Two teams who failed to make it out of the group stage of the 2010 World Cup meet as Italy faces the Ivory Coast. The match will take place at Upton Park in London, England on Tuesday, August 10, 2010. Kickoff is scheduled for 19:45 BST (UK time) and 14:45 EST.

Italy v Ivory Coast TV Listings

It will be televised on RAI Uno in Italy, Al Jazeera Sport in the Middle East, and on Sport TV 1 in Portugal. You can also find the match at the link on the bottom of this post.

Italy v Ivory Coast Preview

Both countries had disappointing results in the World Cup and starting over with new managers. Italy is now led by Cesare Prandelli  while the Ivory Coast have recently appointed Francois Zahoui as their manager.

Much of the criticism of Italy in the World Cup was that they were a squad that was too old and didn’t include many of the up and coming younger players. The roster for this match is shows Italy moving much more towards the next generation with only one player in their 30′s (Amauri who is 30) and a lot of players who had yet to receive their first cap. It should be a chance for Italy to start finding their core group of the players for the upcoming 2012 Euro Qualifying matches.

For the Ivory Coast, they are also calling up a very young roster and are without their captain Didier Drogba for this match. While Drogba is unavailable, the Ivorians do have a talented side with players from all across Europe. Didier Zakora is the most experienced with 89 caps while Yannick Sagbo has yet to earn his first.

The match will take place in England so there’s no home advantage for either side. Most of the Italian players are still in pre-season mode while more of the Ivorians have already began their season. It should be a match with two sides who will be in pre-season form but Italy should get the victory.

Italy v Ivory Coast Prediction

Italy will win the match 1-0.

Italy v Ivory Coast Betting Odds

Italy win – 11/10

Draw – 11/5

Ivory Coast win – 9/4

Italy v Ivory Coast Live Online

The match can be seen at Free Live Sports TV.

Italy v Ivory Coast Preview, Prediction, TV Listings, and Betting Odds - The 90th Minute Soccer Blog

Group G has wrapped up all their matches with Brazil and Portugal advancing to the knockout stage. This was called the Group of Death with three very strong sides (Brazil, Portugal, and Ivory Coast) and went down to the last set of matches. Brazil won as expected while Portugal edged Ivory Coast thanks to two draws and a 7-0 win over North Korea. Ivory Coast missed out and will be disappointed to be another African side not to make it out of their group. The final group standings are below.

2010 FIFA World Cup Group G Final Standings

2010 FIFA World Cup Group G Final Standings: Brazil & Portugal advance - The 90th Minute Soccer Blog

The Ivory Coast needed a win in their final group stage match against North Korea to have a chance at moving onto the next round. With Portugal having a substantial lead in the goal difference, the Africans would need a win by a large margin combined with Brazil beating Portugal by many goals.

North Korea 0-3 Ivory Coast Video Highlights

The match highlights can be found here at Free Soccer Highlights.

North Korea 0-3 Ivory Coast Recap

The Ivory Coast would cruise to victory but it proved to not be enough as they failed to make it out of the group stage.

The goals were from Yaya Toure in the 14th minute, Romaric in the 20th minute, and Salomon Kalou in the 82nd minute. It was a solid performance from Ivory Coast but they go out of the tournament as Portugal were able to hold Brazil to a scoreless draw.

North Korea is also eliminated and finishes the group stage with no points.

North Korea 0-3 Ivory Coast Match Stats

North Korea 0-3 Ivory Coast – Video Highlights, Recap, and Match Stats – World Cup – 25 June 2010 - The 90th Minute Soccer Blog

Ivory Coast need a win in their final group stage match as they face North Korea. The match will take place at Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit, South Africa on Friday, June 25, 2010. Kickoff is scheduled for 15:00 BST, 16:00 local time in South Africa, and 10:00 EST.

It will be televised on ESPN 2 in the United States, CBC in Canada, SBS in Australia, BBC (via the red button) in the United Kingdom, SuperSport in Africa, and on Al Jazeera Sport in the Middle East. You can also find the match at the link on the bottom of this post.

