[PREDICTIONS] Ghana, the only African team to win its opening game, looks to make it two in a row against Australia, while Netherlands and Japan face off in atop-of-the-standings clash. For a look at Saturday’s three games and Soccer America’s predictions …
NETHERLANDS (3 pts., 2-0) vs. JAPAN (3 pts.1-0)
June 19 in Durban
Kickoff: 7:30 a.m. ET.
Referee:Referee Roberto Rosetti (Italy).
PREDICTIONS:
Paul Kennedy: Netherlands 2-0
Mike Woitalla: Netherlands 3-0
THE LOWDOWN:Along with the Argentina-South Korea match, this is the only Day 2 meeting of teams that both won their opening games. Japan, so poor in the run-up to the World Cup, was the surprise winnerover Cameroon, while the Netherlands cruised past Denmark. Dutch star Arjen Robben will again be kept out of the game with a hamstring injury.
GHANA (3 pts., 1-0) vs. AUSTRALIA (0 pt., 0-4)
June 19 in Rustenburg
Kickoff: 10 a.m. ET. Television:ESPN/Univision.
Referee: Hector Baldassi (Argentina)
PREDICTIONS:
Paul Kennedy: Ghana 1-0
Ridge Mahoney: Tie 1-1
Mike Woitalla: Ghana 2-0
THE LOWDOWN: Ghana, the only African team to reach the second round of the 2006 World Cup, was the only Africanteam to win its opening game. Australia’s Tim Cahill received only a one-game suspension for his red card against Germany.
CAMEROON (0 pt., 0-1) vs. DENMARK (0 pt., 0-2)
June 19 in Pretoria
Kickoff: 2:30 p.m. ET. Television: ABC/Univision.
PREDICTIONS:
Paul Kennedy: Denmark 1-0
Mike Woitalla: Tie 1-1
THE LOWDOWN: AfterCameroon’s opening loss to Japan, star Samuel Eto’o questioned about French coach Paul Le Guen‘s tactics. Eto’ocomplained he had to play on the right wing and often defended like a right back instead of playing as an out-and-out striker. Le Guen’s response: Eto’o was playing where he played all season forInter Milan.