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China on the Edge While Heroes of 1998 Scrap for Places
While Asia's sleeping giant China stand on the edge of qualifying this weekend for their first ever World Cup finals, two of the four semi-finalists from the 1998 finals -- Brazil and Croatia -- will be battling to keep alive their hopes of automatically qualifying.
The Chinese, who need to beat minnows Oman at home on Sunday to seal their spot, may have been asleep until being awoken by maverick Yugoslav coach Bora Milutinovic, but Brazil can be accused of sliding from being wide awake into a comatose state.
The four-time winners have incredibly got worse since their 3-0 defeat by France in the 1998 final and with just three matches to go in their qualifiers are in real danger of undergoing the ignominy of having to play Oceania winners Australia for the honour of qualifying for next year's showpiece.
They can take a huge step towards finishing in the top four of their group which would give them automatic qualification by beating a pretty woeful Chilean outfit on Sunday - though they will be mindful that Chile beat them 3-0 in Santiago last year.
Uruguay, who currently occupy fifth place, face a tougher task in keeping the pressure on Brazil as they host Copa America champions Colombia.
However, defeat for the visitors, a win for Brazil and Ecuador gaining at least a point in Bolivia would mean Colombia missing out on making it to a fourth successive finals.
Paraguay, who went out at the last 16 stage to France on a golden goal four years ago, will want to take maximum points at home to the already qualified Argentina if they are to maintain the five point margin between themselves and Brazil and Uruguay.
While Brazil have three matches to clean up their act, Croatia have their fate in their own hands in the climactic match to Group Six in Europe.
They take on current Group Six leaders Belgium, whom they need to beat to leapfrog and avoid a troublesome play-off with the Group Three runners-up, probably either Bulgaria or the Czech Republic.
The Croats problem has been finding replacements for many of the players who inspired them to third place in 1998 as Zvonimir Boban, Slaven Bilic and Igor Stimac have retired while leading scorer Davor Suker is without a club.
Other European giants too must be licking their lips nervously with Italy an outside bet for an upset as they host Hungary in Group Eight, though they need to lose and the Gheorghe Hagi-coached Romanians beat Georgia to be ousted from top spot.
Given that the less than impressive Germans trounced Hungary in a friendly in the lead-up to their 5-1 trouncing by England last month an Itlaian defeat would appear to be to quote boxing promoter Don King 'slim and none ... and slim is right out of town now' though Hagi at least hasn't given up hope.
"A Hungarian win in Italy has less than one percent chance of being accomplished," the former playmaking legend said.
"But sometimes the dream can turn into reality in soccer," he added wistfully.
One thing is for sure is that one of two previous winners of the trophy will be consigned to a play-off for the trip to Korea or Japan next year as England and Germany strive in Group Nine to make sure of automatic top dog spot.
England need to beat Greece at home to ensure they progress while Germany either must win, and win big, against Finland and hope their great rivals fail to down the wobbly Greeks but they look the likelier candidates to enter the play-offs against either Ukraine or surprise packages Belarus.
German coach Rudy Voller has called on his troops not to panic but they will be doing well if they don't given the play-off would see their leaky defence confronted potentially by Ukraine's strike force of AC Milan's Andrei Shevchenko and Tottenham's Serhii Rebrov.
The picture in the CONCACAF group is a lot less clearer as three countries chase the remaining two spots with Costa Rica already assured of returning to the top table of world football since they reached the last 16 in 1990 having beaten Scotland on the way.
This is where the maverick bohemian wiles of Milutinovic return to the spotlight and he could be forgiven for being slightly distracted if he were to look at this group.
Having guided the Costa Ricans to that stunning performance he is also a former boss of two of the three teams involved in the fight for the automatic spots in third placed Mexico and current fourth side United States.
Mexico, who he guided to a quarter-final penalty shootout loss to the then West Germany in 1986, have resurrected their campaign after a dreadful start while the Americans, who he coached at the 1994 finals, have slumped to three successive defeats.
However, the USA have an easier looking final two matches with a home match over the 'Reggae Boyz' of Jamaica and an away trip to Trinidad, who they beat in their final qualifying match to make it to the 1990 finals.
Mexico, who reached the Copa America final in the summer, travel to Costa Rica and then host Honduras, the other side in the maelstrom who are a point ahead of the Mexicans and Americans at the moment.
The Hondurans, who also impressed as late invitees to the Copa America, beating Brazil among others before exiting in the semi-finals, can qualify for their first World Cup finals since 1982 should Mexico or the States lose this weekend and they beat Trinidad at home.
Milutinovic may have made a habit of coaching the lesser lights of world football but, as he has showed, he is a master of getting them to the top football tournament in the world - something Brazil or his native Yugoslavia might take note of when they next come to choose a new manager.
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