Friday’s World Cup matches
Group G: IVORY COAST VS. NORTH KOREA
Where: Mbombela Stadium, Nelspruit. Time: 7 a.m. PDT.
TV: ESPN2 and TeleFutura. Radio. Sirius/XM, KLYY-FM 97.5 and KDLD-FM 103.1.
The buzz: North Korea has been mathematically eliminated after two losses, and a third heavy defeat is likely in this match. That has not stopped Coach Kim Jong Hun from expressing the hope that the team will be welcomed home. “We were not able to go on to the next round, so both my staff and my players didn’t meet the expectations of my countrymen,” he said. “However, even though we didn’t play too well, our people will welcome us with open arms.” Ivory Coast’s only hope of advancing rests on them winning by a lopsided score and Brazil defeating Portugal by a large margin in Durban. There is a nine-goal deficit to overturn, so the task likely is impossible. Ivory Coast Coach Sven-Goran Eriksson said he would start striker Didier Drogba because “it’s better to have [him] even if he’s not 100% fit” after recovering from elbow surgery.
— Grahame L. Jones
Group G: BRAZIL VS. PORTUGAL
Where: Moses Mabhida Stadium, Durban. Time: 7 a.m. PDT.
TV: ESPN, ESPN Deportes, Univision. Radio: Sirius/XM, KLYY-FM 97.5 and KDLD-FM 103.1.
The buzz: Brazil has to defeat the Portuguese in Durban on Friday in order to match bitter rival Argentina’s 3-0 first-round record. At the very least it needs a tie to finish first in the group. Julio Baptista likely will replace Kaka, who is suspended, and Dani Alves will take the place of Elano, who is injured. Portugal, which needs to win the game to finish on top of the group, is coming off a 7-0 rout of North Korea that will virtually assure it of advancing to the knockout phase even if it loses. Coach Carlos Queiroz has warned his players that Brazil could “tear us apart” if the defense is not organized. He also said he would play Cristiano Ronaldo despite the player being on a yellow card and in danger of suspension if he receives another.
— Grahame L. Jones
Group H: SPAIN VS. CHILE
Where: Pretoria. Time: 11:30 a.m. PDT.
TV: ESPN, ESPN Deportes, Univision. Radio: Sirius/XM, KLYY-FM 97.5, KDLD-FM/KDLE-FM 103.1.
The buzz: South Africa has not been kind to the European champions. Last summer they were bounced from the Confederations Cup after being upset by the U.S., and they could be leaving the World Cup early if they don’t beat Chile in their group-play finale. Spain also could advance with a tie, but to make that happen they would need win-less and goal-less Honduras to upset Switzerland in the other Group H match and that’s not likely to happen. “For us it’s clear what we have to do — we have to beat Chile,” said midfielder Andres Iniesta, who is available for the final group match after overcoming a right leg injury. “We’re confident of reaching the next round. Nothing else is important.” Chile, meanwhile, needs only to avoid a loss to advance to the second round as the group winner. A loss, however, and they could be going home should Switzerland rout Honduras. Adding to the challenge is the fact Coach Marcelo Bielsa will be without midfielders Carlos Carmona, who is injured, and Matias Fernandez, who is suspended. Rodrigo Millar and Jorge Valdivia likely will start instead.
— Kevin Baxter
Group H: HONDURAS VS. SWITZERLAND
Where: Bloemfontein. Time: 11:30 a.m. PDT.
TV: ESPN 2, TeleFutura. Radio: Sirius/XM, KLYY-FM 97.5, KDLD-FM/KDLE-FM 103.1.
The buzz: Despite beating Spain in its World Cup opener, Switzerland still has a lot of work to do to advance to the second round without help from someone else. The Swiss need to beat Honduras, but they also need to score at least two goals while doing it. So the Swiss hopes now rely heavily on forwards Alexandre Frei and Eren Derdiyok and midfielder Gelson Fernandes — who has the lone Swiss goal — to provide the needed offense to win potential tiebreakers with both Spain and Chile. Honduras, which has yet to score in the tournament, has only a slim chance of advancing, needing to win by at least three goals while having Chile defeat Spain to create a three-way tie for second. Honduras has gone 300 minutes without scoring in World Cup play since Eduardo Laing’s marker provided a 1-1 draw versus Northern Ireland in 1982.
— Kevin Baxter
