DJHazey

Friday 27th October Crystal Palace 0-1 Tottenham Hotspur (20:00) Saturday 28th October Chelsea 2-1 Brentford (12:30) Arsenal 3-0 Sheffield United AFC Bournemouth 3-1 Burnley Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-2 Newcastle United (17:30) Sunday 29th October West Ham United 1-0 Everton (13:00) Aston Villa 2-0 Luton Town (14:00) Brighton & Hove Albion 2-0 Fulham (14:00) Liverpool 1-0 Nottingham Forest (14:00) Manchester United 2-0 Manchester City (15:30)

That argument doesn't really work with Europe's style of qualifying existing. What is the incentive of nations like England, Spain, France, etc. to really go hard when they get grouped with opponents who have no real shot against them? They'll even send the B-squad into qualifiers against them because of this. This is bound to be even worse now that they'll get more automatic qualifiers as well. Or look at this upcoming round in Asia. Why would Iran put their best XI on the field and risk injury against Hong Kong or Turkmenistan? In Argentina's case, if they don't 'try' against most of the other nations in South America than they'll undoubtedly lose those matches because the competition all around is more consistently higher. Also, there's a lot more regional pride and rivalries that play out between South American countries where each match is basically a holiday over there.

Decided to take a look at how the FIFA Rankings have changed for the European nations since pre-qualifying campaigns now before the final matches next matches. (December 2022 FIFA Rankings to the projected one to be released next week since the points are already calculated online) Spain 10 > 8 > +2 Scotland 42 > 34 > +8 Norway 43 > 43 > 0 Georgia 78 > 76 > +2 Cyprus 110 > 124 > -14 France 3 > 2 > +1 Netherlands 6 > 7 > -1 Greece 51 > 51 > 0 Ireland 48 > 58 > -10 Gibraltar 200 > 198 > +2 England 5 > 4 > +1 Ukraine 26 > 22 > +4 Italy 8 > 9 > -1 North Macedonia > 65 > 66 > -1 Malta 167 > 171 > -4 Turkey 44 > 38 > +6 Wales 28 > 28 > 0 Croatia 7 > 10 > -3 Armenia 95 > 95 > 0 Latvia 133 > 132 > +1 Albania 66 > 60 > +6 Czech Republic 38 > 41 > -3 Poland 22 > 31 > -9 Moldova 174 > 157 > +17 Faroe Islands > 123 > 135 > -12 Belgium 4 > 5 > -1 Austria 34 > 26 > +8 Sweden 23 > 23 > 0??? Azerbaijan 121 > 120 > +1 Estonia 109 > 118 > -9 Hungary 36 > 30 > +6 Serbia 29 > 29 > 0 Montenegro 69 > 70 > -1 Lithuania 144 > 134 > +10 Bulgaria 71 > 84 > -13 Slovenia 62 > 54 > +8 Denmark > 18 > 19 > -1 Kazakhstan 115 > 99 > +16 Finland 56 > 62 > -6 Northern Ireland 59 > 75 > -16 San Marino 207 > 207 > 0 Romania 52 > 48 > +4 Switzerland 12 > 14 > -2 Israel 76 > 71 > +5 Kosovo 107 > 106 > +1 Belarus 97 > 100 > -3 Andorra 153 > 159 > -6 Portugal 9 > 6 > +3 Slovakia 54 > 50 > +4 Luxembourg 92 > 87 > +5 Iceland 63 > 67 > -4 Bosnia Herzegovina 57 > 63 > -6 Liechtenstein 198 > 200 > -2

Well with the World Cup expanding to 48 teams, it's more than fair considering how highly ranked most of the region is.

Brazil lose 2-0 in Uruguay with Neymar being carted off with injury.

