The Republic of Ireland will take on France in the World Cup play-offs which commence next weekend in what will be an intriguing clash between the shrewd Italian coach Giovanni Trapattoni and the much-maligned French national team coach Raymond Domenech.

Trapattoni’s record speaks for itself with successful spells almost everywhere he coached yet his most notable job prior to taking over Ireland ended in miserable failure with the Azzurri. Trapattoni was unconvincing and seemed stuck in the past using tactics which did not suit the abilities of the Italian players at his disposal. However, since taking over Ireland’s coaching duties, he was able to create a solid unit as evidenced by the undefeated run in the group stage not to mention conceding just eight goals in the 10 matches played. Trapattoni’s most notable results came against his home country with Ireland snatching a 1-1 draw in Italy and wasting two points at home after a late Alberto Gilardino equaliser gave the Azzurri a share of the spoils in a feisty 2-2 encounter. He will be counting on ‘keeper Shay Given to try and keep a clean sheet in the first match in Ireland before traveling to France for the return clash.

While the schedule does not serve the Irish well, the absence of the likes of Franck Ribery (pictured above), Samir Nasri and Patrick Vieira as well as David Trezeguet will work in Trapattoni’s favour. Both Ribery and Nasri are out due to injury (Arsenal’s Nasri just returned but is not fully fit) while Vieira has been overlooked due to his limited appearances for club Internazionale. As for Trezeguet, the Juventus striker does not seem likely to feature again for Les Bleus as long as the bizarre Domenech is in charge of the national team. It is quite unfortunate considering the striker’s scoring record with both France and Juventus. Despite criticism of his shortcomings outside the box, Trezeguet has often delivered for the French, most notably when he scored the famous winner against the Italians in the Euro 2000 Final. Domenech and Trezeguet rarely saw eye to eye and the striker’s penalty miss during the World Cup in Germany against none other than the Azzurri may have set Domenech in his stubborn ways to overlook the goal poacher.

It will be crucial for the Irish to keep a clean sheet in the first match and travel to France without having conceded any goals. With the likes of Thierry Henry, Karim Benzema and Nicolas Anelka spearheading the attack, France will most likely be able to find the net when it hosts the Irish in the return leg on November 18. France won the World Cup in 1998, followed that up with a dramatic overtime win in Euro 2000 before stuttering in World Cup 2002, and then finished Runners-up to Italy in the culminating match of Zinedine Zidane’s illustrious career. It was a controversial loss for the French as the legendary Zidane was sent-off to undermine his country’s chances of winning after he had lifted the nation on his shoulders to Berlin.

Will an Italian stand in France’s way once again as Trapattoni’s charges take on France? The difference this time is that missing on South Africa 2010 will bring to an end a successful chapter in the history of Les Bleus. It may bring back unfortunate memories of the failure witnessed by the talented 1990s team which did not make it to USA 1994. That squad inlcuded the likes of David Ginola, Eric Cantona and Jean-Pierre Papin among others. Ireland will rely heavily on Shay Given, an organised defense and a hustling midfield as well as the striking instincts of Robbie Keane while the French will try to compensate for the absentees with Henry and Anelka (or Benzema) likely leading the line. At this point it will be unrealistic to predict the outcome knowing that Ribery will be dearly missed by the French as he plays a significant role in the team’s buildup and attacks.

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With much of the qualification process almost complete and South Africa 2010 looming large, it would make sense to assess some of the world’s best custodians who will be present during the World Cup. Goalkeepers such as Petr Cech will be excluded from the discussion since their nation failed to qualify for next summer’s big event.

During World Cup 2006 in Germany, Italy’s Gianluigi Buffon was in outstanding form and played a significant role in the Azzurri’s triumph. The Juventus goalie performed a miracle save to keep out French star Zinedine Zidane’s header from securing in all likelihood France’s victory in 2006. Buffon was beaten only twice during the tournament, once courtesy of a freak own-goal by Cristian Zaccardo and the second time from the penalty spot through the legendary Zidane. The goalkeeper is closing in on Italy’s goalkeeping icon Dino Zoff’s 112 caps for la Nazionale. Buffon will once again be very critical for Italy’s chances in South Africa 2010 just as he was in Germany 2006 and his current form bodes well for Marcello Lippi’s side. He seems to have regained his outstanding form following a solid start to the season with Juventus and Italy.

