"It's all up to you." Every coach can use that line in order to get their respective team to a higher round. With all four team still alive for the knockout spot, anything and everything will go in Tuesday's late games. Argentina-Greece and South Korea-Nigeria will determine who advances to the knockout round on this year World Cup. Argentina is in first place with six points with victories over Nigeria and South Korea. South Korea is in second place with three points having a win over Greece. Greece is in third place with three points with a victory over Nigeria. In last place with two losses is Nigeria. Goal differential will be the key to who advances in Group B. With the possibility of three teams having three or six points, the two teams with the upper goal differential will advance. That is how Nigeria can advance with a win over South Korea and a Greece loss to Argentina. With South Korea, Greece, and Nigeria all tied at three points, Nigeria will need the better differential and advance.
South Korea and Greece will both be eliminated with a loss tomorrow. A Greek win or tie together with a South Korean loss would advance the Greeks. A win by both teams would come down to goal differential. Argentina would probably advance in this scenerio as it would be hard for either Greece or South Korea to erase Argentina's plus-4 in goal differential. When Nigeria takes on South Korea, the Nigerians will again relly on goalie Vincent Enyeama to maintain them in the game. Enyeama have been the goalie on the tournament so far and has kept his team in both games. Scoring have been a problem for the Nigerians, but they could be capable of crack the center on the South Korean defense that was shredded by Argentina for four goals. Kanu, Martins, and the remainder of the Nigerian strikers ought to be licking their chops against this defense. South Korea should have the ability to control the midfield against Nigeria. Park Ji-Sung and Lee Chung-Yong should find space in the midfield to control and set up the South Korean attack. With the Nigerians needing to win the game and hoping Argentina does a similar, the Nigerian defense and midfield will be open a bit more. I think the Nigerians will pull a minor upset and beat South Korea by a score of 2-1. The middle of South Korea defense is poor at best. Even with Nigeria banged up inside the defense the Nigerian's still have an elite goalie in Enyeama. Enyeama and also the Nigerian forwards will be enough to get them a win.
Greece-Argentina may be a mismatch on paper. Argentina offensive firepower, led by Lionel Messi, Gonzalo Higuain, Diego Milito, and Carlos Tevez, can cause havoc on any defense. Add Javier Mascherano, Maxi Rodriguez, and Angel Di Maria inside the midfield, and anyone of those seven players can put it into the net. The only problem to ask who will play for Argentina? Does Diego Maradona rest players getting ready for the knockout round knowing only a miracle keeps them from it? Already missing Jonas Gutierrez for the Greece game after studying two yellow cards, does Maradona play Mascherano and Gabriel Heinze both with a yellow card? Having a deep team to select from Maradona has plenty of options to unleash on Greece.
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