Russia vs Israel September 10, 2013

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Russia and Israel enter their World Cup qualifier on Tuesday night in St. Petersburg with each facing a must-win situation.

While Portugal remain on top of Group F in UEFA qualifying, Russia only trails by two points, and with an extra match still to play. A win could put Russia on top of the group for good position to win the automatic trip to Brazil.

Russia will look to take back first place in Group F of the World Cup qualifiers when it takes on Israel on Tuesday.
The Russians currently sit in second place in the group and are looking to avoid missing their third straight World Cup; the team is already assured a spot in 2018 by virtue of being hosts, but this tournament is seen as a major stepping stone toward potentially being Champions in less than five years time.

Meanwhile, Israel can tie Russia for the second-place spot with a win. Whichever team finishes second will have a playoff for a spot in the 2014 World Cup.

Russia is making up the game in hand it has on Portugal and could be back on top of the group with a win against Israel. However, a loss or draw here will likely put Russia into the quest for a playoff spot. Four years ago, the Russians were drawn into a playoff with Slovenia; they lost on away goals and were eliminated from the tournament. Back in 2005, the Russians wound up in third place in a group that also featured Portugal.

Russia is coming off a huge 4-1 win over Luxembourg after losing 1-0 against Northern Ireland in August.

This contest could separate the best from the rest in the group or it could make the situation even more jumbled. That certainly makes this a match to watch, so take a look at this preview to make sure you do not miss a second of the action.


When: Tuesday, Sept. 10 at 11 a.m. ET; 4 p.m. BST

Where: Petrovsky Stadium, St. Petersburg, Russia

Egypt vs Guinea September 10, 2013

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Egypt will look to continue its impressive World Cup qualifying campaign when it takes on Guinea on Tuesday.

Egypt has already clinched a spot in the third round of African qualifiers. The team will await to be drawn into a two-legged competition with another group winner with the victor set to play in Brazil next summer. The other group winners include Ethiopia, Cape Verde, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Cameroon, Senegal, Ghana, Burkina Faso and Algeria.

Egypt host Guinea on Tuesday in the last round of the group's stage in the World Cup African qualifiers.
Under the leadership of American manager Bob Bradley, the Pharaohs are bidding for their first qualification ticket to the most prestigious football event since 1990.

They guaranteed their play-off spot topping Group G of the qualifiers with 15 points aiming to get the full mark by a victory against Guinea to improve their FIFA ranking.

The match, held behind closed doors in the Red Sea resort of Gouna Stadium for security concerns,  starts at 16:00 Cairo time (GMT +2).

The Egyptians are the only team with a perfect record of five wins in five games heading into Tuesday's game. Their impressive display already has the nation buzzing with hopes of a return to the World Cup Finals.

"When I got there, all that anyone talked about was the World Cup because they had failed to qualify for so long. ... I don't know much Arabic, but I learned early that Kas el a'alam means World Cup. Because that's what people would talk about," said Egypt's coach Bob Bradley in an interview with ESPN.

Egypt is flying high but may feel a bit relaxed in this game. The home atmosphere will likely propel them to a 1-0 win.

Start Time: 1 p.m. EST

Hong Kong vs Singapore September 10, 2013

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Fresh off a 6-1 hammering by China last Friday, Singapore will look to redeem themselves when they travel to take on Hong Kong on Tuesday night at the Mong Kok Stadium.

Bernd Stange's South East Asian champions were utterly outclassed by their hosts in Tianjin and the losing margin could have been wider if the Chinese were more clinical.

The Lions simply could not cope with the slick movement and quick passing interchanges of the China players, which Stange said surprised him a little after the game, but they will not expect to face such high quality play from Hong Kong.

The Fifa-ranked 144th home side come into this off the back of a 0-0 draw against Myanmar and Kim Pan-Gon will hope his charges can pull off a repeat of their 1-0 win over the same opponents back in June last year.

Guangdong Sunray Cave striker Chan Siu Ki will spearhead the hunt for goals as the 28-year-old seeks to add to his impressive tally of 34 strikes in 48 caps. Naturalised Ghanaian Godfred Karikari and Englishman Jaimes McKee will add to the firepower.

