EPL Matchday 6 Predictions

What a slate of games the Premier League has for us this weekend.  Tomorrow should be an exciting day of football.  So without further ado, here's how I see this weekend's slate of games going down.

Saturday

Arsenal v. Chelsea, 7:45 AM

A London derby clash with title implications at the Emirates tomorrow morning.  Chelsea sits at the top of the table but haven't had the toughest schedule to date.  Meanwhile, Arsenal is rolling along after snatching a late draw at the Etihad to stay unbeaten on the season.  There will be plenty of storylines going on in this match with none bigger than John Terry.  The centre back was suspended four games by the FA for racial abuse but due to the appeal process, will most likely feature in Chelsea's starting XI.  The Gunners have already dealt with tough tests winning at Liverpool and drawing at Manchester City and their defense has been fantastic.  Couple that with the John Terry rain cloud hanging over the Blues and it will equal an Arsenal victory.  Prediction: Arsenal 2-1

Everton v. Southampton, 10:00 AM

There will be some goals scored in this match.  So far this season, Southampton has been involved in 3-2, 3-2, 6-1, and 4-1 scores already and tomorrow might not be any different.  Everton sit third in the table and have a favorable schedule ahead to continue their strong start.  Southampton haven't shown the ability to stop opponents from scoring and even if they put a couple past Tim Howard, it still won't be enough.  Prediction: Everton 3-1

Fulham v. Manchester City, 10:00 AM

Manchester City needs something positive.  There's no getting around it.  Within the last two weeks they've suffered a heartbreaking Champions League loss to Real Madrid and lost a late lead to Arsenal.  Pressure is starting to build on Bobby Manc and he put more on himself after declaring that City will win the league.  Fulham caught a bad break today with the news that striker Dimitar Berbatov will miss two weeks leaving Martin Jol lacking a bit up front.  What the Cottagers do have is a defense and with City struggling to find a set XI and David Silva still in a funk, look for Fulham to earn a point.  Prediction: Draw 1-1

Norwich City v. Liverpool, 10:00 AM

Boy you thought City needed something positive.  Brendan Rodgers and Liverpool need a win.  Norwich has been poor but they are a different team at Carrow Road.  Look for this game to be tight midway through the second half.  Then Liverpool will find a late hero to net them a winner.  My money is on Joe Allen.  The Reds notch Rodgers' first win in the Premier League.  Prediction: Liverpool 2-1

Reading v. Newcastle United, 10:00 AM

Reading has nowhere to go but up!  They sit last in the table but have played better than their record would suggest.  Newcastle are plugging along sitting tenth in the table and just handed manager Alan Pardew an eight year extension. Yes, an EIGHT year extension.  Toon is the better side, but Reading will use their home crowd to spark the upset.  Prediction: Reading 1-0

Stoke City v. Swansea City, 10:00 AM

Like every match involving Stoke, whichever team can influence their style of play is more likely to emerge victorious.  Swansea is in a tailspin after such a strong start and the loss of Neil Taylor has left a gaping hole in their defense.  Stoke is playing at the Britannia and will inflict their physical style en route to an ugly victory...the only way Stoke knows how to win.  Prediction: Stoke 1-0

Sunderland v. Wigan Athletic, 10:00 AM

Sunderland have drawn their first four matches and have a good chance to get their first win tomorrow.  Wigan have taken just one of a possible nine points in their last three matches and Roberto Martinez showed some emotion after a loss to Manchester United and was charged by the FA.  Steven Fletcher has been on fire since joining Sunderland with four goals and he'll net another in a convincing Black Cat victory.  Prediction: Sunderland 3-1

