Th South American and Asian sections have already started their qualifying groups, today the European draw was made. Some interesting groups.



England and Croatia again, revenge comes to mind..

Group A looks the most interesting, Denmark and Sweden can continue their rivalry, along with the Portugese!

awesome italy dont have any big opponents albeit bulgaria and ireland should be tricky but i dont think italy should have too much trouble qualifying.

Well, I'm happy with Israel's group (though our rivals are happy to get us too ). Greece and Switzerland are strong teams but it could have been worse.

Ukraine, Croatia and England will be interesting (hope to see Ukraine through). Italy should qualify with ease.

i have a feeling u'll qualify

spain as usual get the easiest group...

Thanks. Last time Israel played in the WC was in 1970 so I really hope for a good campaign

ya thats i what i herd, that means ur due for an appearance @ wc and by that time i'm sure a few of ur youth will be regular team members. they look promising from what i've seen.

group 2 is the easiest one, izrael should qualify...while, croatia will stun england another 2 times

i don't want to remind u

http://www.sportnet.hr/gallery/fotoprica084/19.jpg

http://www.sportnet.hr/gallery.aspx?id=fotoprica084&pos=23

So England get their revenge now, huh


There really isn't a tough group in Europe ... Well maybe Group 2, seeing as nearly all the teams are of a similar level ...

Hopefully, more of this please.

Revenge!

With Capello, that would be a 1-0 revenge

I'm maybe thinking we should get an attacking coach, and just outscore our opponents, we have the players to do it! We'll be interesting to watch, too.

Euro 2004.. Those were the days.

That is when Rooney got his first hype


Maybe Schuster ?!

Ibrahimovic coming to Portugal.

Not an easy group btw.

ya i'd say you've got the 2nd hardest group after england. maybe even the toughest.

I'd say they've got the hardest.

Yes Croatia beat us, but I honestly don't think they're better than us, these things happen. Ukraine came 4th in their group (Which involved the mighty Scotland ). Denmark and Sweden are good teams, twice as good as Ukraine.

Why to disrespect other teams?

Ukraine had a bad compaign but still a strong team (reach the same level as England in the last WC). Denmark is twice as good? Ukraine beat them in the qualifying group for WC06 (Group that also had Turkey and Greece. Ukraine got through, Denmark didn't) and Denmark failed to reach euro as well. So how they are so much better?

Ukraine finished behind Scotland? didn't you just said that "those things happen" in connection of England failure? Mighty Scotland is constantly improving and gave a tough fight to Italy and France (in a stronger groupe than England had). Croatia beat you twice and proved that right now they are a better team. I bet you said the same things when England drew mighty Croatia, mighty Russia, mighty Israel and mighty Macedonia. You make conclusion over one compaign. If you don't think that Croatia and Russia are better because they qualifyed over England, so why judge the wrong way other teams?

As we've both said 'these things happen'. Do you not think Croatia were fortunate to play England at the time they did? GK crisis, Beckham not match fit. Owen, Rooney, Terry, Ferdinand, Neville, Cole all out? Different circumstances will lead to different outcomes. Weird things happen in football, over two games we beat Russia and completely outplayed them, yet they went through, football is a funny game.

As for the Ukraine, haven't they qualified for just one competition since they became independant? I know you'll stick up for them because you like Kiev, but it's hardly a great record, Denmark have got a proven record at International level. As for Ukraine at the World Cup, they beat Tunisia and Saudi Arabia and needed penalties to beat Switzerland. The two 'big nations' they played, they lost by a total of 7-0. I just don't rate the Ukraine very highly, that's all, I like them because of Sheva, but I'm only saying what I think. If you disagree, fine.

Only one team from each group goes through, right? It will be a great battle between England and Croatia!

I think it works this way, not 100% sure though.

-9 group winners qualify straight into the World Cup.
-The runner-up with the most points will also qualify for the tournement.
-The other 8 runners-up will be paired off into 4 matches and played over two legs. The winners of each two-legged match will go through to the tournement.

good for u to be optimistic...you now have time to prepare for those games

Hehehe,...no way!
I really cannot belive what Michael Owen said. With all respect, I fear his brain got injuried as well,..

