Norway vs Cyprus September 6, 2013

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Norway and Cyprus will jostle for position in a crowded Group E when they face off in Friday's World Cup 2014 Qualifiers.
Norway currently sits in fourth place in the Group with eight points while Cyprus sits in sixth with four. However, both sides are still within striking distance of one of the top two spots. The first place side moves on to Brazil next summer while the second place team has a two-legged playoff to get through to book passage to Brazil next summer.

Cyprus is not strong enough and the team has been in a poor state. So it is afraid that Cyprus will have to return home without anything as they visit Norway who are much more stronger.

With a win on Friday, Norway could jump all the way to second place with favorable results from the other two matches. Meanwhile a Cyprus win could put the team three points away from first place with a Swiss win and a Slovenian victory over second place Albania.

Norway started its tournament with a 2-0 loss against Norway and a 2-1 win over Slovenia. In its third game, Norway drew 1-1 against Switzerland. In its fourth matchup, the team took down Cyprus 3-1 but lost its momentum in a 1-0 defeat against Albania. In its most recent game, Norway drew 1-1 against Albania.

Meanwhile Cyprus lost 3-1 against Albania in its first qualifier. In the second match, the team earned its lone victory of the tournament by defeating Iceland 1-0. A 2-1 loss to Slovenia and 3-1 defeat against Norway followed. But a 0-0 draw and 1-0 loss against Switzerland have left the team in last place.
Prediction: Expect a Norwegian victory. 1-0 Norway.
Start Time: 1 p.m. EST

Czech Republic vs Armenia September 6, 2013

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The Czech Republic will look to jump into second place when it takes on Armenia in Friday's World Cup qualifiers.
The top team in the group winds up clinching a berth in the 2014 World Cup while the second team must get through a two-legged berth to be among the 13 European sides in the tournament.

The Czechs are five points out of first place but only one point out of the second spot. The team has a major chance to jump into second as second-place Bulgaria faces first-place Italy in a pivotal match on Friday. Italy is the favored side, meaning that a Czech win could potentially put them ahead of Bulgaria with three games to go; the Czechs drew Bulgaria 0-0 in their lone meeting and this team could be confident at being able to defeat its foe in the rematch on Oct. 15.

The Czech Republic vs. Armenia World Cup qualification match will take place in Prague today.

The Czechs are five points out of first place but only one point out of the second spot.

Meanwhile Armenia is looking to build off a 4-0 win against Denmark in its latest World Cup qualifier. The team sits in fourth with six points and needs to win three of its final four to have hopes of qualifying.

The match will start at 8 p.m. Yerevan time.

Czech Republic started its tournament with 0-0 draw against Denmark. In its second game, the team defeated Malta 3-1 before it drew 0-0 against Bulgaria in its third game. A 3-0 loss against Denmark proved a major obstacle, but the team got it back with a 3-0 win over Armenia. A 0-0 draw against Italy also boosted the club's confidence and could go a long way toward the second place berth.

Meanwhile Armenia is looking to build off a 4-0 win against Denmark in its latest World Cup qualifiers. The team sits in fourth with six points and needs to win three of its final four to have any hopes of qualifying.
Prediction: The two sides battle to a 0-0 draw.
Start Time: 12 p.m. EST

Macedonia vs Wales September 6, 2013

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Two nations in danger of falling out of contention for World Cup qualification this week, Macedonia and Wales clash on Friday with the aim of keeping their 2014 dreams alive.

As things stand, the pair currently sit on four points and six points in UEFA Group A, respectively, and a loss for either side would be enough to rule out any hopes of making it to Brazil next summer.

A win is absolutely vital for the desperate duo and three points on Friday could lift the victors to third place in the standings, although goal difference makes that less likely for the hosts.

Bale joined the squad in Cardiff on Monday following his world-record £86 million transfer to the Bernabeu, but having not played for Tottenham since July, Coleman says he is unwilling to throw his star performer in at the deep end.

Wales' chances may be hampered somewhat as a result, with Bale having scored five of his country's last eight goals, but Coleman will not be taking any chances with the former Spurs man.