Manchester United v. Tottenham, 12:30 PM

It's been 23 years since Tottenham has won at Old Trafford.  I'll give you a minute to let that sink in.  To put that in perspective, Blackburn and Wigan BOTH won at Old Trafford last season.  Spurs have won two matches in a row and may have figured it out under AVB.  Manchester United welcome back Wayne Rooney to the lineup which leaves Sir Alex Ferguson some interesting decisions about who to play.  Does he play Rooney with the white hot Robin van Persie?  If so, is it Kagawa who starts in attacking mid? Cleverley?  With all these options, Ferguson needs to find a lineup that works and develop chemistry.  That can take time.  United have been flirting with fire on many occasions this season and their defense has taken a hit with Nemanja Vidic out for two months.  Spurs won't snap the 23 year drought, but they will leave Manchester with a point.  Prediction: Draw 1-1

Sunday

Aston Villa v. West Bromwich Albion, 11:00 AM

Another chance for West Brom to gather three points and continue their strong start in the Premiership.  On paper at least.  Villa is riding the momentum from a Capital One Cup win over Manchester City during midweek and will look to ride that wave at home this weekend.  I believe they will behind Gabby Agbonlahor.  Prediction: Aston Villa 2-0

Monday

Queens Park Rangers v. West Ham United, 3:00 PM

Not quite sure what the schedule makers were thinking playing this match on Monday.  But I digress.  West Ham have been poor away from home while QPR have been just as poor at home.  Something's gotta give here.  I'll go with QPR because they need the win more sitting 19th in the table.  Prediction: Queens Park Rangers 2-1

EPL Power Rankings: 9/27

Before we delve into ranking the team's of the EPL, I must remind everyone the last sentence that describes this blog. Two words. Quite simple. "Divers beware". We had our first major offender since the blog's inception over this past weekend and he needs to be rated on the dreaded Sergio Busquets Scale.

Name: Antonio Valencia
Club: Manchester United
Game: 9/23 @ Liverpool
Offense: Diving in the box and winning a penalty in the 80th minute that resulted in the game-winning goal.

Sergio Busquets Scale: ★★★

Okay back to the business at hand.  We're five weeks into the Premier League campaign and there are some familiar and not-so-familiar clubs at the top of the table.  It's too early for some teams to panic, but that won't stop some fanbases from doing so.   It's time to rank the team's from top to bottom.  So here we go.  The teams' place in the table will be in parentheses.

1. Chelsea (1): They haven't played the toughest schedule so far, but Chelsea has only dropped two points on the season.  Eden Hazard looks sublime on the right wing and Fernando Torres has shown glimpses of coming back to his old form.  The Blues face their toughest test of the season Saturday when they head to the Emirates for a Saturday Lunch Time bout with the Gunners.

2. Everton (3): The Toffees get the nod above Manchester United due to their head-to-head victory.  David Moyes' club had a hiccup midweek in the Capital One Cup but their play in the EPL has been very consistent.  The attacking threat of Jelavic, Mirallas, and Fellaini could trigger a Champions League run.

3. Manchester United (2): United haven't played their best football by a longshot yet they still sit in second place.  You take Robin van Persie off the club and they could be in the middle of the table.  Rooney is back and SAF will have to decide what lineup works best up front.

4. Arsenal (5): Steve Bould has done wonders to turn the Gunners backline into the most formidable in the league this season.  Arsene Wenger has a nice problem to deal with deciding what pairing to start in center defense. Offensively, Lukas Podolski is making Arsenal fans slowly forget RvP and Santi Cazorla has been the best player in the league so far.

5. Manchester City (7): Similar to United, the Sky Blues are surviving on sheer talent despite not playing excellent football. David Silva does not look like the player he was last year and the defense has been very shaky.  Joe Hart doesn't have a cleansheet so far this season.

6. West Bromwich Albion (4): Romelu Lukaku may turn out to be one of the signings of the season.  He already has netted two goals as West Brom has thrashed Liverpool and drew Tottenham at White Hart Lane.  Their impressive start could continue with Aston Villa and QPR next on the schedule.

