Games to watch for Saturday's WC Qualifiers

As we enter another day of action packed football, if you are having a tough time figuring out which matches to watch, here are the ones I recommend.

Africa

        In the African qualifiers, there are 5 groups of four teams. The 1st place teams in each group qualify directly to the World Cup.  The remaining team cannot qualify for the World Cup.

Group D: Senegal vs Burkina Faso

23:00 CET (+3) - 20:00 local time, Stade Leopold Sedar Senghor, Dakar

The two teams that are expected to do wonders in the group and compete in Russia go head to head. Senegal started with a 2-0 win against Cape Verde as Keita and Moussa Sow getting the goals. In the 2nd match Senegal lost to South Africa 2-1 which put them 3rd in the group. As Senegal play an attacking style of football, many find there games attractive and entertaining to watch. The players to watch on Senegal’s team is Napoli full back Kalidou Koulibaly who is the main defender for Senegal. In the middle watch Senegal captain Kouyate and Everton FC playmaker Idrissa Gueye who will be needed to step up their game against Burkina Faso. Up front Senegal have Sadio Mane who was fantastic in Liverpool’s game last week against the Gunners. Burkina Faso are tied in 1st place with South Africa as they tied them 1-1 in the first match, and defeated Cape Verde 2-0 away. Since Burkina Faso reached the semi-finals in the African Cup of Nations, they are aim to qualify to the World Cup for the first time in their history. Burkina Faso may not have a superstar player such as Sadio Mane, they have a great team chemistry. 20 year old keeper Kouakou Koffi had a stunning performance at this years African Cup of Nations and will need another good performance to stop Senegal. Experienced forward Aristide Bance has scored 21 goals in 67 matches and has heavily helped Burkina Faso win many critical matches. Lyon striker Bertrand Traore could also be a key player. A win for Burkina Faso would keep them in 1st. A draw or loss could allow South Africa to take the 1st spot. A win for Senegal would put them back in the game.

Other Matches:

Group B: Zambia vs Algeria 16:00 CET (+3)

Group C: Gabon vs Côte d’Ivoire 19:00 CET (+3)

Europe

In the European qualifiers, there are 9 groups of six teams. 1st place in each group qualifies directly to the World Cup. 2nd place teams enter a playoff round against each other. The rest cannot qualify.

Group G: Spain vs Italy

21:45 CET (+3) - 20:45 local time, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid

The 2010 World Cup Champions are prepared to take on the 2006 World Cup Champions Italy. Spain and Italy are tied in 1st place and have both won five of their six matches. Spain is a strong team in terms of experience, however they have very few younger players on the squad. Spanish legend David Villa is back on the team for the first time in a few years.He has scored 59 goals in 97 matches. Spain currently have a very strong back line as it will be lead by Sergio Ramos, who is currently one of the best defenders in the world and has lead Real Madrid to many trophies in the past few years. Barcelona duo Pique and Alba have kept Spain solid as a rock. Some midfielders I would recommend you to look out for is Isco and Marco Asensio. Up front Spain have Pedro and Alvaro Morata who is trying to make a name for himself in the Premier League for Chelsea. Gianluigi Buffon is still going strong in goal as he has 169 caps for Italy. Buffon is the captain of the Azzurri and is planing to retire after the 2018 World Cup in Russia. In my opinion, Italy currently have the best defenders in the world. Junventus defender Giorgio Chiellini and AC Milan defender Leonardo Bonucci will be a crucial piece for Italy in this match. In the middle Italy have Marco Verratti who is perfect at passing the ball wider, and making the right tackles. The last meeting between the two sides was a 1-1 draw in Turin. Will Spain be able to get past the Italian defense or will Italy prevail. 

Group I: Ukraine vs Turkey

21:45 CET (+3), Metalist Stadium, Kharkiv

Ukraine will face Turkey as it is a must win for both sides as Ukraine and Turkey  tied for 3rd and need to get second to reach the playoffs. After a disappointing performance for Euro 2016, Ukraine are picking up and will want to redeem themselves. As Andriy Shevchenko is the new head coach of Ukraine since after the euros, he is changing Ukraine's style of football from playing at the back to playing a more attacking style of play. The players on Ukraine to look out for are Dortmund's new signing Andriy Yarmolenko who has scored over 20 goals for Ukraine, and has a good eye for goal. Schalke 04 player Yevhen Konoplyanka has pulled off some decent performances in this Bundesliga and the national team. Turkey have won there last three matches in the qualifiers, however it will be difficult to keep up with 1st place teams Croatia and Iceland. Turkey have AC Milan Hakan Calhanoglu who has made an impact on Serie A and has huge ambitions for his career. 

BVB midfielder Nuri Sahin is also a great player who helps play the balls to the wingers. BVB player Emre Mor and Barcelona player Arda Turan will need to step up to the plate since there are only three games after this match. A win for both teams would be a huge boost. A loss or a draw would put these teams in a bad position. 

Other Matches:

Group D: Georgia vs Ireland 19:00 CET (+3) - 20:00 local time

               Serbia vs Moldova 19:00 CET (+3) - 18:00 local time

Group G: Albania vs Liechtenstein 19:00 CET (+3) - 18:00 local time

               Israel vs Macedonia 21:45 CET (+3)

Group I: Finland vs Iceland 19:00 CET (+3)

             Croatia vs Kosovo 21:45 CET (+3) - 20:45 local time