Croatia right now is a better team. They won in both home and away games. They are higher ranked (10) and proved why. GK crisis? Croatia don't have a world class keeper either (Pleticosa is playing in Russia). Injuries is not an excuse to that kinda performance at home (Israel with mostly their second team still beat Russia).

Are you checking history now? You was talking about the next world cup qualifiers. And recently Denmark failed in both wc and euro campaigns (in first one they lost both times to Ukraine). So in recent years they are failing, so how they are twice as good? Because of their International record? Nottingham Forest and Villa have a better international record than Chelsea.
Just so you know, the SU national team , in 70s and 80s, was mostly built from Ukrainian players (check the uero 88 ,when they took second place, line up). After the fall of SU, the best Ukrainian player detected/tempted to play for Russia, because FIFA declared (unrightful) that Russia will be SU successors, even though most ogf the points were due ukrainian players (because of good ties Russia had in FIFA). So Ukraine had to start completely from scratch(ranking and players). They were unlucky couple of times (finishing second in group and drawing Croatia and Germany in play off games), but recently the have a good team and qualifying to WC proved that. They haven't won vs tough teams? True, they lost to Spain and Italy , but England reached the same stage (1/4) and only won vs Paraguay,Trinidad & Tobago and Ecuador. So when you are saying that Denmark is twice better than Ukraine it's BS (recent years, judging by records or even check the rankings. And if you insist for some reason going way back so you are welcome to check strting from the 50s).

Yes, it's your opinion and it's fine. But you first post was arrogant (something that I hear from many (not all) England fans).

Did I use injuries as an excuse? No. All I said is they change things, which is true.

Arrogant? I don't believe Croatia are better than us, that's not arrogance, just an opinion.

Saying Denmark are twice as good as Ukraine is a figure of speach. I think they're alot better. That, again, is my opinion. If I was arrogant I'd be saying we're the best team in the World, I did not do that, because we aren't.

I'm not disagreeing with anything you've said, because that's what you believe.

I don't know how to say this and not to cause any further discussion,
You can call it arrogance or not, but I would say that exactly that I don't believe Croatia are better than us attitude brings England many opponents and more importantly, costed England a place in the E08 finals. Loosing twice against a team; played 180 minutes conceeded 5 goals, never had a leading goal,..what do you need more? Theoretically,..yes, maybe with Owen it would have been different. With Gordon Banks for sure, but that's just demagogism and a waste of time. Croatia is better then England in 2007, and that's a fact.

It is a fact, but it's also fact that Coventry are better than Man United, Villa are better than Chelsea, FYRO Macedonia are better than Croatia and Empoli are better than Milan. Even facts can be very misleading.

And facts are also very different to opinions. As I said before, I'm not using injuries as an excuse, but with Rooney, Terry, Owen, etc. I'd be very confident in playing you. But that's not what happened when we did play you and in that case you were better than us in this qualifying competition. All of this is my opinion, and that's all it is.

No, you are mixing up things.

It's just like Milan was (and probably still is) better then Manchester.

I'll have to say, you really mix up things. No, Macedonia is not better then Croatia. Look at the groups table! Look at the points collected! No, it's much more then this. At the end Milan will get above Empoli just like Man Utd. will get above Coventry.

And you know, England did loose twice. So, it really cannot be treated as a "lapsus" or a miracle that happens every now and then.
My advice is - if England approaches to the future clashes with Croatia with the we are better attitude they'll loose again.

I wasn't mixing things up at all. How do you explain Russia not being able to beat Israel, but finishing above them? As I said, these things happen in football. Was it just two lucky results? I think not.

What makes you think they approached them what that attitude this time around?

Don't bring English people are arrogant into it either, everybody has the ability to be arrogant. You did say "We are better than England, fact." afterall.

But I respect you and your opinion, I'd rather not go on and on anymore. You beat us, home and away, you were the better team in bot games, you qualified. Congratulations for all of those, you deserve to be in the Euro's and we don't.