Another name to keep in mind is that of Brazil’s number one Julio Cesar who like Buffon also features in the Italian league. The Brazilian goalkeeper has become an impenetrable wall during Internazionale’s domination on the domestic front and has received praise from both Brazil’s coach Dunga and his rival Buffon. Julio Cesar has often performed miraculous saves and has been a great contributor to the Brazilian cause with his country conceding a mere 11 goals in 18 appearances in the qualifying stage. His form will play a significant role in Brazil’s progress during next summer’s World Cup.

Both Buffon and Julio Cesar will face stiff competition from Spain’s Iker Casillas during South Africa 2010 in the quest to claim the title of the event’s best goalkeeper. The Real Madrid custodian was instrumental in his country’s triumph in Euro 2008 and has often performed admirably for Los Blancos. However, in recent times, his performances have been inconsistent as evident by his blunder against Milan in the Champions League which allowed Alexandre Pato to sneak in a goal for the Rossoneri. On most days, Casillas exudes confidence and puts in some impeccable displays though there is a slight downward trend in his current performances . The fact that Real Madrid’s defense has leaked goals the past two seasons does not do the Spaniard justice yet he also has been at fault on a number of occasions. It is true that even the best goalkeepers make the occasional mistake or commit a rare blunder but both Buffon and Cesare have proven to be more consistent in recent times.

Those three goalkeepers were actually named along with Petr Cech as part of the best five goalies by none other than fellow professional and custodian Sebastien Frey who represents Fiorentina in the Italian league. The Frenchman was not included because he is unlikely to be in South Africa 2010 even if the French national team makes it due to the fact that Raymond Domenech does not rate him highly. It is a shame because Frey can be quite outstanding when in form as witnessed in la Viola’s games during this season. Another noteworthy mention goes to the Republic of Ireland’s shot-stopper Shay Given who is a solid and consistent player but probably ranks a step below the likes of Buffon, Cesar and Casillas.

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David Beckham’s journey continues as recent confirmed reports in Italy suggest that he is on his way back to AC Milan for another loan deal. We have witnessed in the past big players moving from their clubs like Brazilian legend Ronaldo moved from Inter Milan to Real Madrid, Luis Figo from Barcelona to Read Madrid, Andriy Shevchenko from AC Milan to Chelsea, Thierry Henry from Arsenal to Barcelona, recently Kaka from AC Milan to Real Madrid and other big players had to move from one club to another at some stage of their careers. Those players had purpose for the transfers, few wanted to win more trophies, few wanted to face a new challenge, some of the players contract with their clubs expired, some had problem with the management or club fans.

David Beckham’s loan spells at AC Milan are quite different of what we have experienced in the past. David Beckham moved from Real Madrid in 2007 to LA Galaxy of what at that time many believed was not a right decision because Becks was supposed to be in a better shape to play at the highest level and in the Europe as well. David Beckham had a huge impact in United States as many people turn in numbers to watch his signing at the club, those who knew him were delighted and those who didn’t were keen to see the class of the EX-English captain. The ticket sales of Beckham’s shirts were on high, people around the world turn their sight on MLS to some extent, their stadium tickets sales increased dramatically and LA Galaxy experienced something that they didn’t before.