7. Newcastle (10): They haven't wowed anyone with their play but they haven't disappointed either.  An opening day win over Tottenham was nice but a puzzling draw at home to Villa derailed them a bit.  Demba Ba already has four goals in the campaign and Hatem Ben Arfa appears to be in good health.  Two good things for Toon.

8. Tottenham (8): Has AVB finally figured it out? Spurs have won two straight matches and are on a high note heading into their showdown with Manchester United this weekend.  Jermaine Defoe has been fantastic this season filling in for Emmanuel Adebayor and Clint Dempsey looks to be slowly settling in.

9. Fulham (6): Fulham have had a lot of ups and downs in just five matches.  They blew out Norwich and West Brom but were hammered (no pun intended) by West Ham.  Even after selling Moussa Dembele and Clint Dempsey, they've shown they can still be a team in the top half of the Premier League.

10. West Ham (9): Welcome back to the Premier League West Ham.  The Hammers have played very well at Upton Park but have only taken one of a possible six points on the road.  Sam Allardyce did well at the transfer window bringing in Matthew Jarvis along with Andy Carroll and Yossi Benayoun on loan.

11. Sunderland (12): Well you can't say Sunderland haven't been consistent.  Four draws in four matches and two of them coming against Arsenal and Liverpool.  Most people laughed at the Black Cats when they dished out 14 million pounds to sign Steven Fletcher from Wolves.  He's the one laughing so far with four goals.

12. Southampton (16): Yes, yes I know they only have three points.  But Southampton has faced a daunting early schedule and came close to beating both Manchester City and Manchester United.  Nigel Adkins' bunch play an attractive style of football and should be able to take some points from their upcoming matches.  At the end of the day, Southampton will be the promoted side with the most points this season.

13. Stoke (13): Stoke has actually played a bit of football this season.  Not much, but some.  Chelsea broke their streak of four straight draws this past weekend.  Now Stoke needs to figure out how to win a match.  Not the easiest thing for them.

14. Swansea City (11): Michael Laudrup's club has hit their first speed bump.  The loss of right back Neil Taylor to a broken ankle has been catastrophic so far for Swansea.  The offense has weapons with Michu, Dyer, and Graham, but Michel Vorm is going to be hung out to dry if the defense doesn't improve.

15. Liverpool (18): I'm going to take a positive spin on "Lolverpool".  To their defense, their schedule has been brutal to start the season losing to United, Arsenal, and drawing City.  But the Reds simply must be better at home though going forward.  Liverpool has as many wins at Anfield in 2012 as Arsenal (two).

16. Wigan (15): It's the start of the campaign. Everyone knows Wigan only starts playing well once the second half starts.  Roberto Martinez would like to like to play better now though he doesn't need his club to go on a tear down the stretch to avoid relegation.

17. Reading (20): Last place doesn't tell the whole story.  Reading were cheated from points at Stamford Bridge and played well for 45 minutes against Tottenham.  Pavel Progrebnyak is a player who can carry the line up top and keep Reading near the midtable.

18. Aston Villa (14): They take out Swansea at home only to get thrashed at Southampton the following week.  Villa picked up a big win in the Capital One Cup this week over City and for their sake, hopefully that play carries over into the EPL.  A player of Gabby Agbonlahor's quality doesn't deserve to be relegated.

19. Queens Park Rangers (19): More new signings, same old QPR.  With the talent on this roster, there is no way that QPR should be this low in the standings.  The excuse that they need time to gel will run out soon and results will be needed in a hurry.

20. Norwich City (17): Based on what they've shown this season, it could be one-and-done for Norwich in the top flight.  Most of the defensive quality they had last season was there on loan and has since left Carrow Road.  Last year's talisman Grant Holt has been poor so far in the campaign and needs to regain last year's form for Norwich to avoid the bottom three.

UEFA Champions League Group Stages

It's time once again for the best of the best in club football.  The UEFA Champions League.  Even if you are as horrified as I am that Chelsea raised the trophy last season, you should still get excited from watching the video above.  Matchday 1 for the group stages begin this upcoming Tuesday/Wednesday and it's time for some predictions for who will make it to the knockout stages.  It should be another wonderful season of Champions League football.

