The manufactured soccer crisis in France makes Group D wide open. Les Bleus are ostensibly the seeded team, but with their current penchant for dwelling on what happened in South Africa, it’s unclear whether they're willing to live-up to that stature. That leaves the group open for Romania and, more readily, Bosnia and Herzegovina. If Bosnia and Herzegovina does not replicate their strong World Cup qualifying form, even Belarus could have a shot, if those teams beat up on each other enough.
| Pot | Team | MP | W | D | L | F | A | D | P |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | France | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | +0 | 0 |
| 2 | Romania | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | +0 | 0 |
| 3 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | +0 | 0 |
| 4 | Belarus | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | +0 | 0 |
| 5 | Albania | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | +0 | 0 |
| 6 | Luxembourg | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | +0 | 0 |
Fixtures
September 3, 2010 - Romania vs. Albania
September 3, 2010 - Luxembourg vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina
September 3, 2010 - France vs. Belarus
September 7, 2010 - Belarus vs. Romania
September 7, 2010 - Albania vs. Luxembourg
September 7, 2010 - Bosnia and Herzegovina vs. France
October 8, 2010 - Luxembourg vs. Belarus
October 8, 2010 - Albania vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina
October 9, 2010 - France vs. Romania
October 12, 2010 - Belarus vs. Albania
October 12, 2010 - France vs. Luzembourg
March 25, 2011 - Luxembourg vs. France
March 26, 2011 - Albania va. Belarus
March 26, 2011 - Bosnia and Herzegovina vs. Romania
March 29, 2011 - Romania vs. Luzembourg
June 3, 2011 - Romania vs. Bosnia and Herzegonvina
June 3, 2011 - Belarus vs. France
June 7, 2011 - Belarus vs. Luxembourg
June 7, 2011 - Bosnia and Herzegovina vs. Albania
September 2, 2011 - Luxembourg vs. Romania
September 2, 2011 - Belarus vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina
September 2, 2011 - Luxembourg vs. Albania
September 6, 2011 - Romania vs. France
September 6, 2011 - Bosnia and Herzegoniva vs. Belarus
September 6, 2011 - Luzembourg vs. Albania
October 7, 2011 - Bosnia and Herzegonvia vs. Luxemborg
October 7, 2011 - Romania vs. Belarus
October 7, 2011 - France vs. Albania
October 11, 2011 - Albania vs. Romania
October 11, 2011 - France vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina
FIFA Rank: 21
Elo Rank: 25
Recent Performances: Eliminated in group play at World Cup. Eliminated in group play at Euro 2008.
Coach: Laurent Blanc
Captain: We’ll see, Philippe Mexes would wear the armband.
Prominent players: Hugo Lloris (Lyon), Bacary Sagna (Arsenal), Gael Clichy (Arsenal), Florent Malouda (Chelsea), Abou Diaby (Arsenal), Mathieu Valbuena (Marseille), Löic Remy (Marseille)
Outlook: If you notice names missing from the prominent players list, that’s because many of the World Cup’s not-so-villains are still being left out of the team. Given the team has a trip to Bosnia and Herzegovina this week, France is setting themselves up to replicate World Cup qualifying’s second place group finish.
Predicted Finish: 2nd
FIFA Rank: 42
Elo Rank: 26
Recent Performances: Finished fifth in their World Cup qualifying group. Eliminated in group play at Euro 2008.
Coach: Räzvan Lucescu
Captain: Cristian Chivu
Prominent players: Cosmin Contra, Räzvan Rat (Shakhtar Donetsk), Mirel Radoi (Al-Hilil), Ciprian Marica (Stuttgart), Daniel Niculae (Monaco)
Outlook: Romania was a second pot team based on legacy, but their descent has been sharp since qualifying for Euro 2008. Their fifth place finish in World Cup qualifying saw the Romanians finish behind Lithuania. Belarus could pass them this time.
Predicted Finish: 4th
FIFA Rank: 57
Elo Rank: 50
Recent Performances: Second in their UEFA World Cup qualifying group. Failed to qualify for Euro 2008
Coach: Safet Susic
Captain: Emir Spahic
Prominent players: Elvir Rahmic (CSKA Moscow), Miralem Pjanic (Lyon) Zvjezdan Misimovic (Galatasaray), Sejad Salihoic (Hoffenheim), Edin Dezko (Wolfsburg), Vedad Ibisevic (Hoffenheim).
Outlook: Bosnia and Herzegovina lost to Portugal in a playoff that kept them out of the World Cup, but having beat-out Turkey to qualify for the playoff, Bosnia and Herzegovina does have a line on their CV hinting of the capabilities. With France intent on beating itself up and Romania fading, this group is open for an upset.
Predicted Finish: 1st
FIFA Rank: 78
Elo Rank: 55
Recent Performances: Fourth in UEFA World Cup qualifying group. Failed to qualify for Euro 2008.
Coach: Bernd Stange
Captain: Yuri Zhevnov
Prominent players: Sergei Omelyanchuk (Terek Grozny), Aliaksandr Hleb (Birmingham City), Aliaksandr Kulchiy (Rostov), Vitali Kutuzov (Bari), Sergei Kornilanko (Rubin Kazan), Vyzcheslav Hleb (Shenzhen Ruby)
Outlook: Belarus’s only victories in World Cup qualifying were against Andorra and Kazakhstan, but recent results against Honduras, Korea, and Lithuania hint this team is ready to take a step forward.
Predicted Finish: 3rd
FIFA Rank: 70
Elo Rank: 87
Recent Performances: Fifth in UEFA World Cup qualifying group. Failed to qualify for Euro 2008.
Coach: Josip Kuze
Captain: Altin Lala, though Lorik Cana probably wears the armband this week.
Prominent players: Kristi Vangjeli (Aris), Lorik Cana (Galatasaray), Erjon Bogdani (Ceswena)
Outlook: Albania should be pluckier than the normal fifth pot team. They are capable of getting draws within a group lacking any dominant teams. While they still seem destined for fifth, replicating the seven points they got in World Cup qualifying is possible.
Predicted Finish: 5th
FIFA Rank: 127
Elo Rank: 184
Recent Performances: Fifth in their UEFA qualifying group. Did not qualify for Euro 2008.
Coach: Luc Holtz
Captain: Jeff Strasser
Prominent players: None.
Outlook: In the weakest World Cup qualifying group, Luxembourg recorded five points but only four goals. This group will be more difficult for them.
Predicted Finish: 6th
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