Beckham’s spell at LA Galaxy was a little mixed, he was central to the LA Galaxy plans, it was mix with injuries and poor form as well but what important is that he made a huge difference to the team in terms of its publicity and with their standard of play. Imagine a young player of the team training with becks must have learned a lot with his football skills and about the temperament to have in different situations of the game. LA Galaxy fans have a right to point finger at Beckham because he was unable to deliver what was expected or promised to the club and the league but we should also know clearly that what really was expected? & do players always deliver what is expected from them? If we take example of European player of the year Andriy Shevchenko’s big money arrival at Chelsea, did he deliver what was expected? Did galacticos deliver what was expected from them? And there are many more examples like this if we take a look around. So what I feel appropriate is that Beckham was able to deliver what was expected of him to some extent and it could have been even more if there was not a selection problem at England squad. We all are aware of Fabio Capello man management skills and about his discipline, his judgment of the players & who knows him better than Beckham having worked under him for about a year at Real Madrid when Spanish giants historically came back in the La Liga in the last season in Spain to actually win it.

Selection nightmares left Becks with no choice but to opt for a better club in terms of reputation, a club which will catch the eye of the England chief & there wasn’t any option available to Beckham but to move away from LA Galaxy in order to represent his nation for as long as possible. I think no will one can argue that a person should first of all think about his club than country, if Fulham playmaker Dempsey faces this situation he will certainly leave the club in order to make sure that he represents United States, his country first, and I hold that in highest regards. Beckham loan spell is different from other transfers that we have witnessed in the past because he don’t want to win trophies, he don’t want any new challenge, he don’t have any big issues with the management of the club at LA Galaxy all he wants is the position in the country and contribute in it, I believe that United Kingdom is very fortunate to be blessed with players like David Beckham as he has taken a lot of LA Galaxy fans and critics against him in order to represent his country but I also believe that majority of the LA Galaxy fans also understands and respects his decision so we should all be united to wish him a good spell at AC Milan and hope he can make it to the world cup finals in South Africa 2010.

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Portugal will most likely be missing Cristiano Ronaldo when it hosts Bosnia-Herzegovina on 11/14/09 as it looks to build some momentum prior to the return leg in Bosnia on the 18th of November. Unfortunately for the Portuguese the latest report claims Ronaldo will be out for about a month which means he will not feature in both matches for the national team.

It is hard to determine the extent of the damage that Portugal will suffer as a result of his absence yet his performances during the qualifiers have been mediocre at best by his standards. Regardless of previous displays, missing out on the current world player of the year is definitely not an encouraging sign, in particular when the opponent is a dangerous Bosnian side full of offensive menace. While Bosnia’s defense remains susceptible, which would have meant more chances for Ronaldo to shine, the country’s attack features some lethal forwards in the shape of Edin Dzeko (pictured above right), Vedad Ibisevic, and Zvjezdan Misimovic. The Bosnian national team registered 25 goals in the group stage, trailing only England, Spain and Germany in the goals scored by any national team in European qualifiers. It would be wrong to assume the Bosnian team is limited to a potent attack although the defense has leaked 13 goals during the campaign. The Bosnians also have the advantage of playing the return leg on home soil.

On the other hand and despite the likely absence of Ronaldo, Portugal will still have its plethora of stars with Chelsea’s Deco, Manchester United’s Nani and of course defenders Pepe (Real Madrid), Jose Bosingwa & Ricardo Carvalho (both Chelsea), Atletico de Madrid’s Simao Sabrosa. The Portuguese side might have sneaked into the play-offs after a stuttering start, yet the fixture list featured a single defeat and revealed a water-tight defense which conceded a mere give goals in a group which also included Denmark and Sweden. It will be an interesting tussle between Portugal’s stingy defense and Bosnia’s elusive attack force. Nevertheless, it would be wrong to underestimate the set of skills that defines Portugal’s creative players such as Deco. One factor that may serve in Bosnia’s favour is the experience of the shrewd coach Miroslav Blazevic who led Croatia to the semi-finals in France 1998 when the French eliminated the Croatians on route to the World Cup triumph.

With Ronaldo missing, it will be interesting to see how the rest of the Portuguese players react and whether they will work hard together in order to offset his absence. On the other side, a hungry opponent in the shape of the Bosnian players will try to feed off the frenzy that has been created by the advancement to this stage of the qualifiers. Let the fireworks begin in what should be a cracking game between two sides more than capable of scoring on their day.