"We are aware a lot of people will want to see him play in the home game against Serbia [on Tuesday].

"But he has no chance of playing 90 minutes on Friday or on Tuesday."

Newcastle United defender Paul Dummett could be in line for a senior debut after featuring for his club side against Manchester City this season, while Cardiff City teenager Declan john is also in the squad for the first time.

Dummett's chances of appearing were boosted as Swansea City left-back Neil Taylor was forced to pull out of the squad due to a thigh injury. Joe Allen (hamstring) and Neil Eardley (knee) were also forced to withdraw.

For Macedonia, Aleksandar Todorovski misses out on a place in the squad due to injury, while Stefan Sprivoski has been left out due to a lack of playing time, having failed to feature for his club side, Borac Cacak of Serbia, so far this season.

Central defender Boban Grncarov returns, as do left-back Aleksandar Lazevski and attacking midfielder Darko Tasevski.
When: Friday, Sept. 6, kickoff at 6 p.m. BST

Where: Philip II Arena, Skopje, Republic of Macedonia

Malta vs Denmark September 6, 2013

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Denmark will look to get back in the running for the World Cup when it takes on Malta in Friday's qualifiers.

The first place team gets an automatic spot in the 2014 World Cup but the second place team must settle for a two-legged playoff.

Denmark currently sits in fifth out of six teams in Group B with six points but they are still in the running. Second place Bulgaria only has 10 points while third place Czech Republic has nine. Bulgaria will be taking on first place Italy on Friday while the Czechs will host Armenia (six points). A draw in the latter game coupled with an Italian win and a Danish victory could put Denmark right back in the race for second place.

Denmark started its tournament with a 0-0 draw against the Czech Republic and a 1-1 tie against Bulgaria. A 3-1 loss against Italy hinted at problems to come but a 3-0 win over Czech Republic on the road proved to be very convincing. A 1-1 draw against Bulgaria at home did not hurt the team, but a 4-0 loss to Armenia at home has proved to be the difference between a tie for third place and fifth place in the group.  
Meanwhile Malta sits in last with three points and is essentially one loss and an Italian victory away from being completely eliminated from a chance at first place.

Prediction: Denmark will pull off a 3-0 win.
Start Time: 2 p.m. EST

Russia vs Luxembourg September 6, 2013

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Russia will look to seize control of Group F when it takes on lowly Luxembourg in the World Cup 2014 Qualifiers.
The top team in each UEFA group winds up qualifying for the World Cup next summer while the second place squad must endure a two-legged playoff to get a chance at traveling to Brazil.

Russia will host Luxembourg at Centralniy Stadium in 2014 World Cup qualifying play on Saturday.

The world No. 16 has gone 4-2 in six World Cup qualifying matches so far, posting 12 points. The Russians have defeated Israel and Azerbaijan while going 1-1 against Portugal and Northern Ireland.

Russia is two points behind Group F leader Portugal.

Luxembourg—the world No. 140—has yet to win a match in World Cup qualifying, drawing with Azerbaijan (twice) and Northern Ireland and losing to Israel (twice) and Portugal. The side is on the bottom of the Group F table with three points.

Russia currently occupies second place in Group F with 12 points and trail Portugal by two points; however, Russia has a game in hand on the Iberian squad and only needs a win to pull away from the pack.

The Russians opened their tournament with a 2-0 win against Northern Ireland and destroyed Israel 4-0 in their second match of qualifiers. The winning continued when Russia took down Portugal and Azerbaijan in two straight 1-0 decisions. However, the team was unable to build on this success as it lost 1-0 to Portugal in its fifth qualifier. In its sixth game against Northern Ireland, Russia had a prime chance to leap frog Portugal with two games in hand but flopped miserably in a 1-0 loss against Northern Ireland. While that game is unlikely to do much for Northern Ireland, it could hurt Russia's chances at winning the group.


When: Friday, Sept. 6 at 10:30 a.m. ET

Where: Centralniy Stadium, Kazan, Russia