Vuvuzela South Africa

It is a beautiful sunny day in Durban. At 4pm, this afternoon Netherlands will take on Slovakia for a place in the quarterfinals of the 2010 FIFA World Cup at the Moses Mabhida Stadium.

Holland’s best performance in the World Cup have been two trips to the final in 1974 and 1978, led by the Dutch legend Johan Cryuff. They have always been perpetual favourites due to the exciting brand of total football that is the hallmark of Team Orange.

Netherlands – Plenty of Quality Players

After winning all of their matches in Group E, the Netherlands aim to stay on the winning track against Slovakia in the round of sixteen. Bert van Marwijk’s 2010 World Cup side boasts plenty of quality and match winners with Champions League winning playmaker Wesley Sneijder, Bayern Munich star Arjen Robben, Arsenal’s Robin van Persie and Real Madrid midfielder Rafael van der Vaart. It is time for Hop Hop Holland to put foot to the metal and shift into top gear.

The Dutch have typically been known as underachievers at the World Cup and cannot afford any mistakes now. If they can play to their potential, Slovakia will fall by the wayside and the Oranje camp will be in excellent shape ahead of a potential quarterfinal clash with Brazil or Chile.

If they do not, the Slovakians, will exploit their weaknesses and run right through them like they did with Italy.
These teams have never met at the World Cup, but the Dutch did lose 3-0 to Czechoslovakia in the first round of the 1938 World Cup in France. This might not be very relevant to today’s Slovakia vs Netherlands match.

Van Persie Believes Holland will Win the Title

According to breakingfootballnews Robin Van Persie Believes Holland Will Win Title.

Netherlands can beat Slovakia and go all the way to the final of the 2010 World Cup and even lift the trophy, claims Robin Van Persie. The Holland striker believes that the Dutch have the perfect balanced squad of anytime in Dutch football’s recent memory, and should take advantage of their strengths to become champions of the world for the first time.

Arjen Robben – Will he Start?

Netherlands coach Bert van Marwijk will surely again plan to play it safe with regards the fitness of star man Arjen Robben, despite the Bayern Munich ace making his first appearance of the World Cup last Thursday evening

The Dutch winger made a successful comeback from a hamstring injury the last time out, playing 20 effective minutes as a second-half substitute in a 2-1 win over Cameroon. It will be interesting to see what kind of influence he can exert as a starter, provided he gets the nod from Coach Bert van Marwijk, who is keeping an eye on his star.

Rafael van der Vaart appears to have pulled a muscle in training on Sunday and is unlikely to feature against Slovakia, according to the team’s medical staff.

Netherlands On Yellow Cards

Nigel de Jong, Robin van Persie, Gregory van der Wiel, Giovanni van Brockhorst, Van der Vaart and Dirk Kuyt were all booked in the group phase and are on yellow cards. They would miss a potential quarterfinal if they concede another card in the round of sixteen.

Slovakia at 2010 World Cup

Slovakia have has an almost Jekyll and Hyde campaign at the 2010 World Cup. After their opening two matches, in which they were extremely disappointing against New Zealand and Paraguay in Group F, no one gave Slovakia a chance against the world champions, even if Italy had not been up to scratch themselves. Nonetheless, the players finally clicked in unison and engineered one of the biggest shocks in World Cup history as they advanced to the second round and eliminated the 2006 winners in the process.

Robert Vittek had a breakout game against Italy, scoring two goals to send the Azzurri crashing out of the tournament in the first round. He has stepped up in a big way for his country, while headline midfielder Marek Hamsik has toiled in virtual anonymity.

If coach Vladimir Weiss and his team can repeat the intensity and focus of the team that took down the Azzurris, Slovakia may pull off a win over the Netherlands, but it does not really seem that likely.

Slovakia – on Yellow Cards

Jan Durica, Vladimir Weiss, Stanislav Sestak, Jan Mucha, Peter Pekarik and Robert Vittek are all at risk of missing the quarterfinals and will need to avoid cards in this game. Zdeno Strba was already booked twice which means he is suspended for the match against the Netherlands.