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Of the European World Cup play-offs I would argue that the Republic of Ireland’s fixture against France is the pick of the ties.  The Irish have shown a great battling spirit in their qualification campaign so far, drawing twice with Italy and narrowly missing out on defeating the Italians particular highlights.  In contrast the French have floundered by their own standards and now face a play-off despite being in a group they were expected to easily emerge top of.  In the end Serbia won France’s qualification group, meaning the French must now get past the Irish to ensure their participation in South Africa next summer.

Ireland boss Giovanni Trapattoni is a wily old fellow.  He is one of the most highly-decorated coaches in the history of Italian football, though his time as coach of the Azzurri was less successful.  If he could take the Irish to the World Cup he would become a national hero, an adopted son of Ireland – but the 1998 World champions France stand in his way, with some considerable talent in their ranks to say the least.

‘Il Trap’ is certainly considered in higher regard in Ireland than counterpart Raymond Domenech is in France.  The French boss has come in for some serious criticism following a disappointing qualification campaign for Les Bleus and failure to reach the World Cup in 2010 will surely, almost certainly, cost him his job.  He may have the likes of Thierry Henry and Karim Benzema to help his cause but the French will be without star man Franck Ribery – who has been ruled out for some time with a serious knee injury.

Trapattoni has already named his 25-man squad to face the French.  There are some notable absentees such as Blackburn’s Steven Reid, Andy Reid of Sunderland, Portsmouth defender Steve Finnan and Coventry striker Clinton Morrison.  However, the Irish do have a couple of stars who can cause any team problems and in the likes of Celtic’s Aidan McGeady and Spurs striker Robbie Keane they have some extremely talented players.

Here is the Republic of Ireland squad in full: Given (Manchester City), Westwood (Coventry City), Murphy (Scunthorpe United), O’Shea (Manchester United), Dunne (Aston Villa), Kelly (Fulham), Kilbane (Hull City), Nolan (Preston North End), St Ledger (Middlesbrough), McShane (Hull City), O’Dea (Reading), McGeady (Celtic), Duff (Fulham), Gibson (Manchester United), Whelan (Stoke City), Andrews (Blackburn Rovers), Miller (Hibernian), Hunt (Hull City), Keogh (Wolves), Lawrence (Stoke City), Doyle (Wolves), Keane (Tottenham Hotspur), Long (Reading), Best (Coventry City), Stokes (Hibernian)

Granted, I doubt the French will be picking players from teams of the same stature as Scunthorpe, Coventry and Preston but take nothing away from these lads – they’re the players who have got Ireland this far and they have proven their worth at international level.  If you’re betting on Ireland’s World Cup play-off with France you’ll know the French are heavy betting favourites, but the Irish have a team capable of ending France’s campaign before they even reach South Africa.

Written by Gareth Freeman, a sports writer promoting Cheltenham 2010 betting news and advice for Betfair.

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Azzurri coach Marcello Lippi has come under heavy criticism in recent months despite Italy’s success in qualifying to the World Cup in South Africa. La Nazionale went through an alarming goal drought and was only able to overcome it after two unfortunate own goals from returning Georgia captain Kakha Kaladze.

The Italians were expected to qualify from their group with only the Republic of Ireland posing any genuine threat to Lippi’s squad in terms of automatic qualification to South Africa. While it is true the Italians did not suffer any defeat in the group stage, the attack has been showing ill signs and regularly stuttering until a rejuvenated Alberto Gilardino began firing goals for the Azzurri. The Fiorentina striker scored towards the ends against the Irish before completing a late hat-trick in a 3-2 come-from-behind win over Cyprus. The Italian national team has players capable of finding the net yet appears to be lacking when it comes to imaginative players who are capable of not just scoring but creating chances as well.

There have been calls around the peninsula for the recall of bad-boy Antonio Cassano who plays in Genoa for Sampdoria. Cassano has been impressive and has played a major role in the Blucerchiati’s third ranking in Serie A so far. He is also key to the resurgence of partner Giampaolo Pazzini who actually earned three caps for the Azzurri during 2009. Cassano might not be a regular goal scorer yet his assists are often the reason behind the goals scored by his teammates with Pazzini scoring seven times so far this season.

