South Africa World Cup Match Prediction – Saturday June 26 Afternoon Match – France V Nigeria

Two weeks after the world cup we reached the first knockout games of the tournament. This is where tournament soccer is at its best. Extra time and penalties come into play if the teams are tied and the excitement cannot be contained as both teams are going for it from the start. No more boring giveaways. No more parking the bus in front of the gate.

The Winner of Group A will face the Runner-up of Group B.

Group A consists of South Africa, Mexico, Uruguay and France. My prediction is that France will top the group with South Africa in second place ahead of Mexico.

Group B consists of Argentina, Nigeria, South Korea and Greece. My forecast is that Argentina will top the group and Nigeria in second place.

The match at 15:00 will be between France and Nigeria. What game is this going to be? I can see this being a classic with attacking football from both the French and the Nigerians. The form says that France will win and I have to agree. It always seems that the big teams get the rub on the green. Maybe it’s an unconscious decision of the referee. France have great players in Frank Ribery and Thierry Henry. With those two in shape, I can see them having a great match against the Nigerians. France, world champions on home soil in 1998, will have a lot of work to do to overcome this excellent African team. We’ll have to wait and see. I predict that France will win after extra time.