Both sides have scored four goals at this tournament, and both left three of them for the second half of their games. As such, it may be expected that most of the goal action in this match is to take place in the second half as well.
Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban

Netherlands vs Slovakia will take place at the  Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban, which is to see its sixth match at this World Cup. The game is scheduled to start at 16:00 (4pm) local time and the referee appointed is Spaniard Alberto Undiano.

Image: Arjen Robben and Robin Van Persie of Netherlands by

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This afternoon at four pm local time the titans of glam football -kick off  their match  at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban. Brazil vs Portugal – the match we’ve all been waiting for.

And Durban has produced a perfect day for the thousands of fans in green and yellow and green and red who are flocking to the fanparks, stadium, restaurants and pubs to enjoy the Brazil v Portugal match.

Best Game of the 2010 World Cup

When ticket sales opened for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, this Brazil vs Portugal Match was the second game sold out after the final. Thee is no doubt that these two sides are two of the glamour and superstar sides of world football – maybe not the best sides – we will see on 11 July Who wins the 2010 World Cup. But Brazil and Portugal are certainly up their among the top five best teams in the world.
Kaka Suspened

But an unfortunate red card during Brazil’s 3-1 win over the Ivory Coast means that Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite (his younger brother could only manage “Kaka”) is suspended, so we won’t be able to see Cristiano Ronaldo lining up oppositehis  Real Madrid teammate. That red cards was one of the more the bizarre ref decisions we saw during this World Cup and although they appealed it it the day, FIFA stood by their ref.

Brazil World Ranking No 1

If we look at current form, Brazil are with their world ranking of 1, favourites in this World Cup 2010 match – but that won’t mean anything to the ‘Team of the Five Shields’ – who will be focused on the match 100% regardless of what the pundits might label their opponents.

Ronaldo – Man of the Match

Ronaldo, man of the match in Portugal’s first two games here, will hope to add to his goal in the 7-0 win over North Korea on Monday―a strike which ended an international drought going back to his effort against the Czech Republic in the 2008 European Championship.

His goal, the sixth against the so-called Democratic People’s Republic scored three minutes from time, owed a little to a fluky touch with the back of his perfectly gelled hair.

World’s Two Most Expensive Players

The presence of the world’s two most expensive players, Ronaldo and Kaka was expected at the magnificent Moses Mabhida Stadium, as Group G comes down to the wire.

Highest Global Audience

The beauty of this match is that it isn’t really about qualifying for the last 16, both Portugal and Brazil should do so quite comfortably- this match is going to just be an awesome clash between the nations ranked first and third in the world and it is expected to draw the highest global audience.

We know that Brazil has some kind of magic. Most people whop are fanatical supporters of their own countries are also Brazil supporters, which gives them a huge fanbase. Brazil is always the team to watch and the team to beat in the World Cup.

A Brazil v Portugal Match is just the ticket to kick off the weekend.

Match kicks off at 4pm local time at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban.

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Today it is exactly 30 days before the 2010 World Cup kicks off. With Fabio Capello just having announced his provisional England squad and with teams already arriving in South Africa, there is bound to be a build of of people who are going to make last minute decisions.

I can tell you that yesterday it was 29C in Durban – this is why we are marketing our city as the warmest place during the 2010 FIFA World Cup. I am sure there are still tickets available, but even if you cant get tickets, come over for the vibe – the Fan parks are going to be amazing.

Cape Town – Fan Walk and Fan Park on the Grand Parade

Cape Town is going to have a Fan park on the Grand Parade and has established a special  2.4-km Fan Walk that will operate on the eight Cape Town match days, taking pedestrians safely from the CBD to the Cape Town Stadium, along a route filled with some of Cape Town’s best pubs, clubs, restaurant and retail experiences.

In Durban the main Fan Park will be right on the beachfront on Durban’s Golden Mile.

World Cup Accommodation

But what about World Cup accommodation, where can you stay when you come to these two popular holiday destinations?

South African Villa Rentals has two great choices for you – Villa Toich in Hout Bay and Toich Penthouse in Umhlanga – both are less than half an hour’s drive from all the action. And both are situated in picturesque coastal villages.

Villa Toich in Houtbay has six large en-suite bedrooms with studies and balconies overlooking spectacular sea or mountain views, enormous covered and open terraces, heated swimming pool, two lounges, dining room, spacious kitchen and conference room with breakout balconies.

