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2014 World Cup Qualifiers – Some Things to keep an Eye on

With the qualifiers for the 2014 World Cup steaming ahead, the race for Rio is slowly but surely taking shape in regards to which teams are likely to make it. There are several factors to keep an eye on in the coming days/weeks though, especially for teams which are on the edge, still nurturing some hopes of qualification.

Northern Ireland are one of the teams which definitely warrant some attention, despite the fact that they haven’t exactly been close to qualifying to any major tournament since at least 1986. What they have done over the last few years though is to pose a hurdle for many of the better-rated teams in surprising and often downright shocking ways. Just to give you an idea about what sort of punch these guys pack on a good day: both Spain and England have been stunned at Windsor Park and Russia have acquired a bloody nose there too, courtesy of a 1-0 loss in Group F.

Portugal are up next and the Russians are certainly hoping Northern Ireland will be able to upset them too, especially since the Portuguese needed a last minute equalizer at home against Northern Ireland to prevent a major meltdown in the previous fixture.

Another unusual factor in the 2014 World Cup qualifiers is Iceland. Iceland – much like Northern Ireland – aren’t exactly known for making a lot of noise in various major tournaments world over. This time however, the tiny nation has a chance to finally pull off a big one, in Bern, playing group-leading Switzerland. Iceland has already racked up wins against Albania, Slovenia and Norway and their roster is rife with talented players so this may just turn out to be the big break for them indeed.

Another one to keep an eye on is the upcoming Croatia-Serbia confrontation, which carries a lot of animosity, not just on account of the historical differences between the two peoples, but also because of the bad blood between managers Igor Stimac and Sinisa Mihajlovic. While the Serbs are officially out of contention, they’re certain to try everything possible to throw a wrench into the Croatian qualifying efforts.
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