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Next Up: Saudi Arabia & the Next Round

June 21st, 2006 | By: WC Bob | 23 Comments »

What a great position to be in. Win, lose or draw against Saudi Arabia we are more than likely to win the group. This means that Aragones can use the Saudi game as an opportunity to rest some of the players and to clear the team of card accumulations.

Aragones has said that he is going to give Raul and Villa 45 minutes up front and that he is going to sit Fernando Torres for the match. I can’t really fault his decision but with Torres on fire I hope the time off doesn’t do more damage than it does good.

Even with our second unit, I expect we’ll have an easy time against a Saudi Arabia team that seemingly rolls over once it falls behind. An early goal or two and we could be looking at another rout.

Looking ahead beyond that, we will likely play the second place finisher from Group G. One of three teams, France, Switzerland and South Korea will be our first knockout stage opponent. Which one would you like to see Spain play?

Tags: Group H, World Cup 2006

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Comments

By Tara | June 21st, 2006 at 10:46 am

south korea!!! so we can exact revenge on that 2 goals in the previous world cup.

better still i hope raul scores and make all time top goalscorer of spain.

viva espana!

Posted from Malaysia

By Toncho | June 21st, 2006 at 11:03 am

Spain will play with 11 subs agains t S.Arab, villa may enter in the second half though.

My wish are Sw (good for us), Korea (revenge) , France.

My worry: France is playing badly but 5 minutes of zizou & Henry can kill anyone. The trainer my even put Trezeguet and make things worse.

Posted from Luxembourg

By TheImmortalOne | June 21st, 2006 at 2:35 pm

I dont really give a toss about who we play in the knockout stages. All our opponents will be going home. We should fear no one because we have nothing to lose and everything to gain. All the pressure is on the so called bigger teams like Brazil, England and Argentina and everyone has played down our hopes of winning the trophey so we can just concentrate on playing our game and hopefully we will be in berlin on july 9 to hold the world cup in our hands!!

Posted from United Kingdom

By Satheesh | June 21st, 2006 at 2:35 pm

Let’s hope it is not France.

Yes, Raul should get more time on the field. I think he’s better than Garcia.

Posted from India

By DrE | June 21st, 2006 at 4:58 pm

I would like to see Spain defeating South Korea… now they´re in neutral ground and I´m totally sure the Spanish team can win with a difference of 2 or 3 goals!!

Posted from Spain

By OPKO | June 21st, 2006 at 6:48 pm

more than likely to win the group? There is no way you CANNOT win the group. The only team that can get level on points is Ukraine, who you best 4:0 and therefore own the tiebreaker with.

Posted from Canada

By Roland | June 21st, 2006 at 7:39 pm

Interesting bit of news. Apparently, the Spanish daily “20 Minutos” claims Nostradamus predicted that Spain will win the World Cup, based on the following quatrain:

“In the sixth month of 2006 the King of Spain will cross the Pyrenees with his troops. The legions of Beelzebub will battle him in central Europe and suffer doom and destruction. The Holy Grail will then come to Spain.”

Hmmm, could the reference to Beelzebub mean that Spain will play and defeat the Red Devils of South Korea in the next round of the World Cup? I guess we’ll have to wait and see…

Posted from United States

By Roland | June 21st, 2006 at 7:40 pm

Here’s a link to the article, by the way: http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,2144,2063104,00.html

Posted from United States

By TheImmortalOne | June 21st, 2006 at 9:32 pm

When was the last time nostrodamus got anything right? Doh!! Hell, Spain are gonna win it anyways with or without this prick predicting it or not.

Posted from United Kingdom

By Jaime | June 22nd, 2006 at 2:08 am

Even though we can beat either of the 3 teams,,, I think Spain will enter the match more confident against South Korea…

I hope to see REYES, I think hes better then Raul and Garcia and hear nothing of him….

Raul still hasn’t got my confidence like Torres and Villa… Where Reyes and Senna do…

What about Perina he was shining the last game!!!

VIVA ESPANA!!!

Posted from Australia

By Zorro | June 22nd, 2006 at 3:34 am

Question, Puyol and Fabregas each have a yellow. Will another yellow take them out for the next round? Will they sit out the next game ( Saudia ) to avoid more cards?

Posted from Canada

By Ryan | June 22nd, 2006 at 3:53 am

That’s the first time I have seen a Nostradamus prediction discussed BEFORE the event.
Still, go Nostradamus and Go Spain

Posted from New Zealand

By Jaime | June 22nd, 2006 at 4:28 am

correct Zorro,,, Luis is best to have them on the bench for most of the game anyway!

Posted from Australia

By Toncho | June 22nd, 2006 at 11:00 am

To Zorro: If any player has a red or a second yellow they will miss the next match. If not, all players with yellow cards will start clean from the next round.

Anyway, Cesc will play the whole match, risky, isn’t it???

Posted from Luxembourg

By Frank. O | June 22nd, 2006 at 6:12 pm

Spain will do as they always do - crumble to a non-entity just like South Korea and Switzerland..

You read it here first and you are deluding yourselves if you think it will be any different this time..

Posted from United Kingdom

By Petrina | June 22nd, 2006 at 9:43 pm

YEAH MAN. i want Spain to do some serious ass-kicking against Korea. The last WC made me hate Korea So Much. i would LOVE to see some revenge take place this year.

I Love You, Spain! Make me proud, baby!

Posted from Malaysia

By Jaime | June 23rd, 2006 at 1:42 am

Go and get FUCKED Frank. O ,,, Spain will go further then UK… They are playing heaps better,,, pity we wont see you in the semi-finals,,, cause it’s going to be Spain Vs Portugal.

Posted from Australia

By Roland | June 23rd, 2006 at 3:20 am

Hey Frank O, who are you kidding mate? First of all, I didn’t here it from you first, seeing as how you’re just spouting the conventional wisdom you picked up in between tossing off to page 3 girls. Don’t you have some hooliganing to attend to, you insufferable lout?

By the way, Spain will go farther than that collection of overpaid and underwhelming Lions. You heard that here first.

Posted from United States

By Roland | June 23rd, 2006 at 3:39 am

Ayway…

I really, really want to play the Red Devils of South Korea.

Because I want Spain to wring their collective neck like the proverbial chicken, as vengeance for 2002, all in front of their maniacal fans.

I’m working out issues.

Posted from United States

By zorro | June 23rd, 2006 at 4:41 am

Spain will go further than England. U heard that here first.

Posted from Canada

By ahiggs | June 23rd, 2006 at 6:48 am

I’m pulling for Spain now that the US has been eliminated. They’re such a creative team and Torres is relentless up front. A Spain vs. Argentina match would be epic, I would really like to see it.

Posted from United States

By Carlos | June 23rd, 2006 at 9:30 am

Hey Roland, I saw that particular quartrain of Nostradamus featured on Star Sports last night too! Spain was really named in his prediction. Dang, I hope its true!

Through the centuries, the Holy Grail has been thought of as the cup used by Jesus in the last supper. A Cup that grants eternal life to whosoever drinks from it. The Cup Of Life! Hmm… I hope its the World Cup!

To Frank O: Stay in England’s blog, cabron! Time is short for you, you won’t have much to blog about after the quarterfinals! And you heard it here first!