Chile Will Make the Second Round in South Africa

Chile has lucked out in the draw and will present a difficult proposition for any opponent in the 2010 World Cup according to Al Dannity.

How they got here
Like Brazil and Paraguay who I have previously raved about, Chile proved to be amongst the stars of the South American qualifiers. La Roja got off to a slow start with defeats at Argentina and at home to Paraguay early on but the blistering goal scoring threat of Chile’s 3-3-1-3 formation helped put things right quickly.

Key road victories over Bolivia and Venezuela soon followed and a home defeat to Brazil did little to dent confidence. Chile bounced right back, stomping Colombia 4-0 and wins over Argentina, Peru, Paraguay and again over Bolivia soon followed. A second defeat to Brazil was only a temporary bump before wins over Colombia and Ecuador secured second place in table and a place in South Africa.

Who to watch
Humberto Suazo is a solid outside bet for top scorer in the tournament and Sports Interaction is offering the striker at +6600. Considering Suazo topped the South American scoring charts with 10 goals in qualification, even more than Brazil’s Luis Fabiano, he is great value despite playing for a relative underdog.

If you haven’t an account with Sports Interaction, open one now and we’ll bonus your first deposit by 100% up to $116!

Outside of the Real Zaragoza striker this is a team low on recognizable names but not on talent. CSKA Moscow attacker Mark Gonzalez is best know for a disappointing spell at Liverpool. The pace of Gonzalez will prove a headache for the likes of Switzerland and Honduras so this World Cup could help re-establish his presence on the global stage. Udinese’s Alexis Sanchez has shown exceptional promise at international level and could be set for a breakout tournament in South Africa.

Outside of the attacking threats in La Roja’s arsenal, West Bromich Albion defender Gonzalo Jara will also prove pivotal to Chile’s chances. A steady defense will be necessary when dealing with likely counter attacks from group rivals Switzerland and Honduras and Jara will need to show some leadership to avoid any slip ups.

How they will perform
To quote one soccer song, Chile will play with the fundamental attitude of “We’re going to score one more than you”. The 3-3-1-3 formation deployed by La Roja places a lot of responsibility on Suazo but also creates plenty of opportunities for the striker. Against Spain he may struggle but Switzerland and Honduras will likely prove easier to unlock. I expect Chile to do enough to progress and match their 1998 performance of making the second round of the World Cup. On that occasion Brazil laid waste to a talented Chile team and in all likelihood we’ll see the same pairing in the second round of this tournament. While this squad may possess more fight than the 1998 edition, it still won’t be any match for Brazil. Back Chile to make it out of Group H but go no further.