The Toich Penthouse  in Umhlanga, near Durban (14 kms) is within walking distance of the beach, shops, hotels and restaurants.

For more information, availability and bookings take a look at South Africa Villa Rentals Website

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On Wednesday 3 March Bafana Bafana will celebrate the 100-day countdown to the 2010 FIFA World Cup at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban with a friendly against Namibia.

100-Day Countdown to 2010 World Cup

In the stands on the 100- day countdown night will be a man who knows what winning is all about. Former Brazilian Captain, Cafu will be in town to attend the dinner at the ICC the previous night, and the match on Wednesday. Cafu twice won the World Cup as captain of the Brazilian side.

Joining him will be a line up of former Bafnan Bafana Players. FIFA President Sepp Blatter will also be in town. March 2 officially marks the 100-day countdown.

Overseas-based Players in Bafana Bafana Squad

Bafana Bafana coach Carlos Parreira has included some overseas-based players when he announced his squad to face Namibia. The international friendly encounter will be played on Wednesday, 03 March at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban. Kick off is at 20h30.

“It’s a profound gesture for us; to celebrate 100 days before the World Cup demonstrates how close we are to the event, and we are glad to be participating in the proceedings. But over and above that this match comes at a time when the leagues around the world are at a crucial stage; so we have tried not to disrupt the club’s programs too much. At most we have taken three from each team but still keeping with the core of our squad. This is a chance to see some players more – like defender Bryce Moon ; who I haven’t seen in a Bafana Bafana jersey in a long time and also because he will not be able to travel to Brazil and Germany with us,” said Parreira on the Safa website.

But the coach was quick to point out that it does not mean that the players who are not in this team have lost their places in the squad for the World Cup.

“No, even though I have a good idea of what my final squad will look like, there are still places up for grabs, so I still have to see other players as we enter the final road of our preparations,” added Parreira.

Bafana Bafana Squad
BARON Emille (GK)
DAVIDS Lance
CARNELL Bradley
FRANSMAN Bevan
GOULD Morgan
JALI Andile
KHUBONI Thanduyise
KHUNE Itumeleng (GK)
KLATE Daine
LETSHOLONYANE Reneilwe
MODISE Teko
MOKOENA Lebohang
MOON Bryce
MPHELA Katlego
NGCONGCA Anele
SANGWENI Siyabonga
SEGOLELA Tlou
SERERO Thulani
THWALA Lucas
TOM Mzivukile
TSHABALALA Siphiwe
XULU Siyanda

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Durban fans have their vuvuzelas ready to cheer Bafana Bafana tonight in the friendly against Zimbabwe at the Moses Mabhida Stadium.

And I will be there – my first night match at Moses Mabhida and my fist look at the local Bafana Bafana squad in the steaming Durban summer heat.

Bafana 6 – Swaziland 2

During the friendly when South Africa eased past Swaziland 6-2 in a practice match against Swaziland on the weekend at the Chatsworth Stadium, one could already see some kind of shape, especially in the midfield where the South African team has just come to pieces in the past.

Parreira Expected to Field the Same Side

Parreira is expected to field the same side that started against Swaziland, with Katlego Mphela once again leading the line. The striker will be the focus of Zimbabwe’s defence according to Thomas Sweswe.

“Mphela has proven to be a quality striker and his scoring record bears testimony to that. If left unattended he can be a pain in the neck but we want to mark him out of the game,” the Kaizer Chiefs defender told Football365.co.za.

Bafana have been in Durban since two Fridays ago with Coach Carlos Alberto Parreira (CAP) focusing heavily on trying to get the players to play a possession game. This camp ends after tonight’s game and then there is another, heavy-duty one in Brazil in March.

Zimbabwe Squad no Pushover

The Zimbabwean Squad is not going to be a pushover. They are lead by Mamelodi Sundowns midfield general Esrom Nyandoro and contains plenty of other players based in South Africa playing for the top PSL teams.

Tickets available at Computicket – Via Checkers.

Kickoff: 8.30 pm.

Picture: Bafana Bafana Training in Durban football 365

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