Another forward who has been considered as a possible choice for South Africa is Roma talisman Francesco Totti who has had a positive start to the season scoring six times in the league before missing out due to injury. The main points of concern with Totti are his frequent niggling injuries and the potential for displeasure amongst certain Azzurri players, in particular in attack, since the star player opted to quit international football following the triumph in Berlin in 2006 and has yet to feature for Italy since that glorious night. On the other hand, Cassano has pledged on more than one occasion his desire to play again for his country despite Lippi’s reluctance to pick him.

Finally, Italy has the option of calling upon Alessandro Del Piero, the Juventus legend and all-time leading Bianconeri scorer. Del Piero is perhaps the least likely to feature at this point due to injuries and the fact that Lippi has also ignored him during his second tenure with la Nazionale. However, the positive factors playing in favour of the Old Lady’s captain include the fact that he is likely to have fresh legs after missing all of Juve’s matches up to this point and his decent participation with the Azzurri during World Cup 2006 when he was used effectively as a substitute. Del Piero’s desire to play in South Africa and his willingness to start on the bench without causing any fuss will also help his cause. Lastly, Lippi is quite familiar with the forward having trained him both with Juventus and with the national team.

It is quite possible that Lippi will ignore all three players for various reasons- some too obvious such as in the case of Antonio Cassano. As fans, who would you like to see featuring for Italy during next summer’s World Cup: Cassano, Del Piero or Totti?

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Argentine ace and Barcelona star Lionel Messi has had quite a year.  After leading Barcelona to an unprecedented treble in the Champions League, La Liga and Copa del Ray he is now up for both the Ballon d’Or (European footballer of the year) and the equally prestigious FIFA World Player of the Year.

Last year Messi was beaten to both awards by Portuguese ace Cristiano Ronaldo, then at Manchester United.  Chosing between the two stars is an almost impossible task in all honesty but for me personally Messi just about edges it and he is the favourite for both awards this time round.  After playing a massive part in Barcelona’s success it would be scandalous if he didn’t win one of the awards, if not both.  Ronaldo may have made the mega-money move to Real Madrid and he too enjoyed a fantastic season, but perhaps not quite as fantastic as the campaign he enjoyed when he lifted both awards.

Anyway, here are the shortlists of nominations for both awards.

FIFA World Player of the Year (23 players):

Michael Ballack (Germany), Gianluigi Buffon (Italy), Iker Casillas (Spain), Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal), Diego (Brazil), Didier Drogba (Ivory Coast),

Michael Essien (Ghana), Samuel Eto’o (Cameroon), Steven Gerrard (England), Thierry Henry (France), Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Sweden), Andres Iniesta (Spain), Kaka (Brazil), Frank Lampard (England), Luis Fabiano (Brazil),

Lionel Messi (Argentina), Carles Puyol (Spain), Franck Ribery (France), Wayne Rooney (England), John Terry (England), Fernando Torres (Spain), David Villa (Spain), Xavi (Spain).

The Ballon d’Or (European footballer of the year – 30 players):

Fernando Torres (Liverpool), Diego Forlan (Atletico Madrid), Steven Gerrard (Liverpool), Ryan Giggs (Manchester United), Yoann Gourcuff (Bordeaux), Thierry Henry (Barcelona), Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Barcelona),

Andres Iniesta (Barcelona), Julio Cesar (Inter Milan), Kaka (Real Madrid), Frank Lampard (Chelsea), Maicon (Inter Milan), Lionel Messi (Barcelona), Luis Fabiano (Sevilla), Franck Ribery (Bayern Munich), Wayne Rooney (Manchester United), John Terry (Chelsea), Nemanja Vidic (Manchester United), David Villa (Valencia), Xavi (Barcelona),

Yaya Toure (Barcelona) Andrey Arshavin (Arsenal), Karim Benzema (Real Madrid), Iker Casillas (Real Madrid), Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid), Diego (Juventus), Didier Drogba (Chelsea), Edin Dzeko (Wolfsburg), Samuel Eto’o (Inter Milan), Cesc Fabregas (Arsenal).