North Korea v Ivory Coast Preview

It’s a must win for Ivory Coast and they will need to make up a substantial goal difference.

With Portugal’s 7-0 win over Ivory Coast, they will need to overcome a nine goal difference in this match. This would have to combine with a Portugal loss against Brazil. It’s not impossible for that to happen as North Korea are eliminated from contention to advance and were exposed defensively.

North Korea looked strong in their opening match against Brazil but appear to have dropped in form. They will play a defensive and compact style which will force the Ivory Coast to be patient and use the width of the pitch.

Ivory Coast will need a great performance from Didier Drogba if they are to have a chance. They need to score probably at least 5-6 goals and hope Brazil beats Portugal by a decent margin. It’s likely Brazil will win their match so it should be up to the Ivorians.

Getting a win by that many goals doesn’t seem likely but they should still get the three points.

Betting Odds

North Korea win – 15/2

Draw – 4/1

Ivory Coast win – 1/3

North Korea v Ivory Coast Prediction

Ivory Coast will win the match 3-0.

Watch North Korea v Ivory Coast Live Online

The match can be seen at Free Live Sports TV.

North Korea v Ivory Coast Preview, Prediction, and TV Listings - The 90th Minute Soccer Blog

It’s down to the last day of group stage matches as Group G completes on Friday, June 25, 2010. Brazil has already qualified and North Korea has already been eliminated. That means there will be one spot remaining between Portugal and Ivory Coast. Portugal has the upper hand but could be vulnerable if they lose to Brazil and Ivory Coast makes up the goal difference with a large win against North Korea. Below are the list of scenarios for Group G.

2010 FIFA World Cup Group G Scenarios

Brazil has advanced. Wins group with:
(A) Win or tie versus Portugal

Portugal advances with:
(A) Win or tie versus Brazil
(B) Loss IF Ivory Coast does not win AND make up goal difference

Ivory Coast advances with:
(A) Win versus North Korea AND Portugal loss AND make up goal difference

North Korea has been eliminated.

2010 FIFA World Cup Group G Scenarios - The 90th Minute Soccer Blog

Brazil could qualify for the knockout stage with a win as they faced Ivory Coast, one of the top sides from the African region. A loss by Ivory Coast wouldn’t end their knockout stage chances but mean they would probably need a comfortable win against North Korea and hope that Brazil tops Portugal.

Brazil 3-1 Ivory Coast Video Highlights

The match highlights can be found here at Free Soccer Highlights.

Brazil 3-1 Ivory Coast Recap

Brazil would clinch their spot in the next round with a comfortable 3-1 win over the Ivory Coast.

The end of the match will be what most focus on as the match got physical and Kaka was sent off for a second yellow card. The goals for Brazil showed their usual flare and top class skill as Luis Fabiano has two (25th and 50th minute) while Elano had the third (62nd minute).

Ivory Coast would get some hope late as Didier Drogba scored from a header in the 79th minute but it was too little and too late.

Brazil now will be in the next round and can clinch first place in the group with a tie or win against Portugal in their last match.

Brazil 3-1 Ivory Coast Match Stats

Brazil 3-1 Ivory Coast (Cote d’Ivoire) – Video Highlights, Recap, and Match Stats – World Cup – 20 June 2010 - The 90th Minute Soccer Blog

Brazil can remain on top of the Group G standings with a win as they face talented African side Ivory Coast. The match will take place at Soccer City Stadium in Johannesburg, South Africa on Sunday, June 20, 2010. Kickoff is scheduled for 19:30 BST, 20:30 local time in South Africa, and 14:30 EST.

It will be televised on ABC in the United States, CBC in Canada, SBS in Australia, BBC One in the United Kingdom, Al Jazeera Sport in the Middle East, SuperSport in Africa, and on TF in France. You can also find the match at the link on the bottom of this post.

Brazil v Ivory Coast Preview

Brazil won their opening match but left a lot to be desired with a 2-1 win over North Korea. They seemed a little lackadaisical in the match and manager Dunga will be disappointed with the goal conceded late in the second half.

