A look at Friday’s quarterfinal matches
Quarterfinals: NETHERLANDS vs. BRAZIL
Where: Port Elizabeth. Time: 7 a.m. PDT.
TV: ESPN, ESPN Deportes, Univision. Radio: Sirius/XM, KLYY-FM 97.5, KDLD-FM/KDLE-FM 103.1, KSPN-AM 710.
The buzz: Moments after his team’s second-round win over Chile, Brazilian Coach Dunga had already turned his attention to Friday’s foe, the Netherlands. “The style they play is very similar to a South American team,” he said. Dunga was equally worried about travel. Brazil played three of its first four games in Johannesburg but must go to far-off Port Elizabeth for this match, and the coach was worried the change in hotels and in routine could prove a distraction. But his biggest worry is the loss of Elano, who scored in each of Brazil’s first two matches. Doctors say he’s unavailable for the quarterfinal with a right ankle injury. His absence is likely to shift a big part of the offensive load onto Robinho and Kaka, two players who already figured to be closely marked by the efficient Dutch. In its win over Chile, Brazil allowed just three shots on goal. The Netherlands is unbeaten in the tournament, but those wins were over Cameroon, Denmark, Japan and Slovakia — hardly teams on par with Brazil. Plus there was some friction after the second-round win over Slovakia. Coach Bert van Marwijk immediately called a team meeting and said the players are united again. But peace in the locker room isn’t likely to be enough to get past Brazil if Robin van Persie, Wesley Sneijder and Arjen Robben don’t step their game up a bit.
Quarterfinals: URUGUAY vs. GHANA
Where: Johannesburg. Time: 11:30 a.m. PDT.
TV: ESPN, ESPN Deportes, Univision. Radio: Sirius/XM, KLYY-FM 97.5, KDLD-FM/KDLE-FM 103.1, KSPN-AM 710.
The buzz: Who saw this one coming? Uruguay, which had to win a playoff with Costa Rica just to get to the World Cup, is playing a quarterfinal match with Ghana, which is missing its best player, midfielder Michael Essien, and had never played in a World Cup before 2006. Uruguay has proven to be one of the most complete teams in the tournament; its stout defense has allowed just one score in four games, and Luis Suarez is tied for second in the tournament with three goals. A win here would send Uruguay to the semifinals for the first time in four decades. Ghana, on the other hand, has already made history by reaching the quarterfinals in just its second try at the World Cup. The Black Stars, Africa’s lone survivor, advanced with a dramatic extra-time win over the U.S., and a win here would make them the first African team to reach the final four. But Ghana will be without Jonathan Mensah and Andre Ayew, who picked up their second yellow cards of the tournament last time out. John Mensah, who missed training, is expected to start, but Kevin-Prince Boateng, who scored the first goal against the U.S., could be sidelined with a thigh injury.
