2008 Euro qualifying Group C match previews: Should I bother?

by Foolsgold

There are three matches in this group tomorrow:

Malta vs. Turkey, 1230 EST Ta' Qali - Ta' Qali

Moldova vs. Norway, 1300 EST Zimbru - Chisinau

Hungary vs. Bosnia & Herzegovina, 0900 EST Sóstói - Szekesfehervar

All three matches pit a team with a substantially better chance of qualifying then their host country. Bosnia & Herzegovina, Turkey, and Norway all sit at 13 points and in that order due to to tie-breakers. It's a little deceiving since Bosnia has a goal difference of 0 while the Turks & Norwegians have goal differences of +10 and +11 respectively. The thing is though, Bosnia beat Norway in Norway and have matches at home versus Moldova and the Norwegians as well as away ties against Greece and Turkey, so a win at Hungary here would do wonders for their qualifying chances.

Bosnia's opponent, Hungary, has to win this match if they are to have any chance of qualifying. The Hungarians are going to be a formidable side in the distant future with a seemingly endless amount of young promising players, but they just aren't ready to consistently compete with even the most marginal sides like Bosnia & Herzegovina. With that said, Bosnia has a defense that makes swiss cheese look impenetrable as their 14 allowed goals in group play has revealed, so I'm gonna go with a draw here, 2-2. I definitely expect a big game from the other Zlatan, Zlatan Muslimović, the striker and leading goal scorer for the Bosnians.

Despite being away ties, I don't expect either Turkey or Norway to have much trouble with their opponents. Frankly, I foresee these two sides advancing to the Euro, as Greece still has to travel to both their countries in their remaining qualifying fixtures. Norway is freakin' loaded and should be able to gain some solace with their recent win over Argentina, while despite Greece being ranked higher in the FIFA placings, Turkey is the best team in this group.

Originally posted here