The Ivory Coast had a draw in their opening match against Portugal and know any result in this match could be the difference for them to get into the next stage. Didier Drogba, who is playing with a cast on his broken arm, could start and will need to be a major factor for the Ivorians. Along with Drogba, Salomon Kalou will be the main offensive threat against Brazil.

Brazil’s strength is not just in their attacking players which include Robinho and Kaka but in their backline. Maicon, the starting right back, scored one of the goals in the North Korea win and is probably the best at that position in the world. Overall, Brazil is always one of the most talented and deepest teams in the World Cup.

For the Ivory Coast to get a result they need to play as a team and have their top players step up. This means Drogba and Kalou need to create chances and score goals. Brazil has showed some vulnerability on the counterattack so Ivory Coast should get chances.

Brazil are simply too strong for the Ivory Coast and will eventually wear them down in the second half.

Betting Odds

Brazil win – 8/13

Draw – 13/5

Ivory Coast win – 5/1

Brazil v Ivory Coast Prediction

Brazil will win the match 3-1.

Watch Brazil v Ivory Coast Live Online

The match can be seen at Free Live Sports TV.

Brazil v Ivory Coast (Cote d’Ivoire) Preview, Prediction, and TV Listings - The 90th Minute Soccer Blog

The Group of Death (or Group G) began play with two strong nations at the Ivory Coast played Portugal. It’s a crucial match to determine who will make it out of the group and a loss would be devastating for either side. Cristiano Ronaldo would feature for Portugal while Ivory Coast has Chelsea’s Didier Drogba.

Ivory Coast (Cote d’Ivoire) 0-0 Portugal Video Highlights

The match highlights can be found here at Free Soccer Highlights.

Ivory Coast (Cote d’Ivoire) 0-0 Portugal Recap

It was another draw in the 2010 World Cup as the two teams failed to score any goals.

Neither team had too many clear cut chances as there was only three shots on goal for both teams combined. Drogba, who has a broken arm, didn’t start the match but came on for the final 25 minutes of the match.

There were some good chances for either sides including a shot from Ronaldo that hit the post. Overall, Ivory Coast had the better of play but both teams will receive a point. They will next place Brazil and North Korea.

Ivory Coast (Cote d’Ivoire) 0-0 Portugal Match Stats

Ivory Coast                     Portugal

Ivory Coast (Cote d’Ivoire) 0-0 Portugal – Video Highlights, Recap, and Match Stats – World Cup – 15 June 2010 - The 90th Minute Soccer Blog

The Group of Death (G) begins play with the Ivory Coast taking on Portugal. The match will take place at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth, South Africa on Tuesday, June 15, 2010. Kickoff is scheduled for 15:00 BST, 16:00 local time in South Africa, and 10:00 EST.

It will be televised on ESPN in the United States, CBC in Canada, SBS in Australia, ITV 1 in the United Kingdom, Al Jazeera Sport in the Middle East, TF 1 in France, and on ZDF in Germany. You can also find the match at the link on the bottom of this post.

Ivory Coast v Portugal Preview

Didier Drogba still remains a doubt for the Ivory Coast with the match likely to determine which of these teams will make into the next round (along with group favorite Brazil). Portugal is without Nani for the tournament but will have Cristiano Ronaldo fit for the match.

Both teams would likely advance in most other groups but unfortunately were stuck with Brazil in what many have called the group of death. Portugal are favored but a lot of it will depend on if Drogba plays in the match. He has been training but has to get permission from FIFA to play with a cast.

If Drogba plays, then Ivory Coast have a fair shot to get a result but if not it improves Portugal’s chances. Any result would not be too surprising as Portugal haven’t been that impressive in qualifying and Ivory Coast are a talented and dangerous side. A draw seems like the most probable result.

Betting Odds

Ivory Coast win – 9/4

Draw – 11/5

Portugal win – 5/4

Ivory Coast v Portugal Prediction

The match will end in a 2-2 draw.

Watch Ivory Coast v Portugal Live Online

The match can be seen at Free Live Sports TV.

Ivory Coast (Cote d’Ivoire) v Portugal Preview, Prediction, and TV Listings - The 90th Minute Soccer Blog