World Cup Diary VI: Second Round Predictions - I

We are into the win or go home stage of the World Cup, where the real fun begins. With upsets and heartbreaks are in commonplace, don't be surprised if there's a handful of them. Although the big shots appear pretty comfortable, make no mistake, from now on every team has little choice but to bring out their best. That is to say, they cannot afford screw-ups that could have been harmless in the group matches but not any more — teams know how to exploit lapses, defensive or otherwise on the field.

Knock-out games are typically less flowery and more conservative, particularly for the teams that lack penetration in the attacking third. Teams that are viewers' delight, like Brazil, Argentina and Spain, are hard-pressed to curb their natural instincts, while Italians are infamous for shutting down their defense and really who could blame them - with so much at stake coaches prefer to stay in their lose not attitude: to hell with the game.

Of course that's not always the case, creative teams like Brazil always find a way to win and to an extent not disappointing the audience but most European teams could care less.

So, it's time to roll dice and come up with our picks. We all love to make predictions. Chances are good that a few of them are going to come back and bite us later, and rest would make us look like Einstein. Since I've been told on many different occasions that I'm a complete idiot - no strings attached, I've nothing to lose. Add to it my current 1-0 winning streak, thanks to Miami Heat (and no, I never predict group stage outcomes, I have class), you can feel my growing confidence. Am I making sense here?

Well you can come at me — the Prognosticator, later.

Article Author: Q Bit

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