Prediction: Slovakia vs Paraguay

June 19th 2010

After conceding the late goal to New Zealand that denied them the win in the first round, Slovakia simply have to win this game in order to remain in contention for the second place in the group. Paraguay, on the other hand, earned a valuable draw against Italy and the three points from this match would be enough for the place in the next round.

Slovakia needed a lot of time to break very organized New Zealand side, mainly because they were too cautious, whereas the goal they scored right after the break should have been ruled out for offside. Instead of killing the game off with another goal, the Slovaks allowed the All Whites to take control of the game, which eventually cost them the win. Being placed in a difficult group, that was a must-win game for them and now the players will be under big pressure as this is basically their last chance to make things right. Since this is the first big tournament for all the players, they are expected to have problems dealing with the pressure and I don’t think they can play much better than they did in their opening game. Miroslav Stoch has recovered from injury and he is expected in the starting line-up, with Erik Jendrisek dropping to the bench.

Not too many football fans had the opportunity to watch Paraguay before the warm-up games prior to the World Cup and they may have wondered just what the team were all about. The game against reigning champions showed that Paraguay are a very compact side, not afraid of anyone and at times, they managed to even outplay Italy.  La Albiroja played a very good game at the start, showing the players are fired up for the competition and I can only see them going from strength to strength in South Africa. The fact he hadn’t had a lot of famous players at his disposal didn’t stop Gerardo Martino from creating a very good team, tight at the back and very strong in the tackle, while at the same time, very dangerous up front. Apart from Jonathan Santana, all players are ready for this game and I expect la Albiroja to continue with impressive performances in South Africa.

Conclusion

Slovakia are not a very balanced team as they boast a couple of very young players and some of those well past their prime, while the big problem for boss Weiss is that just few of them are playing regularly for their respective clubs. Since this is their first major competition, they seem to have some kind of a stage fright, unlike Paraguay, who already look capable of matching the best sides in the world. Even though football predictions are not an exact science, it is expected that after outplaying the world champions, the South Americans should be able to the same against nothing but average Slovakia side.

Verdict: Away win Paraguay(2)

Best Odds: 11/10

Bookmaker: Victor Chandler