World Cup

WORLD CUP history was made in South Korea’s opening game as both teams recorded ZERO shots on target in a bore draw with Uruguay.This time, Ghana lie in wait and both sides will be hunting for their first win.

And if either have any aspirations of reaching the last 16, they almost certainly need to win this one.
Cristinao Ronaldo’s Portugal will remain group favourites but a victory here would take these sides one major step closer to knockout qualification.
No pressure, then…
SunSport takes a look at what to expect from South Korea vs Ghana… including score prediction.
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How are they getting on?
South Korea: The ‘Tigers of Asia’ saw out a drab goalless draw with Uruguay.
They’ll be hoping the break that deadlock and hit the back of the net this time around.
A win against Ghana is vital if they want to reach the knockouts.
Read full Uruguay vs South Korea report…
Ghana: Ghana were close to rocking the Portuguese with a last minute draw as Inaki Williams snuck up on keeper Diogo Costa.
The Athletic Club Bilbao striker slipped at the key moment and Ghana were forced to settled with a 3-2 loss.
Their second clash is now a must-win.
Read full Portugal vs Ghana report…
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Any injuries to worry about?
South Korea: Wolves striker Hwang Hee-chan is out with a hamstring injury.
The 26-year-old was an unused sub on Thursday against Uruguay.
Ghana: Manager Otto Addo has injury concerns of note ahead of the clash.
Who will be the star men?
South Korea: Son Heung-Min has carried the hopes of South Korea on his shoulders for years.
The Tottenham ace, 30, has already racked up 105 caps for his country.
He will be hoping to get on the scoresheet in this outing.
Ghana: Arsenal’s Thomas Partey will attempt to control the game from midfield.
Was somewhat average against Portugal but fans will hope for more this time out.
Watch out for Basque Country star Williams.
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What’s the head-to-head?
These two nations have played nine times with very even outcomes.
It’s an exact split so far – with both sides sharing four wins each, with a single draw.
Ghana crushed South Korea 4-0 last time they faced off in 2014.
SunSport prediction
South Korea 3 Ghana 1 More

CAMEROON and Serbia go head-to-head knowing nothing but a win will do.Both nations failed to gain a point from their opening Group G match.

And if either have any aspirations of reaching the last 16, they almost certainly need to win this one.
Switzerland will be there for the taking in the other group game against power-hitters Brazil.
So both sides will be desperate for three points on the board from the bout at 40,000 seater Al Janoub.
SunSport takes a look at what to expect from Cameroon vs Serbia… including a score prediction.
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How are they getting on?
Cameroon: The ‘Indomitable Lions’ gave a hard-fought effort but walked away with a 1-0 loss against the Swiss.
Breel Embolo refused to celebrate his winner against the country of his birth in Group G’s opening game.
A win against Serbia is vital if they want to reach the knockouts.
Read full Switzerland vs Cameroon report…
Serbia: No-one expected the Serbs to take anything from their initial round matchup with the mighty Brazil.
Richarlison scored a double including a stunning acrobatic overhead kick.
Read full Brazil vs Serbia report…
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Any injuries to worry about?
Cameroon: Midfielder Olivier Ntcham will miss the Serbia clash through injury. 
The Swansea striker has been ruled out of Cameroon’s remaining group games.
Serbia: Coach Dragan Stojkovic admitted that top scorer Aleksandar Mitrovic wasn’t fully fit last week.
The boss also revealed that Juventus pair Dusan Vlahovic and Filip Kostic missed the starting line up for the Brazil bout because of injuries.
He said: “I’m sorry we didn’t have everyone at the top, it’s not a tactical issue, we have a few days to recover and to prepare for the decisive matches. Hopefully, we can count on Kostic.”
While Kostic’s health is still up-in-the-air, Vlahovic is set to start with Mitrovic up top against Cameroon.
Who will be the star men?
Cameroon: Brentford’s Bryan Mbeumo should start alongside Bayern Munich forward Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting.
The Premier League striker will be desperate to make his mark for the African nation.
And after a goalless opening match, they’ll both be needed to find the back of the net.
Serbia: Mitrovic scored 43 goals last season to break the all-time goalscoring record in the Championship.
Nine strikes in 12 games in this season’s Prem shows that he is Serbia’s main man.
Although, six in ten for Vlahovic in the Italian Serie A shows that goals should come easy for the European side.
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What’s the head-to-head?
These two nations have only ever played ONCE.
In a friendly in 2010, Serbia came out as victors in a 4-3 cracker.
SunSport prediction
Cameroon 1 Serbia 2 More

