Slovakia and New Zealand will play in Group F of the 2010 World Cup. This will be a key match for each squad, and it will likely decide the fate of each team as they go on in their matches in the group.

These two teams are unfortunately the overwhelming favorites to be knocked out of the competition after their first matches here in Group F. With two strong teams to play (Italy and Paraguay), these teams are expected to buckle under superior play when they take on these squads.

This is why their match against each other is so important. The fact that they are playing each other first will give the winner the opportunity to build momentum going into their second match. If the winner of this match can bring that momentum to their match against Paraguay or Italy they might be able to sneak away a 2nd victory. If they win a second game they’ll likely advance to the next round of play.

This is a long-shot…but it’s really their only shot. Out of these two teams, World Cup betting favorite, Slovakia, is definitely the favorite to win the match. They are significantly stronger on both the offensive and defensive aspects of play. If things play out the way they should on paper, you can expect Slovakia to win the opener.

Don’t count New Zealand out just yet. This is the biggest stage that a team can play on. Some teams are able to rise to the occasion and perform when the pressure is on. Look for New Zealand to come out early with some strong play. They’ll need a miracle to take this game though.

This entry was posted on Saturday, June 12th, 2010 at 3:02 am and is filed under Soccer. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.