Group A: FC Porto, Dynamo Kiev, Paris Saint-Germain, Dinamo Zagreb

Often regarded as the weakest Pot 1 team, FC Porto looks to shake up the disappointment of a group stage exit from last year's Champions League.  Won't be easy after selling Hulk and being paired with an underrated Dynamo Kiev club and the team that can buy the world in PSG.  Dynamo Kiev outlasted Borussia Monchengladbach to qualify for the Champions League and has plenty of recognizable names including former Spur Niko Kranjcar, and Ukrainian Andriy Yarmolenko.  PSG boasts plenty of recognizable names after their summer spending spree with Zlatan Ibrahimovic leading the front line and Thiago Silva patrolling the back line.  Talent wise, the Parisians are the team to beat but their lack of UCL experience could make them vulnerable.  In the end, their talent will win over and PSG tops the group.  Porto takes another step in the wrong direction as Dynamo Kiev claims second.

1. Paris Saint-Germain
2. Dynamo Kiev
3. FC Porto
4. Dinamo Zagreb

Group B: Arsenal, Schalke 04, Olympiakos, Montpellier

The Gunners were given a much easier group than last campaign including Olympiakos for what seems to be the sixth straight year (only three of the last four).  Montpellier won Ligue 1 last season but their leading goal scorer, Olivier Giroud, now calls North London home.  Schalke 04 reached the semifinals two seasons ago and have some offensive talent with Klaas-Jan Huntelaar and budding young midfielder Julian Draxler.  They should cause the most problems for Arsenal but the Gunners depth in the midfield and impressive back line will be the reason they win this group even if they are struggling to score.

1. Arsenal
2. Schalke 04
3. Olympiakos
4. Montpellier

Group C: AC Milan, Zenit St. Petersburg, Anderlecht, Malaga

Yikes.  This group is pretty weak.  AC Milan are not the same team that made the quarterfinals last season after selling Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Thiago Silva to PSG.  They still have the talent to qualify for the knockout stages, but first place should not be assumed.  Zenit St. Petersburg showed they are a team to be taken seriously after scooping up Hulk and Axel Witsel at the deadline of the transfer window.  The Russian club is a team on the rise and already has success of getting to the knockout stages.  Malaga could have been a threat in this group if they had kept Santi Cazorla and Salomon Rondon but they should be on the outside looking in with Anderlecht.

1. Zenit St. Petersburg
2. AC Milan
3. Malaga
4. Anderlecht

Group D: Real Madrid, Manchester City, Ajax, Borussia Dortmund

If Manchester City thought they had it rough last season, what do they think of this group?  Sheesh.  Without a doubt Group D is the group of death.  All four of these teams are of knockout stage qualify but only two will move on.  Real Madrid are class of the group and despite its challengers, Mourinho's bunch should finish first even if Cristiano Ronaldo is "sad".  With all due respect to Ajax, that leaves Manchester City and Borussia Dortmund to fight for second position.  Manchester City has the more dynamic offensive attack but Dortmund's back line is superior with Mats Hummels and Neven Subotic.  A huge factor for who finishes in second place could be the schedule.  The Sky Blues start at Real Madrid and end at Dortmund.  Advantage: Borussia Dortmund.

1. Real Madrid
2. Borussia Dortmund
3. Manchester City
4. Ajax

Group E: Chelsea, Shakhtar Donetsk, Juventus, FC Nordsjælland

Chelsea won the Champions League last season.  Man, it even hurt to type that.  Roman Abramovich "found his holy grail" (credit Martin Tyler) last May and spent money this offseason to revamp the Chelsea attack so they won't have to park the bus to win against big clubs anymore.  Good thing he did because the Blues were paired with two big clubs in Serie A champions Juventus and Ukrainian champ Shakhtar Donetsk.  I know he's looked strong so far in the EPL, but Fernando Torres still needs to prove he can do it on a major club stage for Chelsea for me to fully believe he's back to his best form.  Juventus is back as a European power and have the stage to prove it against Chelsea.   They have a deep squad and if their strikers perform to their ability, I like them to pull a minor shocker and top the group over Chelsea.  Over/under -16 GD for FC Nordsjælland?

