Day 10 preview — Italy vs New Zealand; Brazil vs Ivory Coast

By Kenneth Tan/Red Sports

Day 9 saw big guns Holland become the first team to officially qualify for the last 16 after a 1-0 win after Japan. Meanwhile Australia and Denmark kept their qualifying hopes after a 1-1 draw against Ghana and a 2-1 win over Cameroon respectively.

Let’s move on to Day 10 where defending champions Italy will take on minnows New Zealand while five-time winners Brazil take on dark horses Ivory Coast.

Will Italy shut the critics up after a unconvincing opening performance? Or will New Zealand shock the footballing world again to clinch an unlikely draw?

Will Brazil join Holland in the last 16 with a superb footballing display? Or will Ivory Coast follow up on their impressive opening performance to shock the Brazilians?

Our pundits give their predictions how the two matches will pan out.

Italy vs New Zealand
Alfred Says: 2-0 to Italy
After a lacklustre performance against Paraguay in their opening match, Italy are likely to bounce back and go all out in their remaining matches if they want to qualify for the second round.

Brazil vs Ivory Coast
Alfred Says: 2-1 to Brazil
With Ivory Coast’s main hitman Didier Drogba back from injury, he’ll prove to be a threat to Brazil’s defence. However with Brazil’s free flowing beautiful football, they can play the ball through any defence in the world.

Italy vs New Zealand
Asyraf Says: 2-0 to Italy
The Italians will be determined not to follow the footsteps of fellow European powerhouses England and France, who are both without a win in two games and are at the brink of a premature elimination. Up against a resilient New Zealand team, they will need to convert their possession into goals. New Zealand, who are more than happy to be just to be at the World Cup, will most likely pack the midfield and defence to hinder the Italians’ attacking play. If last year’s 4-3 thriller between these two teams is anything to go by, fans will be in for a heck of a treat.

Brazil vs Ivory Coast
Asyraf Says: 2-1 to Brazil
Brazil will be looking to silence their critics with a convincing win against the Ivory Coast, after being heavily criticised for their poor outing against the North Koreans. However the Africans are no pushovers, and boast one of the strongest line-ups in the World Cup. While Brazil have a point to prove, the Ivory Coast need at least a point tonight to keep their World Cup dreams alive. They will be the hungrier of the two sides. However, I think Brazil will pull through with a victory tonight. I just can’t see the Ivory Coast defence stopping Brazil from playing their signature samba football.

Italy vs New Zealand
Ryson Says: 1-0 to Italy
They have a much more experienced side and will want to recover from their disappointing start to their campaign.

Brazil vs Ivory Coast
Ryson Says: 2-0 to Brazil
They will come back stronger after a shaky performance in their opening game against South Korea.

Italy vs New Zealand
Khairul Anwar Says: 1-0 to Italy
New Zealand will be very defensive and will soak until they catch Italy on the break. Therefore it could be an Italian dominance but a low scoreline. 1-0, perhaps?

Brazil vs Ivory Coast
Khairul Anwar Says: 2-0 to Brazil
Brazil will be looking to secure their qualification but Ivory Coast have always been the dark horse so an upset would not be impossible if Brazil are not cautious. Brazil to win 2-0 but it’ll be a well fought match though.

Italy vs New Zealand
Andrew Says: 0-0 Draw
The match will turn out to be a tired and drab affair. Italy, who lacked the cutting edge against Paraguay, will find it hard to break the New Zealand defence which is a decent backline despite their lack of big names,. I expect the All Whites to be a little cautious, trying to maintain possession and playing defense before pumping long balls upfield occasionally.

Brazil vs Ivory Coast
Andrew Says: 1-1 Draw
This will be an interesting match-up, with neither side looking to be particularly prolific in front of goal. Ivory Coast will welcome the return of talismanic striker Didier Drogba, while Dunga will be puzzling over how best to include the in-form Robinho in his line-up.

Italy vs New Zealand
Khairul Azmi Says: 2-0 to Italy
Italy will want to make up for their opening draw against Paraguay especially after their coach Marcello Lippi criticised his forwards.

