Group B (Argentina, Greece, Nigeria, South Korea)

[Craig_H]

I know it sounds odd but I think people will be surprised by how good Argentina are at the World cup, a lot of people seem to be quit critical of them. Maradonna looks like he has been a mentalist but he has established a pattern of play and it is worth remembering that they were struggling to qualify before he took over. They look more United now and if Aguero or Messi ignite I think they are good shouts for the win.

Please dont use 'united' with a capital letter

I agree with you, i've said for a while that i wouldnt be remotely surprised if Argentina do very well. Having said that, my predictions have them running into Germany in the quarters and i think the Germans will use their know-how and shrewdness to sneak through.

[SK]

Is that using your ‘heard of them’ criteria?

Nah, Burdisso has never really impressed me any time I’ve seen him play. Heinze looked a shadow of the player he was when leaving Madrid, although for all I know he might have played brilliantly in France last year. Samuel is a quality player and seemed to settle well back in Italy, but unfortunately I seen more of him when he played at Madrid. And Demichelis was just an accident waiting to happen against United.

nah all good players imo

granted i haven't seen a lot of burdisso since he left inter, heinze i always thought was a good player just a bit erratic from time to time.

how do argentina setup actually? do they play a 4 man defence or 3 at the back with two (attacking) wing backs?

[RedReet]

"I tried out lots of full-backs, I tried with [Javier] Zanetti, [Emiliano] Papa, and I finished up with four central defenders," Maradona said.

"I think I'm going to play like that, they're the ones who give me guarantees at the back. They didn't concede a goal and [Germany] didn't create any goal chances."

[MrsB]

Kanu: We're prepared for Argentina

(PA) Friday 4 June 2010



Nigeria captain Nwankwo Kanu has warned Argentina not to write them off ahead of their opening FIFA World Cup™ match in Johannesburg in just under ten days time.

The Portsmouth striker, whose side are in Group B for the finals alongside the South Americans, Greece and Korea Republic arrived in South Africa with the rest of his team-mates earlier this week as they begin final preparations.

Lars Lagerback's men play their opening game against Diego Maradona's side on 12 June, but still have one final warm-up match before then - they face Korea DPR on Sunday.

The Super Eagles are yet to win in two outings under their new Swedish coach, but an unworried Kanu is not too fazed and has targeted an opening match upset at the finals.

Speaking in Durban, where the team will be based for the competition, he said: "The question is not how will we survive Argentina, but how will Argentina survive us?

"Nobody knows what will happen on that day but we have equal chances. We are prepared and ready for them."

[Craig_H]

Is Kanu in the Nigeria squad??

How old is he now???

[Shaggy]

He's 26.

[MrsB]

He's 33, called a "veteran" on the FIFA site. How I hate that expression for footballers.

[Craig_H]

He's 26.

In dog years?

[Fernandinho]

shaggy was rather drunk last night, yes?

[MrsB]

Nigeria's John Mikel Obi ruled out

Nigeria midfielder John Mikel Obi has been ruled out of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa with a knee injury.

Mikel joins fellow Chelsea stars Michael Essien and Michael Ballack in missing out through injury, while Didier Drogba is a major doubt.

The 23-year-old underwent minor knee surgery in May and feels he has not recovered sufficiently.

"We have dropped Mikel from the squad after he said he did not want to risk his career," said a Nigeria spokesman.

Nigeria will replace Obi Mikel with the uncapped Brown Ideye, a striker from French club Sochaux.

Mikel has been capped 30 times for his country and was the last player to join up with the rest of the squad at their training camp in Essex.

In South Africa, Mikel cut short his workout with the team on two consecutive days. He also missed the team's two build-up games against Saudi Arabia and Colombia.

But on Friday Mikel trained with the rest of the squad for the first time since they arrived at their World Cup base in Durban. However, the player felt he was not fit enough to play in South Africa.

Nigeria have been drawn in Group B alongside two-time world champions Argentina, former European Championship winners Greece and 2002 World Cup semi-finalists South Korea.

They play their first match on 12 June against Argentina and wrap up their preparations for the finals with a friendly against North Korea in Johannesburg on Sunday.

BBC Sport

[Tee]

Thats the spirit MrsB!!

[MrsB]

I can't ****ing wait to see them play.

[MrsB]

I'm not scard of South Corea

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKNrte6Gipc"]YouTube- South Korea penguins play football match[/ame]

[MrsB]

Fifa absolve themselves of any blame over Nigerian stampede

Fifa says it is not to blame for a stampede that occurred outside a stadium in Johannesburg where World Cup finalists Nigeria and North Korea were wrapping up their preparations for the competition.

By Telegraph staff and agencies
Published: 8:48PM BST 06 Jun 2010



Making a point: A fan wearing a Nigeria shirt speaks with police after a stampede which left 14 injured Photo: Reuters

The incident, which happened as Nigeria and North Korea played a World Cup warm-up match, occurred in the township of Tembisa. It left several people injured - 14 spectators had to be taken to hospital, while two police officials were also hurt.

Less than a week remains before the kick-off of the global spectacle and the events at the Makhulong Stadium are likely to place further pressure on the world governing body, who have already moved to distance themselves from any involvement.

A statement from the organisation read: ''Fifa and the Organising Committee (OC) of the 2010 Fifa World Cup have been informed by the South African Police Services (SAPS) about the incidents which have taken place today on the occasion of the friendly match between Nigeria and Korea DPR played in Ekurhuleni, Johannesburg.

''Fifa and the OC would like to first wish a prompt recovery to those who have been affected by these incidents.

''In addition, Fifa and the OC would like to reiterate that this friendly match has no relation whatsoever with the operational organisation of the 2010 Fifa World Cup, for which we remain fully confident.

''Contrary to some media reports, Fifa had nothing to do with the ticketing of this game.''

Tickets for the game at the 10,000 capacity ground were free, meaning there was a huge demand and additional pressure on authorities after a larger number of fans turned up.

Explaining what happened, the South African Police Services (SAPS) said in a statement: ''The friendly match was arranged by a private company and tickets were apparently being handed out by the teams outside the stadium.

''Initial reports from the stadium, which is not a 2010 Fifa World Cup stadium, indicate that 10,000 tickets were distributed outside the stadium but a number of fans wanted to enter the stadium without tickets.

''It would seem that there was also some confusion among the crowd as to the ticketing system which led to disruptive behaviour on the part of the crowd.

''Police members immediately started implementing crowd management measures but the crowd became unruly and pushed against the gates, forcing them open on two occasions.

''One police official was seriously wounded when he was trampled by the crowd, one police official was slightly injured but remained on duty.

''The police official (seriously wounded) is in a stable condition. The police did all in their power to prevent fatalities and minimise injuries.''

The game continued with Nigeria going on to win 3-1.

South Africa is just days away from the opening of the first ever World Cup on the African continent and earlier today its president Jacob Zuma and Fifa head Sepp Blatter gave their full backing towards the country's readiness to host the event.

[Mostar]

In dog years?