Day 7 round 2 previews: Cro vs Cam, Esp vs Chile, Ned vs Aus

Brazil 2014 logo

June 18: With the first round of group games complete, round two brings a series of make or break games. Croatia need to pull their socks up (and put their clothes on), Spain can expect a spicy contest with Chile, and the Aussies will need to show a lot more than their much trumpeted fighting spirit against high flying Dutch.

Group A, round 2: Croatia vs Cameroon

Croatia have had almost a week to get over “that refereeing decision” in their opening match against Brazil and can now call on their main weapon, Bayern Munich’s Mario Mandzukic who returns from suspension.

Mandzukic scored 26 goals for the German champions last season and now needs to do the business for his country in a game neither team can afford to lose, especially after Mexico’s point against the host nation last night.

Published photos of several Croatian players relaxing in the nude at their training base led to a news blackout. But a convincing win over Volker Finke’s side would go a long way towards easing the pressure.

Cameroon have hardly lived up to their Indomitable Lions nickname but they too have to win albeit without the injured Samuel Eto.

Head to Head games

This is the first meeting between these teams.

Fifa Ranking (June 5th 2014)
Cameroon: Rank: 56 Points: 558
Croatia: Rank: 18 Points: 903

World Cup 2014 Qualifying
Cameroon
First in CAF Group I with 13 points (P6 W4 D1 L1 GF8 GA3)
Play-off v Tunisia (First in CAF Group B): Tunisia 0 – 0 Cameroon, Cameroon 4 – 1 Tunisia
Croatia
Second in UEFA Group A with 17 points (P10 W5 D2 L3 GF12 GA9)
Play-off v Iceland: Iceland 0-0 Croatia, Croatia 2-0 Iceland

Stats
Cameroon and Croatia have never played before.
Croatia have never before played a World Cup game against a team from Africa.
Cameroon’s World Cup record against European sides is W1 D4 L9
Cameroon have only won 1 of their last 14 World Cup games (1-0 v Saudi Arabia in 2002), drawing 4 and losing 9.
Cameroon are on a run of 12 World Cup games without scoring more than 1 goal.
Samuel Eto’o has scored Cameroon’s last three World Cup goals.
Croatia have failed to win any of their last 5 World Cup matches.

Group B, round 2: Spain vs Chile

An intruiging clash if ever there was one. Chile, one of the World Cup’s genuine dark horses, got off to a flying start but face a Spanish team still smarting from that 5-1 humiliation against the Netherlands.

If Spain don’t tighten up at the back, there is a serious danger the world and European champions could be eliminated because Chile are nothing if not quick.

Yet anything but three points and a strong recovery is surely unthinkable for Vicente del Bosque’s men. The big question is whether Spain will replace their skipper and goalkeeper Iker Casillas after such a nervy performance against the Dutch. They will almost certainly stick with him and a repeat of Spain’s 2-1 win over the South Americans four years ago, also at the group stage, will suit them very nicely.
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Head to Head games
29/06/50 Spain v Chile 2-0 (World Cup)
12/07/53 Chile v Spain 1-2 (International)
14/06/60 Chile v Spain 0-4 (International)
17/06/60 Chile v Spain 1-4 (International)
05/06/81 Chile v Spain 1-1 (International)
08/09/93 Spain v Chile 2-0 (International)
19/11/08 Spain v Chile 3-0 (International)
25/06/10 Chile v Spain 1-2 (World Cup)
02/09/11 Chile v Spain 2-3 (International)
10/09/13 Chile v Spain 2-2 (International)

Fifa Ranking (June 5th 2014)
Spain: Rank: 1 Points: 1485
Chile: Rank: 14 Points: 1026

World Cup 2014 Qualifying
Spain
First in UEFA Group I with 20 points (P8 W6 D2 L0 GF14 GA3)
Chile
Third in CONMEBOL Group with 28 points (P16 W9 D1 L6 GF29 GA25)

Spain v Chile stats
Chile have failed to beat Spain in their 10 previous matches (W0 D2 L8).
In 1950 Spain beat Chile in the World Cup 2-0 – also in the Maracanã
Spain won the 2010 World Cup despite losing their opening game (against Switzerland.)
Spain’s 1-5 defeat to the Netherlands was the heaviest margin of defeat by a reigning World Cup champion.
Spain haven’t lost back-to-back internationals since 2006 (3-2 v Northern Ireland and 2-0 v Sweden).
The 5-1 defeat to the Netherlands was the first time Spain had conceded 5 goals since losing 6-2 to Scotland in 1963.
Spain have only once before conceded 5 or more goals in a World Cup game (6-1 v Brazil in 1950).

Group B, round 2: Netherlands vs Australia

If there is anything that comes close to a World Cup banker, then surely this is it though bizarrely Australia have never lost to the Dutch in three meetings.

Louis Van Gaal is thought to be considering a change in formation for this clash, with the 5-3-2 system that worked superbly on the break against Spain perhaps not best suited to a match they will, in all likelihood, control.

The Socceroos are the lowest-ranked team at the World Cup but were unlucky to lose by two goals against Chile and would love to upset the form book against the dazzling Dutch.