Brazil vs Ivory Coast
Khairul Azmi Says: 2-1 to Brazil
The new workman-like Brazil should prove too much for Ivory Coast, especially with Didier Drogba not fully fit.

Italy vs New Zealand
Wen Bin Says: 1-1 Draw
Italy haven’t been playing well of late and with Buffon out injured today, they may struggle against a rejuvenated New Zealand who managed to earn a point against Slovakia. Italy may be the favourites for this match but watch out for New Zealand who may spring a surprise. Given the unpredictable nature of the World Cup, I wouldn’t rule out New Zealand from gaining anything from this match. The underdogs may just nick it.

Brazil vs Ivory Coast
Wen Bin Says: 3-1 to Brazil
Despite Brazil’s unexpected win of a small margin against North Korea, they still have too much in their tank against Ivory Coast who have so far failed to sparkle at the World Cup. Drogba is not fully fit yet and thus will not be at his best today when Ivory Coast needs him the most. With their lacklustre performance against Portugal, they may struggle to beat Brazil today. Brazil may lack flair in their play, but they make it up for it with grit and determination, something unusual for a side used to playing Samba football. Watch out for Robinho who may have a field day in front of goal today.

Italy vs New Zealand
Parvesh Says: 2-0 to Italy
The players that Italy have will prove too much for New Zealand to handle.

Brazil vs Ivory Coast
Parvesh Says: 1-0 to Brazil
Ivory Coast are good defensively and will keep Brazil at bay for most of the game.

Italy vs New Zealand
Zhi Hao Says: 1-0 to Italy
New Zealand being the underdogs will hold Italy at bay with their stubborn defence once again. Like what we’ve seen at this World Cup, the ‘weaker’ teams tends to obey a disciplined defensive formation to prevent themselves from conceding. Italy will go all out to get the crucial three points, but facing New Zealand’s defensive formation, they will only be be able to squeeze in one goal tonight.

Brazil vs Ivory Coast
Zhi Hao Says: 2-0 to Brazil
After drawing their first game, Ivory Coast will have to win tonight in order to have a better chance of qualifying. They will go for an attacking formation against Brazil and when they do so, their defence will open up for Brazil to penetrate. With Brazil’s current form, it wouldn’t be a problem to convert their chances into goals.

Brazil vs Ivory Coast
Dilip Says: 2-0 to Brazil
Though Brazil are one of the favourites to win the championship, they cannot let their guard down against Ivory Coast, whom I assume will play for a draw. Learning from the first match, I believe Brazil have worked on their creativity to score.

Brazil vs Ivory Coast
Alvan Says: 2-1 to Brazil
In their match against North Korea, the Brazilian defence was largely untested and the possible return of Didier Drogba for Ivory Coast in this fixture could pose some problems for Brazil. Ivory Coast will be looking to improve on their opening game performance against Portugal by attacking Brazil and this would favor the Brazilians who are dangerous on the counter-attack and are more than capable of breaching the Ivory Coast defence.

More News on Italy and New Zealand
Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon facing four months out
Previous Result in 2009: Italy 4-3 New Zealand

More News on Brazil and Ivory Coast
Ivory Coast striker Didier Drogba set to start
Gilberto Silva backs Kaka to shine

GROUP F	P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	PTS
PARAGUAY	3	1	2	0	3	1	+2	5
SLOVAKIA	3	1	1	1	4	5	-1	4
NEW ZEALAND	3	0	3	0	2	2	0	3
ITALY	3	0	2	1	4	5	-1	2

Group G	P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	PTS
BRAZIL	3	2	1	0	5	2	+3	7
PORTUGAL	3	1	2	0	7	0	+7	5
IVORY COAST	3	1	1	1	4	3	+1	4
NORTH KOREA	3	0	0	3	1	12	-11	0

For the World Cup fixtures list with Singapore broadcast timings as well as group tables and the list of CCs with free screenings, go to: http://redsports.sg/2010-world-cup-fixtures-groups/

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