The winner of the Ballon d’Or will be announced on December 1, while the winner of the FIFA World Player of the Year will be announced on December 21.

The majority of these players will be on display at next summer’s World Cup in South Africa.  The French contingent still have to get through a play-off with the Irish, which is by no means a done deal.  Portugal face the relatively unknown quantity of Bosnia-Herzegovina in their own play-off so Ronaldo may not make the tournament in South Africa if the Bosnians pull off an upset.  I wouldn’t dismiss Bosnia either in fairness, they have their own stars such as Edin Dzeko (a fellow Ballon d’Or nominee) amongst others and they will put up a decent fight.  Messi will certainly be at the tournament, and that can only be a good thing for the spectator.

Written by Gareth Freeman, a sports writer who provides World Cup 2010 betting news for Betfair.

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Now that Argentina has qualified to the World Cup ensuring the presence of star player Lionel Messi, barring any injury or outlandish suspension,  how does one evaluate the comments made by FIFA President Sepp Blatter? Prior to the decisive qualifiers which yielded  Argentina’s qualification to South Africa as well as Portugal’s opportunity to do so through a  two-legged playoff clash with Bosnia & Herzegovina, Blatter declared that the World Cup will not be affected if Messi or Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo were missing.

Obviously, some will attribute Blatter’s remarks as a way to minimise the adverse effects the World Cup tournament might have suffered had any star players missed on South Africa. On current form, Messi is probably one of the world’s best players if not the best and he is listed as a nominee for the title of world footballer of the year by French magazine France Football which hands out the Ballon d’Or. Also on that list is current holder Cristiano Ronaldo who joined Real Madrid for a record fee. With Messi’s presence in South Africa 2010 now guaranteed, will the tournament need Ronaldo to be a successful one in terms of TV viewership, sponsorship and overall appeal or will his potential absence be overcome by Argentine Messi’s qualification?

The World Cup is by far the most prominent football trophy and is considered the top attraction for fans worldwide so it would have been unlikely that Messi’s or Ronaldo’s absence could drastically affect the event. The very talented and much-maligned French team of 1994 missed on the World Cup and yet the tournament was not doomed. The World Cup itself serves as a stepping-stone and centre stage for emerging and unknown talents with the likes of Italy’s Salvatore ‘Toto’ Schillaci and Russia’s Oleg Salenko claiming the scoring crown  in 1990 and 1994 respectively yet failing to shine afterwards. Thus, the tournament is a distinct feature from club football and most of the club and international football matches which took place prior to the event are set aside and considered meaningless. It can be argued that missing Ronaldo and Messi would have been damaging, yet Blatter might have a point this time when he claims that the World Cup would not have been hindered by their absence.

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We got another edition of World Cup Buzz Top 5. This time we’re going to breakdown the 5 best national team coaches right now. These 5 men have led their charges to surprise heights in qualifying for the 2010 World Cup or in some cases right on the door step of reserving their place in South Africa. So let’s get down to the WCB Top 5.

5: REINALDO RUEDA – HONDURAS COACH

The native of Cali, Colombia is the leader of possibly Honduras’ golden age of international football. Los Catrachos qualified for their 1st World Cup since Spain 1982. Rueda has had great success with Colombia’s youth teams, leading Los Cafeteros to a 3rd place finish in the ‘03 FIFA World Youth Championship and 4th place in the ‘03 U-17 World Cup. Its time to give Rueda his due a skillful tactician and excellent personnel manager.

4: MARCELO BIELSA – CHILE COACH

The Argentine coach eats, breathes, and sleeps football. A quirky coach known to take his own pitch measurements before putting out his starting formation. He has turned Chile into the 2nd biggest surprise in South American qualifying and has Chile in South Africa 2010. Considering what has happened to Argentina since Bielsa left, his coaching acumen cannot be underestimated.