JACK GREALISH has defended Gareth Southgate and insists the England boss has NO problem with Phil Foden.Foden, 22, has been in red-hot form for Man City this term with eight goals and three assists in 20 appearances.
Phil Foden was left on the bench during the draw draw with USACredit: Rex
Jack Grealish insists Gareth Southgate has ‘no problem’ with any of England’s attackersCredit: Getty
The attacker came off the bench as England thrashed Iran 6-2 in their opening group game but Southgate was highly-criticised by fans and pundits alike for not introducing him during Friday’s drab goalless draw with USA.
Victory would have secured the Three Lions’ place in the last-16 with a game to spare but they struggled to create any clear cut chances against the Americans.
And that has intensified the calls for Foden to start Tuesday’s clash against Wales.
Southgate’s failure to bring Foden on has led to speculation over the relationship between the manager and Foden.
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But fellow City and England star Grealish has moved quickly to deny those suggestions as he drew on his own past experiences.
Grealish told BBC Sport: “People always used to say, ‘Ah, he’s got a problem with Jack’ last year or two years ago, and then I come on and it’s like, ‘Oh, he likes Jack now, who is it next?’.
“And then I know people were saying, ‘He doesn’t like Madders (James Maddison)’ and now Madders is in, so it’s fine with him, and then Phil didn’t play, so it’s like, ‘He’s got a problem with Phil’.
“He hasn’t got a problem with anyone. He speaks to all of us the same.
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“If you’re not playing – Phil didn’t play the other night – he’s still the same with Phil as he is with me, when I came on, or Harry Kane.
“He’s not got a problem with anyone. If he did have a problem with someone, you’d know about it.”
Grealish also defended Southgate after many criticised his use of the huge attacking talent at his disposal.
He said: “You look at our attack and I’m not going to sit here and be big-headed and say we’ve got the best attack in the tournament, but it’s certainly up there.
“You look at the seven or eight attacking players we have and everyone brings different stuff to the game, so it is difficult for the manager sometimes.” More

FANS were seen holding up pictures of Mesut Ozil while covering their mouths with their hands during Germany’s World Cup clash with Spain.Niclas Fullkrug’s 83rd minute strike saw the Germans seal a dramatic 1-1 draw in Sunday’s group stage clash.
Football fans held pictures of Mesut Ozil while covering their mouthsCredit: Getty
The dramatic scenes took place during Germany’s 1-1 draw with SpainCredit: Getty
But during the game, some supporters were seen standing while holding pictures of former Germany international Ozil.
As they flashed the pictures towards the pitch, many also covered their hands with their mouths.
The move referenced Germany’s players doing the same gesture before their shock opening game defeat to Japan.
Hansi Flick’s men were not allowed to wear the OneLove armband in support of the LGBTQ community.  
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And by putting their hands over their mouths, they protested Fifa’s decision by insinuating they had been silenced from criticising World Cup hosts Qatar.
But the fans present against Spain were apparently highlighting perceived hypocrisy of Germany’s treatment of Ozil, now 34.
He retired from international duty after Germany’s early 2018 World Cup exit, claiming he was scapegoated over his Turkish background.
The former Arsenal man, now at Istanbul Basaksehir, was also criticised in his homeland for meeting with controversial Turkey president Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
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German players made the same gesture protesting Fifa’s ban on their OneLove armbandsCredit: Getty
Ozil retired from the national side after claiming racismCredit: AFP or licensors
And in a stunning statement, he said at the time: “The treatment I have received from the DFB (German Football Association) and many others makes me no longer want to wear the German national team shirt.
“I feel unwanted and think that what I have achieved since my international debut in 2009 has been forgotten.
“I will no longer be playing for Germany at international level whilst I have this feeling of racism and disrespect. I used to wear the German shirt with such pride and excitement, but now I don’t.
“When high-ranking DFB officials treat me as they did, disrespect my Turkish roots and selfishly turn me into political propaganda, then enough is enough.
“This is not why I play football, and I will not sit back and do nothing about it. Racism should never, ever be accepted.”
Ozil also said about former German FA president Reinhard Grindel: “People with racially discriminative backgrounds should not be allowed to work in the largest football federation in the world that has players from dual‑heritage families.
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“Attitudes like theirs simply do not reflect the players they supposedly represent. In the eyes of Grindel and his supporters, I am German when we win but I am an immigrant when we lose.”
And just last year, Ozil said: “I wish the German national team success, but I will never play for them again.” More

