12

Day 8 Fearless Predictions

Buoyed by Greece's first ever goal and victory at the World Cup, I slept in, so excuse the late posting of Day 8 Fearless Predictions. That felt good to write. Day 8 sees the Germans in action again against the Serbians while the US battles Slovenia and England takes on Algeria. Should be a great slate of games, so onto the picks, while I am off to the bar to enjoy the fine Toronto weather.

Day 8

Germany - Serbia

Can the Germans continue the form that they showed against Australia? Serbia needs a result in this game especially considering their loss to Ghana and should provide a more formidable defensive presence than the Aussies did. I expect the Germans to continue their fine form and muster a victory. However, the longer the Serbs hold their defensive shape, their confidence will grow and they could sneak a victory.

Germany - Serbia (2-0)

Slovenia - United States

Finally, some trash-talking but who knew it would come from the Slovenians. With a victory Slovenia will all but secure their place into the Round of 16. I expect this to be a tight and nervy affair with both teams intent on their defensive responsibilities and offering very little going forward. The Americans will need more offensive play from their creative players like Landon Donovan and Michael Bradley to break down a sturdy Slovenian defense. This will be a tight affair and end in a draw.

Slovenia - United States (1-1)

England - Algeria

Early reports are all but confirming that David 'Calamity' James will be in goal for the British against Algeria. I do not understand why Fabio Capello does not have faith in youngster Joe Hart. Regardless, the English should in all reality crush the Desert Foxes in the late game. I expect Captain Gerrard to pot a goal, while Wayne Rooney gets his name on the scoreboard coupled with a headed goal from John 'I'll Sex Up Your Girl' Terry. England strolls to victory.

England - Algeria (3-0)

OVERALL RECORD

10-10

Day 3 Fearless Predictions

I promised myself that I am waiting at least 24 hours before offering any sort of commentary on the sorry excuse of a performance by the Greek national team, but hell there are more games to play, so here are some more fearless predictions, although with my current predictive power they might be fearful.

Day 3

Algeria - Slovenia

So far no European team has managed to win a game at the World Cup, so I am bucking the trend and declaring the Slovenians the first European team to win a game in South Africa. Expect a nervy affair with a late goal.

Algeria - Slovenia (0-1)

Serbia - Ghana

In my opinion this is the best game of the day because of the ferocity of the tackling and the ultra aggressive play that both sides will deploy in this match. However, there will be goals and there will be a draw.

Serbia - Ghana (2-2)

Germany - Australia

Here is hoping that one favorite shows up and plays football properly and maybe manages to put away the weaker opposition. So Germany here is your chance, and I expect that they will deliver with a confident performance and win by 3 goals.

Germany - Australia (3-0)

OVERALL RECORD

2-3

Group D Preview

Overview:

Injuries have unfortunately robbed Group D of two of the best holding midfielders in the game today, as both Ghana's Michael Essien and Germany's Michael Ballack will miss the World Cup with their respective injuries. Perhaps there just might be something in the water in North London. Regardless Group D sees Germany, Serbia, Ghana and Australia do battle for the coveted top two spots. Germany enters the tournament without their talisman captain Michael Ballack, who not only is injured but was recently kicked to the curb by Chelsea as his contract was not renewed. However, even with these problems the Germans still possess a highly organized team that is committed and always seems to rise to the challenge. The Germans will count on the youngsters Mesut Ozil and Marko Marin to provide some attacking flair for Joachim Low's squad. The Serbians  qualified for the World Cup ahead of France in their group and are favored to advance to the Round of 16. Nemanja Vidic, from Manchester United, is the captain and is part of a tremendous back four that will comprise the spine of the Serbian squad. The Serbs will also likely attack through the wings via the play of Milos Krasic and Milan Jovanovic. Jovanovic looks to be heading to Liverpool on a free transfer but with the dismissal of Rafa Benetiz perhaps Jovanovic will not push the transfer through on his end. The Black Stars of Ghana will undoubtedly be missing the services of their own captain Michael Essien. However, it should be noted that this team climbed to the final of the African Cup of Nations without their captain and with a very young squad. Asamoah Gyan, from the French club Rennes, is the key man upfront for the Black Stars and will be asked to shoulder the load. The Socceroos from Australia find themselves back in the World Cup for the first time in consecutive tournaments. Although the talent is not quite there for the Australians their tenacity and determination will make them a difficult out in South Africa. Keeper Mark Schwarzer from Fulham will expect to see plenty of shots but he does have the pedigree to keep the majority of them out of the net.

Players To Watch:

Germany - Bastian Schweinsteiger - Beyond having the greatest name in modern football, Schweinsteiger will be asked to be the key creative force for the German squad. He is a right-footed player that usually plays on the right wing but with the injury to Michael Ballack he could find himself in the middle of the park.

Ghana - Asamoah Gyan - Gyan must equal goals for Ghana for the Black Stars to have any hope of advancing to the Round of 16 considering the injury to Michael Essien. Gyan was Rennes' leading scorer during the past domestic campaign and his speed will play a major role for the Ghanaian attack.

Serbia - Neven Subotic - It would be easy to put Vidic as Serbia's player to watch, but rather his partner in the back line is the more intriguing story. Subotic actually had the chance to play for Germany, the United States and Serbia, so the match between the Serbs and Germans could test his young emotions.

Australia - Tim Cahill - If you love the little man with the big heart, then Tim Cahill is exactly your type of player. Cahill plays for Everton in the EPL and for a player with a short stature he scores the majority of his goals with his head. Cahill will be looked upon to lead the Aussies to the next round.

Projected Order Of Finish:

Germany

Serbia

Ghana

Australia