There are two other naturalised foreigners in the team, namely England-born Jack Sealy and Ghanaian-born Wisdom Fofo Agbo, who both made their debuts against Myanmar. They should get the nod in the Hong Kong defense again, with regular custodian Yapp Hung Fai the man to beat in between the sticks.

His opposite number in goal could very well be Hougang United goalkeeper Fadhil Salim, who will make his international debut if called upon. Warriors FC left-back Zulfadli Zainal Abidin could deputise for Shakir Hamzah after collecting his first cap as a late substitute against China.

Isa Halim and Fazrul Nawaz could make the starting line-up after missing out against China, while the lively Shahfiq Ghani scored their sole goal and will expect to be retained.

Stange opted to tinker with his formation and tactics against China, with the German looking to chart a new path for Singapore as he tries to turn them into a side capable of holding their own against Asia's best.

South Korea vs Croatia September 10, 2013

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South Korea will go in search of revenge when they take on Croatia in a friendly on Tuesday.

Igor Stimac's side thumped the Taegeuk Warriors the last time that the two sides clashed back in Februrary, powering to a 4-0 win at Craven Cottage thanks to goals from Mario Mandzukic, Darijo Srna, Nikica Jelavic and Mladen Petric.

However, South Korea have since qualified for World Cup 2014, with the 2002 semi-finalists progressing to the tournament in Brazil despite a 1-0 defeat to Iran in their final game in June.

The South Korean men's national football team is gearing up for another friendly match, this time against Croatia, in Jeonju on Tuesday night.
And, we have Steven Choi in the sports center to give us a preview of the match.

Hey guys, last week's FOUR - ONE victory versus Haiti was just the warm-up, while this friendly with Croatia, currently ranked ninth in the world, will be the true test for the ROK and its revamped offense.

If Manager Hong Myung-bo is going for the win, he's sure to insert the trio of Koo Ja-cheol , Son Heung-min , and Lee Chung-yong into the attack.

Like in the match versus Haiti, Koo may shift to attacking midfielder, while Son and Lee play the left and right wings.

Hong Myung-Bo's side will also have home advantage on their side for the game at the Jeonju World Cup stadium and face a Croatia team that has struggled for consistency in recent times.

Stimac's charges are five points adrift of Belgium in their qualification group and appear set to face a play-off for a place in the finals after their 1-1 draw with Serbia on Friday.

Japan vs Ghana September 10, 2013

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Ghana travel to Japan for an international friendly on Tuesday following their crucial World Cup qualifying victory over Zambia.

Kwesi Appiah's side went into the crucial match in Kumasi one point ahead of their visitors knowing that anything other than a defeat would take them through to the third stage of the CAF qualifying section for Brazil 2014.

Ghana take on Japan in the second fixture of the 2013 Kirin Challenge Cup three days after securing a passage to the final qualification round of Brazil 2014.

Japan have already booked their ticket to next year's World Cup and would regard this series of games as an opportunity to ensure their preparedness ahead of the Mundial.

Ghana, whose only defeat in Group D came in the reverse fixture against the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations champions, secured a narrow 2-1 win as Abdul Waris and Kwadwo Asamoah gave them a two-goal lead before Emmanuel Mbola pulled one back for the visitors.

But, while Ghana have another stage of qualifying to go through to seal their place in next year's showpiece, Japan were the first side to reach Brazil after their 1-1 draw with Australia on June 4.

Japan's latest fixture came in a friendly against Guatemala at Nagai Stadium on Friday, goals from Keisuke Honda, Masato Kudo and Yasuhito Endo sweeping aside Sergio Pardo's side, with coach Alberto Zaccheroni afterwards calling on the team to keep up their level of intensity in their next matches.

Alberto Zaccheroni's side has already reaped much from a recent 3-0 win against Guatemala in the ongoing three-nation tournament and would seek more of the same against their African opponents on September 10.

For the Black Stars, Tuesday’s encounter against the Samurai Blue could be an ideal way to ready themselves for the final 2014 World Cup qualification stage in October and November, a play-off against a yet unknown team.

Doubtlessly, either national side would find this game as important as any they have participated in, in recent months.

Injury-wise, Mainz striker Shinji Okazaki has left the Japan squad due to a left knee issue and would not be replaced for the Ghana match. He is the second player to leave the Asian side following Toshihiro Aoyama, who is hospitalised on suspicion of appendicitis.