BEN DAVIES says Wales can copy USA’s blueprint to stun England in the Battle of Britain.The Dragons were left floored by their 2-0 defeat to Iran on Friday.
Tottenham ace Ben Davies is confident Wales can beat England in the World CupCredit: PA
But they watched the Three Lions in their stalemate with the Americans later that evening.
Davies said Wales, who need to beat their arch- rivals to have any chance of a Last-16 spot, spotted weaknesses which they believe they can exploit.
The Tottenham defender said: “We have to maybe look at what the USA did well to try and gain some sort of advantage.
“America played a very good game against England, and it’s not exactly like they’re a bad team.
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“They caused England problems just like England caused America problems.
“It was quite an even game and it was probably one where no team gave too much away.”
Wales must beat England by four goals to guarantee their place in the knockout stages.
But any win will be enough for Rob Page’s men if the other Group B fixture between Iran and USA ends in a draw.
Tottenham ace Ben Davies claims Wales know how to beat England in the World CupCredit: Getty
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And Davies, 29, is convinced the Dragons can win.
He said: “They are a good team and have shown that in recent years.  But we have to hope we can do something special against them.”
“We’ve performed well when we’ve had our backs against the wall in the past.
“We really have got nothing to lose now, we have to go out there and give the best side of ourselves.”
England captain Harry Kane has a foot injury and the absence of his Spurs club-mate would be a  boost to Wales.
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Davies said: “Harry’s a world-class player and one of the best in the world so he’s going to make any team better. 
“Whoever we’re up against, we’re facing a team of world-class players.” More

HARRY KANE insists England ‘know what it takes’ to get to the World Cup final — and he is fit enough to lead the charge.The Three Lions skipper accepts the criticism that has come since the goalless draw against USA, while boss Gareth Southgate says Phil Foden still has a big part to play despite being an unused sub last Friday.
Harry Kane insists he is fit enough to fire England into the World Cup finalCredit: Getty
Kane has been suffering with an ankle injury picked up in the World Cup opener vs IranCredit: PA
And ahead of Tuesday’s clash with Wales, Kane reminded the fans that England also drew 0-0 with Scotland in the group stages at Euro 2020 and marched into the final against Italy.
Asked about “the noise” around the poor performance against the USA, he said: “The team are pretty used to it.
“We go from a 6-2 win against Iran and everyone is talking about us winning the tournament.
“And then we have not a bad result – a 0-0 draw against the USA – and of course people have their opinions. But that’s part and parcel of major tournament football.
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“When we look back at the Euros, for example, it was very similar. After we drew to Scotland there was a lot of noise after that game.
“But we are focused on ourselves. We know what it takes to get to a major championship final.
“Yeah, hopefully it will be more of the same if we stay focused on what we need to do.”
Kane got a foot injury in the opening Group B game against Iran but played 90 minutes against USA.
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The Tottenham striker, two behind Wayne Rooney’s 53-goal England scoring record, was not at his best on Friday night.
But Kane, 29, has told Southgate his injury is not an issue and that he has played on with far worse.
The manager is likely to stick with most of the XI he used in both the first two games, with just a couple of late decisions to make.
Manchester City star Foden was one player who did not play against the States, with many pundits questioning Southgate’s decision to not even bring him on as a sub.
But Southgate has told the playmaker he can still play a major part in the tournament.
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Jack Grealish and Marcus Rashford were preferred off the bench in the drab draw.
Southgate will make a call tomorrow whether to stick with the 4-3-3 formation he used in the opening two games, or switch to a back three against Wales. More