3: FABIO CAPELLO – ENGLAND COACH

Fabio Capello has won trophies at some of the biggest club teams in the world: Real Madrid, AC Milan, Juventus. His first foray as a national team coach has started off well. He hasn’t won any trophies with England but he’s turned England into a serious contender. Before his arrival, England was struggling, looked sloppy, and were in disarray. Capello has organized the team and brought confidence to The Three Lions while leading them to a place in South Africa with a near perfect qualifying record.

2: DUNGA – BRAZIL COACH

His birth name is Carlos Caetano Bledorn Verri but he’s better known as Dunga. The Brazil coach was much criticized early in his Seleção tenure for the team’s style of play but he’s turned that sentiment around with a Copa America & Confederations Cup trophy. He’s managed to check massive egos of star players for the cause of Brazil team glory and the result: Top spot in the toughest qualifying region in the world. Its one thing to have talent, its another to manage it and put it a position to win and Dunga has done that in arguably the most pressure packed national team job in the world.

1: GUUS HIDDINK – RUSSIA COACH

The Dutchman’s accomplishments are impressive at the club level but his magic as a national team coach is irresistible. The last 3 World Cups he’s taken his team into at least the 2nd round with 4th place finishes twice with Netherlands in 1998 and South Korea in 2002. Russia will qualify for 2010 and Hiddink has them looking primed for a deep run in South Africa. If a nation needs a man to lead the national team to the World Cup and make a deep & historic run than Guus Hiddink is that man.

There you have it, the best national team managers/coaches in the world. What do you think, did we leave anyone off? These men will be front & center in less than a year when The Great Tournament will capture the world’s attention. One of these men could be national heroes if their sides lift The World Cup.

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The European World Cup play-offs were drawn today (October 19) and the Republic of Ireland have drawn 1998 winners France.  The Irish will have to beat the French if they are to make it to South Africa and the game should be a cracking occassion.

Of course the French are the favourites with the World Cup 2010 betting odds.  They have a wealth of talent including Barcelona ace Thierry Henry, Chelsea striker Nicolas Anelka and Bayern Muncih’s highly coveted midfield star Franck Ribery.  However, the Irish should not be dismissed as an easy draw for the French and I imagine Les Bleus boss Raymond Domenech would have preffered one of the other lower ranked teams they could have drawn.  With the Irish racing into this fixture unbeaten in qualifying, including two draws against current world champions Italy, they are no pushovers and will be determined to spoil the French party.

It was a controversial decision by Fifa to seed the teams who made the play-offs in Europe.  I’m sure everyone is well aware of why they did this, the governing body didn’t want the likes of France and Portugal to meet in qualifying which would have meant players such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Thierry Henry would miss out next summer.  They’ve given the ‘bigger’ nations every chance to make it to South Africa with this seeding system but I’m confident that under Giovanni Trapattoni the Irish can upset the French – but it will be a massive effort.

Ireland’s stars such as keeper Shay Given, defenders Richard Dunne and John O’Shea, midfielders Stephen Hunt and Kevin Kilbane and strikers Robbie Keane and Kevin Doyle will have to be on the top of their game if they are to beat the French.  They also face the task of the second leg in France, which doesn’t make matters any easier, but in ‘Il Trap’ they have a master tactician in charge who has the ability to oversee an upset.

Obviously the French are the favourites and will probably emerge from the two-legged tie victorious but let us not dismiss the Irish threat.  Of all the play-offs this is the pick of the ties and a game I will be keeping a very close eye on when it comes around in November.

The four two-legged ties to be played on November 14 and 18 are:

Republic of Ireland v France

Portugal v Bosnia-Herzegovina

Greece v Ukraine

Russia v Slovenia

Ireland, Portugal, Greece and Russia will all play at home first, the winner of each tie will qualify for the World Cup.

The European nations who have already qualified are:

Denmark, Switzerland, Slovakia, Germany, Spain, England, Serbia, Italy and the Netherlands.

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