[Sport] Other great teams facing the threat of the play-off

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Croatia, Portugal and Italy are still looking to secure their direct ticket and avoid two one-game ties

The European classification for the next World Cup reaches its last two days with only Germany and Denmark classified and some great teams in trouble, not only Spain. Next Tuesday there will be eight more qualified and the 12 teams that will play the play-off, 10 group runners-up and two teams from the Nations League will be known. Those dozen teams will be divided into six semi-finals and then three finals, always a single match, from which the last trio of European qualifiers will come out.

The troubles go by neighborhoods. The runner-up in the world, Croatia, may fall to the playoffs. The direct ticket against Russia will be played next Sunday in Split. Before both squads must solve the procedures of this Wednesday against Cyprus and Malta. If there are no surprises, in Croatian territory the team led by Valery Karpin is worth a draw to achieve the direct pass.

 

European champion Italy is now reliving her nightmare of four years ago when they fell to Sweden to miss their first World Cup in 60 years. On Thursday they play a final against Switzerland (tied at 14 points) in Rome, just where they thrashed the Helvetians in the last European Championship. It will be an appointment marked by absences. Immobile, Chiellini, Zaniolo and Pellegrini cannot be on Mancini's list. Barella is doubt. But the Swiss will not be able to have Embolo, Elvedi, Zuber, Xhaka and Seferovic. Whoever wins will be virtually in the World Cup, but a draw could be off until Monday and a look at the golaverage, in which Italy is currently leading by two goals.

 

Portugal is also in danger, but has the pass in his hand. If they score in their departure to Dublin against an already eliminated Ireland, Cristiano Ronaldo's group would be worth a second equal in the decisive duel against Serbia in Lisbon. Bernardo Silva will not be in the first game and is doubtful for the final against the Balkans due to muscular problems.

Simpler are the accounts for France. If they beat Kazakhstan in Saint-Denis they will be in the 2022 World Cup. They will have to do it without Pogba, injured. In the wake of the Gauls, Ukraine, Finland and Bosnia, who meet on Friday in a defining duel in Zenica, they will play a place in the repechage. Ukrainians are the only ones who are not dependent on themselves.

 

Belgium is in a position similar to that of the Gauls: if this Saturday they beat Estonia in Brussels they will have secured the pass in a group in which Wales can benefit from that result to overcome Belarus and need just one point against the team they are preparing Roberto Martínez to ensure his presence in the play-off. It would fall behind the Czech Republic.

In his group, England is also about to finish the job. To unseat it, Poland has to win its two games (visit Andorra and host Hungary), but hope that England will fall at Wembley against Albania and not score a win on the final matchday against San Marino. The Albanians have difficult options to enter the playoffs.

The situation in the Netherlands has also been clarified, which faces a final double duel with an initial visit to Montenegro and then receives Norway, which cannot dispose of the injured Haaland. If the team led by Van Gaal has four points, it will be group champion. Norway can achieve everything or be left with nothing, because Turkey is on the prowl, just two points away and with accessible duels against Gibraltar and Montenegro to sneak at least into the play-off, an instance in which Scotland is awaited, second in the group that already Denmark has solved. The ground Scots come second with a win in Moldova this Friday.

 

In the group that has already liquidated Germany, the play-off is in the hands of Romania, which needs two victories against the eliminated Iceland and Liechtenstein to leave North Macedonia and Armenia behind, which with Joaquín Caparrós at the helm needs a Romanian stumble and win over Germany in Yerevan.

 

Without hurries for the undefeated Brazil and for Argentina
Banknotes from the American continent do not endanger the two big ones. Brazil leads with 10 wins and a draw in 11 rounds and hopes to close the pass in this window, after which there will be four rounds left to play. Argentina also has a comfortable mattress, although it faces two demanding tests, against Uruguay and Brazil. The first four qualify directly and the fifth plays a play-off.

Further north, the irruption of Canada has altered the ecosystem in Concacaf, which distributes three direct tickets and a play-offs in the new octagonal end. Mexico and the United States lead and Canada can be confirmed as third if it surpasses Costa Rica.

In the rest of the zones, the very demanding African classification will leave the Ivory Coast or Cameroon in the ditch right now, who cross each other before the final qualifiers, which one of them will not reach. And in Asia Japan is in trouble.

 

Link: https://elpais.com/deportes/2021-11-10/otras-grandes-selecciones-ante-la-amenaza-de-la-repesca.html