1. Juventus
2. Chelsea
3. Shakhtar Donetsk
4. FC Nordsjælland

Group F: Bayern Munich, Valencia, Lille, BATE Borisov

The goat in last season's Champions League final, Bayern Munich looks to take it one step further in this campaign.  The Bavarians received a much easier group this season and shouldn't face any problems until the knockout stages come calling.  Valencia and Lille will be the two clubs battling for second.  Los Che have a very good back four even after selling Jordi Alba to Barcelona and an excellent finisher in Roberto Soldado. Lille did as best they could to replace Eden Hazard, but that's easier said than done.  Bayern takes the group easily and Valencia nips Lille for second.

1. Bayern Munich
2. Valencia
3. Lille
4. BATE Borisov

Group G: Barcelona, Benfica, Spartak Moscow, Celtic

The group stages.  Also known as the tune-up stage for FC Barcelona.  Barca won't face too much competition in Group G and are close to a lock to take the maximum points.  Benfica was a bit of a surprise last season winning a group that contained Manchester United and making it all the way to the quarterfinals.  Unfortunately for them, they aren't the same team after selling Axel Witsel to Zenit and Javi Garcia to Manchester City.  Those losses can't be overlooked.  Spartak Moscow qualified for Champions League football after outlasting Fenerbahce in the qualifying round.  It's never easy to play a team in Russia due to the lengthy travels.  With Benfica a bit down in this campaign, Spartak finishes a distant second to Barca.

1. Barcelona
2. Spartak Moscow
3. Benfica
4. Celtic

Group H: Manchester United, Braga, Galatasaray, CFR Cluj-Napoca

This time last year, everyone was looking at Manchester United's group of Benfica, FC Basel, and Otelul Galati and saying they had the easiest group.  Well, United didn't show up and finished an embarrassing third place in the group and failed to make the knockout stages.  You can bet Sir Alex Fergurson won't take this group lightly.  The Red Devils and their embarrassment of riches up front will run away with Group H leaving Braga and Galatasaray to fight for second.  The Turkish side are the stronger squad with Uruguayan keeper Fernando Muslera and the striker tandem of Johan Elmander and Burak Yilmaz.  Galatasaray will join United in the knockout round.

1. Manchester United
2. Galatasaray
3. Braga
4. CFR Cluj-Napoca

For everyone who made it this far reading, enjoy the best club competition in the world and the beautiful theme song that comes with it.  Tony Britten for the win.

World Cup '14 Qualifying: UEFA Predictions

So were a few days late on this one as qualification began on Friday, but the predictions still hold the same merit (I hope?).  Nine groups make up the field for UEFA qualification and thirteen teams will qualify for the World Cup in Brazil in 2014.  With the second slate of matches scheduled for tomorrow, let's make some predictions for who will be playing in South America two summers from now.

Group A: Croatia, Serbia, Belgium, Scotland, Macedonia, Wales

Some may look at this group and view it as inferior because it lacks a recognizable European power.  Big mistake.  Group A possesses depth from top to bottom and wins away from home may be hard to come by.   Serbia is the lone team from the group to qualify for the last World Cup, but the retirement of Nemanja Vidic and Dejan Stankovic will test the depth of a squad filled with question marks.  Croatia was unlucky not to advance from the group stages in Euro 2012 and have a new manager at the helm after Slaven Bilić decided to move on to club football.  Bilić was viewed by many as spark for a Croatia squad that can lack a cutting edge when playing weaker opponents so it will be interesting how they play under new manager Igor Štimac.  The wild card of this group is Belgium.  The Belgians have a plethora of talent littered all over the Premier League including Eden Hazard, Thomas Vermaelen and Vincent Kompany to name a few.  Belgium has the most talented squad in the group but their youth and inexperience could prove to be a hindrance.  With question marks throughout this group, look for experience to prevail at the top.  Oh and don't be surprised if a Wales team led by Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey scalped a team or two at home.

