UEFA announced the four pairings for the playoff round of World Cup Qualifying on Monday morning. The pairings are:
UEFA Announces World Cup Qualifying Playoff Pairings
Republic of Ireland vs. France -- the two sides met each other in qualifying for the 2006 World Cup, drawing one match in France, while France prevailed 1-0 in Ireland.
Portugal vs. Bosnia-Herzegovina -- expect to see Cristiano Ronaldo back for these crucial two matches, regardless of his injury status.
Greece vs. Ukraine -- after winning Euro 2004, the Greek national side has been a little disappointing, failing to qualify for the 2006 World Cup and losing all three of its opening round games in Euro 2008. A win here would go a long way towards soothing those wounds.
Russia vs. Slovenia -- with the first leg in at home, the higher-ranked and favored Russian side will face a significant amount of pressure to get a result before traveling to Slovenia for the second leg.
Each pairing will play a home and home, the first leg on November 14th and the second on November 18th. The winners of each home and home will qualify for South Africa 2010, and will represent UEFA alongside Denmark, Switzerland, Slovakia, Germany, Spain, England, Serbia, the Netherlands and Italy, which have all already qualified.
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