Up For The Cup: Australia 0.1 per cent chance of winning World Cup, Brazil ditches legends
UP FOR THE CUP: Australia has 0.1 per cent chance of winning the World Cup, while Brazil hopes to do so without a couple of football legends.
WITH the World Cup a little over a month away, we bring you all the latest news and gossip from Brazil and around the world in Up For The Cup.
AUSTRALIA TO WIN WORLD CUP? FAT CHANCE
Australian football fans are realists, so we know the Socceroos have next to no chance of winning the World Cup. But just in case you were wondering exactly how close to ‘no chance’ Australia has, the kind folk at Bloomberg have done the math and worked it out for you.
And the answer is 0.1 per cent.
Bloomberg came to this number by simulating each match over 100,000 times, allegedly eliminating ambiguity and providing the most accurate prediction possible.
The Socceroos shouldn’t be too disheartened though — they’re joined by Iran, Costa Rica, Cameroon and South Korea on the lowest rating, while Honduras (0.2 per cent), USA (0.5 per cent) and Ivory Coast (0.6 per cent) aren’t too far ahead.
But for those that want to know who’ll lift the World Cup trophy on July 13, here’s the answer (if you don’t want the whole tournament ruined for you, look away now) …
Brazil!
The host nation has a 22.1 per cent chance of taking out the title according to Bloomberg, with Germany a distant second on 12 per cent. The predictor also said Brazil will beat Spain 1-0 in the final.
So that settles that, then — I guess we don’t even need to play the games? Although, Bloomberg used the same formula to predict how this season’s English Premier League would play out, and they had Chelsea finishing on top, Manchester United third and Liverpool sixth, so ...
HEY BRAZIL, WE’LL TAKE YOUR LEFTOVERS
If Brazil fulfils Bloomberg’s prediction and wins the World Cup, they will have done so without the services of some of the best players in world football.
Coach Luis Felipe Scolari named his squad overnight, and while there was much fanfare over the inclusion of the likes of Neymar, the bigger story was who Big Phil didn’t name.
World Cup winners Ronaldinho and Kaka headlined a list that also included Robinho, Liverpool’s Lucas Leiva and Philippe Coutinho, and in-form Atletico Madrid pair Miranda and Felipe Luis.
Which got us thinking — how would a Brazil ‘A’ team fare at the World Cup? Over to you, Bloomberg.
WILL ROOS’ OPPONENT MAKE IT?
Everyone wants to see the best players at the World Cup, but in the case of Arturo Vidal, Ange Postecoglou won’t be complaining if the Chilean’s recovery from surgery takes a little longer than expected.
The Juventus midfielder — who is one of Chile’s most dangerous players — went under the knife on Wednesday to fix a knee problem.
While he should be fit in time for his country’s opening game of the Cup against the Socceroos on June 13, specialists say nothing is guaranteed.
“The (recovery) period is the most important question and the one that worries us the most,” Chile’s team doctor, Giovanni Carcuro, said on Tuesday night.
“Unfortunately, in these cases, it’s not something so definite.
“We can say that the player is by no means ruled out from the World Cup. But we don’t either have lots of time, and giant and super-relaxed deadlines. So it’s an intermediate time that the player needs for an important treatment, a recovery process so the player can recover as soon as possible and we can count on him.”
HODGSON TURNED DOWN TERRY
John Terry’s form for Chelsea has convinced many he should rescind his international retirement, but England manager Roy Hodgson — the only man who’s opinion counts — doesn’t seem to be a fan.
Terry and fellow Englishman, Gary Cahill, have performed superbly in the centre of the Blues’ watertight defence.
Greg Dyke — the English Football Association chairman — told Hodgson that if he wanted to pick Terry, then he would make it happen, but the coach wasn’t having a bar of it.
The 33-year-old called time on his Three Lions career during his hearing for racially vilifying Anton Ferdinand in 2012.
MESSI READY TO PROVE HE’S NO CUP FLOP
For such a world class player, Lionel Messi’s record in World Cups leaves a lot to be desired, but the Argentina captain is confident he can deliver on the planet’s biggest stage in Brazil.
In two competitions, the 26-year-old Barcelona superstar has managed just one goal, a figure he is determined to put right in 2014.
Asked whether he expects to play a different role under coach Alejandro Sabella this summer, he said: “Well, it is four years later. I am more confident, as you would expect, with more experience”.
“Having experienced two World Cups, now I am the captain of this national team. Even though I’ve said before that wearing the captain’s band doesn’t change how I interact with my teammates on the pitch or off it, wearing the band is something very special.
“But, oh well, we will try to give everything to achieve the objective that those of us from Argentina want.”
PARTY POOPERS URUGUAY
Argentina isn’t the only South American nation hoping to rain on Brazil’s parade, with many rating Uruguay’s hopes at the tournament.
Seleção legend Zico — who scored 48 goals in 71 appearances in internationals — says Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani’s side present a bigger danger than Messi’s Argentina.
“I would prefer to meet Argentina in the final. Not Uruguay,” he told FIFA.com.
“I think Uruguay could be the only team who could psychologically shake the Brazilian team.”
COLEEN’S BRAZIL ITINERARY
Coleen Rooney — wife of England striker, Wayne — hasn’t been deterred by Roy Hodgson’s WAG ban and has confirmed she’ll be making the trip to South America in June.
“I’m going to Brazil to support them — I’m really looking forward to it,” she told OK magazine.
“I feel so lucky because I’ve got a real balance between my work life and family time.”
England skipper Steven Gerrard has voiced his concerns over the distraction partners can bring with them, and Hodgson and his staff are hoping that’s not the case.
CONFIDENT CROATIA
Croatia are far from daunted at being drawn alongside Brazil in Group A if the latest advertisement from sponsor Ozujsko is anything to go by.
Lending weight to the argument beer commercials are always the best, Ozujsko’s offering — featuring star striker Mario Mandzukic — is backed by a dramatic score.
The ad claims that the travelling Croat players and fans may be far from home, but they’ll “kick harder” and “celebrate stronger” in Brazil.
Originally published as Up For The Cup: Australia 0.1 per cent chance of winning World Cup, Brazil ditches legends
‘Absolute catastrophe’: Socceroos rocked
The Socceroos have fallen apart in spectacular circumstances with their world cup qualification campaign on a knife’s edge.
Socceroos’ ‘catastrophic’ effort against China
Tony Popovic’s Socceroos have come in for some heavy criticism after a disappointing start to their World Cup qualifier against China.
What the road to 2026 looks like for Popovic’s Socceroos
With change afoot for the struggling Socceroos there is no time to waste on their mission to reach the 2026 World Cup. Find out what’s gone wrong and how they can still reach North America here.