Exactly. Our NT had hard times, not so long ago, just cause they've become arrogant. You see, everybody has the ability to be arrogant, just like everybody has the ability not to be arrogant. I just want to help England and say, maybe it's better not to be arrogant from this position they are in right now.

That would be correct.

You wait until we play France in February, if we beat them. We'll be considered the best team in the World again.

When was England ever the best team in the world

exactly...

Last century until the fifties...and then (formally) in 1966. But I know Germany was better at that time

1966, but that wasn't my point.

I said people would consider us the best team in the World - Those people being the stupid close-minded ones that live over here, that believed we were going to win the 2006 World Cup. One big win and they get carried away.

You just need to do what the Italians do; whatever their team does, winning or losing, they bash them... unless they win the final...

I watched that game, recently .... And that second goal, wasn't a goal !!! It didn't even cross the line

I really really felt bad for Germany .. Although it's been almost 42 years since that last happened, still that was a cup that was unrightfully won ! (Kurt, this is just how i felt, no need to take this any further, congrats on that one , but in all honesty i didn't feel England deserved that win, not in that way at least )

It was the 3rd goal that was dubious, not the 2nd. It's strange how it's so talked about, especially when we won by 2 goals in the end.

The only reason it is bought up is because England won the World Cup. If Germany won it you'd be hearing about how their 92nd minute equaliser was just as bad. Not only was it scored way after the final whistle should have been blown, but their was a clear handball in the build up.

I've learned/read some very interesting things in the last few years. Tofik Bakhramov, the linesman that gave the goal, was asked on his deathbed how he could be sure if the ball was over the line. He allegedly replied with "Stalingrad". The Azerbaijan national stadium is also named after him.

The fourth goal England scored was after the lousy call was made on the 3rd, nothing to brag about really as Germany were stunned by that call. Had the ref been any closer to the goal, the game would have become much fairer .. In the end he gifted the game to England!

Germany's equalizer, it crossed the line ... And it was in stoppage time (at 91 mins I think), but many goals have been scored in stoppage time as well, so u have no argument there ... (handball ?! It wasn't intentional .. the ball went straight to his arm because of a chaos that was building up in front of England's goal )

The reason why I watched the game was because of the controversy that surrounds it ... And at the end, I felt I had to side with Germany. As the game was taken out of their hands when that 3rd goal was scored.

I just felt sorry for Germany, that is all. (mind u, after the first goal was scored I was totally in support of England even when the game ended in FT, I was still feeling as if England were Lions and all that, but that 3rd goal really pissed me off!) ...... Anyways, I don't really care, it was in 66' and England won woohoo

I think that is just the tabloids

The year is irrelivant.

As I've said before, what's the point in winning a competition if it's going to be mocked later on? Whether you win it in 1800 or 2008 it is one Championship, it means the same.

As for our goal, you can't say the ref gifted us the game, there is no proof that it wasn't a goal either. And their equaliser? handball is handball whether you mean it or not, at the end of the day, they gained an unfair advantage by illegal means.

Give us a break, Germany have 3 World Cups as it is. Greedy or what?

The replays prove it wasn't a goal !! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIGiYn8Iw1Q

And no, hand ball isn't handball, it depends .. And in the replay, that handball, the player wasn't even aware of where the ball was.

No matter how long we discuss it, we'll still end up at point zero .. which is why i said i don't care Kurt since it was in 66', I wasn't even born their. And I don't really care for either England or Germany's WC history .. Thus I don't care

There is no need to feel sorry for us. The defeat of Wembley only made the german team stronger. They were working even harder for success after 1966 and achieved a lot since then. After 1966 the german national team was in another 6 WC finals, winning two of them. We won the Euro 3 times since then. What did England do in that time?

Oh and..the goal wasn't a goal of course

Oh and yes...the year is irrelevant I agree. There will never be a bigger success in football for Germany than the victory of 1954

5. 74,82,86,90,02. But yes, 7 WC finals is very impressive (the same as Brazil). German NT was always one of the best.

You can't even compare.