1. Croatia
2. Belgium
3. Serbia
4. Wales
5. Scotland
6. Macedonia

Group B: Italy, Denmark, Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Armenia, Malta

Fresh off finishing runner-up in the European Championships this summer, Italy looks to continue their momentum in World Cup qualifying.  Easier said than done in a group that contains three teams from the Euro '12 field.  Denmark has bested Portugal in qualifying for the last two major tournaments so Italy better beware of the quality the Danes bring to the table.  A Petr Čech led Czech Republic team is on the rise as well and could easily spoil the party for Italy or Denmark.  The Azzurri seem to find a way to navigate to the top of every qualifying group.  They'll do so again but it won't be easy.

1. Italy
2. Denmark
3. Czech Republic
4. Bulgaria
5. Armenia
6. Malta

Group C: Germany, Sweden, Republic of Ireland, Austria, Kazakhstan, Faroe Islands

Before the summer, I would have told you that this was the toughest group for qualifying.  Not the case anymore.  Sweden and Ireland disappointed on the international stage in Euro '12 and took away a lot of the shine in Group C.  The Germans are far and away the class of the group and should win it with ease.  Whether they qualify without dropping a point like they did for Euro should not be as much of an issue to manager Joachim Low as finding a starting XI that works and sticking with it.  Despite their disappointment in Polkraine, Sweden still has a strong squad and arguably the best striker in the world in Zlatan Ibrahimović.  It's never easy to play a team in Scandinavia and Sweden will use that to their advantage to nab the second spot in the group.

1. Germany
2. Sweden
3. Ireland
4. Austria
5. Kazakhstan
6. Faroe Islands

Group D: Netherlands, Turkey, Hungary, Romania, Estonia, Andorra

It's back to the drawing board for the Oranje after a humiliating Euro '12 campaign.  Out is Bert Van Marwijk and in is Louis Van Gaal back in charge looking to change the ways of a talented but dramatic Dutch squad.  For a team with a back four that breaks easier than wet toilet paper and chemistry problems in the midfield, Van Gaal and Co. should be happy they've been gifted a group that shouldn't cause them too many problems.  Turkey best days are a thing of the past with their most talented players in Nuri Şahin and Hamit Altintop either playing not enough or out of position.  Holland should cruise through Group D and may do so without dropping a point.  The more interesting battle will be the one for second place.  Hungary is a team that has crept into the top 40 of the FIFA World Rankings and could be poised to upstage Turkey and make the playoff round.  Budapest pride for a minor shocker in Group D.

1. Netherlands
2. Hungary
3. Turkey
4. Estonia
5. Romania
6. Andorra

Group E: Norway, Slovenia, Switzerland, Albania, Cyprus, Iceland

No really I'm serious.  This is the group.  Norway got some wins at the right time and earned themselves a spot in Pot 1 for qualifying.  Maybe more surprising than Norway making it into Pot 1 was the fact that Switzerland fell so far in the rankings that they ended up in Pot 3.  Despite that tumble, the Swiss are without a doubt the class of this group and one of the most exciting teams in Europe.  With young stars like Xherdan Shaqiri and Granit Xhaka, Switzerland will return to their regular European success and will be a team to look out for in Brazil.  Slovenia is the second best team in this group by default and SHOULD finish second. If not, look for Albania to possibly pull a stunner.

1. Switzerland
2. Slovenia
3. Albania
4. Norway
5. Iceland
6. Cyprus

Group F: Portugal, Russia, Israel, Northern Ireland, Azerbaijan, Luxembourg

With all due respect to Israel, Northern Ireland, Azerbaijan, and Luxembourg, it's a two team race in Group F.  Portugal and Russia are the class of the group and the matchups they have against each other should determine the winner.  A Selecção has failed to win their qualifying group in the last two major tournaments and Cristiano Ronaldo will look to change that.  Russia meanwhile are in the middle of controversy after Dick Advocaat was sacked as manager and Andrei Arshavin's head-scratching comments about Russian fans has left him out of the squad.  With their current form, Portugal seems likely to take the group leaving Russia fighting for a World Cup berth via the playoff round.

1. Portugal
2. Russia
3. Israel
4. Azerbaijan
5. Northern Ireland
6. Luxembourg

Group G: Greece, Slovakia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Lithuania, Latvia, Liechtenstein

This group isn't as poor as Group E but it's close.  Greece is fresh off a berth in the quarterfinals of Euro '12 and always seem to sneak their way into major tournaments despite a recognizable star.  The Greeks rely on their sound defense and timely scoring to qualify for major tournaments and World Cup '14 won't be any different.  Slovakia has Marek Hamšík and Martin Škrtel but isn't the same team they were a few years back.  That leaves the door open for Bosnia-Herzegovina.  Behind an offensive attack led by Edin Džeko, the Bosnians will finish runner-up in Group G.

1. Greece
2. Bosnia-Herzegovina
3. Slovakia
4. Lithuania
5. Latvia
6. Liechtenstein

Group H: England, Montenegro, Ukraine, Poland, Moldova, San Marino

England fans, this group isn't as easy as you'd think.  Montenegro, Ukraine, and Poland all pose threats and beat the Three Lions on any given day.  That being said, England is the class of this group and should finish on top.  The battle for second might be the most compelling in all of qualifying.  Poland and Ukraine each had moments of excellence and calamity over the summer while Montenegro possesses two excellent offenisve talents in Stevan Jovetić and Mirko Vučinić.  Anyone of these teams could end up second.  So I'll flip a three-sided coin. Hold on lemme grab it.  And here we go (flipping coin, see result below).

1. England
2. Poland
3. Montenegro
4. Ukraine
5. Moldova
6. San Marino

Group I: Spain, France, Belarus, Georgia, Finland

Oh the price you pay for stumbling in the FIFA rankings.  France found that out the hard way as they dropped to Pot 2 and was drawn with the World Cup and two-time European Champions from Spain.  There are three other teams in this group but let's be honest, the whole world is only focusing on the two powerhouses.  On paper, France's talent is about on par with Spain.  The difference is the locker room.  Just when you thought the stink of World Cup '10 was behind Les Bleus, Samir Nasri, Yann M'Vila, and Jeremy Menez had to express their opinions and got themselves suspended from the national team.  France doesn't have the chemistry or unity to compete with Spain and will have to qualify through the playoff format for the second consecutive World Cup.

1. Spain
2. France
3. Georgia
4. Finland
5. Belarus

Now, onto the playoffs. The top EIGHT second place teams will make the playoff round while one second place team will find themselves going home.  With my predictions, the second place teams are Belgium, Denmark, Sweden, Hungary, Slovenia, Russia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Poland, and France.  The tiebreak starts with the second place team with the least amount of points.  Due to the depth of their group, I believe that team will be Poland.  Now on to the matchups of the playoff rounds.  As of now, FIFA isn't going to seed the teams so they will be set at random so here are my random matchups. France v. Hungary, Denmark v. Bosnia-Herzegovina, Russia v. Slovenia, and Sweden v. Belgium.  Out of those hypothetical matchups, I'll take France, Denmark, Russia, and Belgium to move on and qualify for World Cup '14.  

UEFA Qualifying Teams

Croatia
Italy
Germany
Netherlands
Switzerland
Portugal
Greece
England
Spain
France
Denmark
Russia
Belgium