Afghanistan 1-0 | 1-0 | 2-0 Mongolia Maldives 1-1 | 1-2 | 2-3 Bangladesh Singapore 2-1 | 1-0 | 3-1 Guam Yemen 3-0 | 1-1 | 4-1 Sri Lanka Myanmar 5-1 | 0-0 | 5-1 Macau Cambodia 0-0 | 0-1 | 0-1 Pakistan Chinese Taipei 4-0 | 3-0 | 7-0 Timor-Leste Indonesia 6-0 | 6-0 | 12-0 Brunei Hong Kong 4-0 | 0-2 | 4-2 Bhutan Nepal 1-1 | 1-0 | 2-1 Laos Round 2's groups are now set: with NOV 2023 FIFA Ranking Group A Qatar - 61 Kuwait - 136 India - 102 Afghanistan - 154 Group B Japan - 18 Syria - 92 North Korea - 115 Myanmar - 158 Group C South Korea - 24 China - 79 Thailand - 112 Singapore - 155 Group D Oman - 72 Kyrgyzstan - 97 Malaysia - 137 Taiwan - 152 Group E Iran - 21 Uzbekistan - 73 Turkmenistan - 141 Hong Kong - 150 Group F Iraq - 68 Vietnam - 94 Philippines - 138 Indonesia - 145 Group G Saudia Arabia - 57 Jordan - 82 Tajikistan - 109 Pakistan - 193 Group H United Arab Emirates - 69 Bahrain - 83 Yemen - 156 Nepal - 173 Group I Australia - 27 Palestine - 96 Lebanon - 104 Bangladesh - 183 The top two teams from each group will advance to Round 3 and directly to the 2027 Asian Cup. I think the most contested groups for the #2 spot will be Group C and Group F. All four nations in each group are capable of pulling off upsets. I'm also not sure how strong Oman is as a top-ranked nation for one of these groups (Uzbekistan would've been better suited, being the best of 2nd slot teams) but I'm also not sure how much fight Kyrgyzstan, Malaysia, and Taiwan will put up. They got a good draw.

Stock up during the qualifying (compared to how they looked going in): Scotland Turkey Albania Austria Hungary (though you could argue they're only justifying their Nations League performance) Slovenia Luxembourg (except when they're playing Portugal) Stock down during the qualifying (compared to what they were heading in): Norway Netherlands Ireland (I'm not sure anyone thought they'd qualify, but they've been even more dreadful than anyone expected) Poland Sweden Bulgaria (they've been down in recent years, but not to this extent) Northern Ireland (see Ireland) I will do a FIFA World Rankings comparison from pre-qualifying to after the November matches.

Brazil's next three matches are away to Uruguay, away to Colombia and home versus Argentina. They could come out of that mid-table.

I have Albanian natives here at my office in USA who are pumping their fists over this run and with good reason. That's why I've always been partial to them. With just a home match vs. Faroe Islands and a road trip to Moldova on the docket, it would take something unfortunate to not see Albania through and as group winners to boot.

Probably 2-0 England.

It wasn't as much of a prediction as much as it was hyperbole B-) , still wouldn't be surprised if it ends up 16-0 by the end. Alot of times to the inferior opponent tends to get massacred even more at home in these for some reason. Indonesia is the class of this stage though, I expect them to give a couple scares in Round Two. Rooting for our fellow American in Guam to pull off another upset.

After one leg: Afghanistan 1-0 Mongolia Maldives 1-1 Bangladesh Singapore 2-1 Guam Yemen 3-0 Sri Lanka Myanmar 5-1 Macau Cambodia 0-0 Pakistan Chinese Taipei 4-0 Timor-Leste Indonesia 6-0 Brunai Hong Kong 4-0 Bhutan Nepal 1-1 Laos Mongolia, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Laos, and surprisingly Guam have the best chances to win the tie going to their home field. (Guam getting that precious away goal in the 90th minute)

Galatasaray 0-2 Bayern Munich Man United 3-0 FC Copenhagen Lens 1-0 PSV Sevilla 1-2 Arsenal Union Berlin 3-2 Napoli Braga 0-2 Real Madrid Inter Milan 3-0 Red Bull Salzburg Benfica 0-1 Real Sociedad Feyenoord 0-3 Lazio Celtic 0-3 Atletico Madrid Newcastle United 2-0 Borussia Dortmund PSG 4-2 AC Milan RB Leipzig 2-0 Red Star Young Boys 0-4 Man City Barcelona 1-0 Shakhtar Donetsk Royal Antwerp 1-3 Porto

Saturday 21st October Liverpool 2-0 Everton (12:30) AFC Bournemouth 0-1 Wolverhampton Wanderers Brentford 2-1 Burnley Manchester City 2-0 Brighton & Hove Albion Newcastle United 2-1 Crystal Palace Nottingham Forest 3-1 Luton Town Chelsea 1-0 Arsenal (17:30) Sheffield United 0-3 Manchester United (20:00) Sunday 22nd October Aston Villa 2-1 West Ham United (16:30) Monday 23rd October Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 Fulham (20:00)

Likely stadiums (just a guess): Centenario - Montevideo, Uruguay Antonio Vespucio Liberti - Buenos Aires, Argentina Estadio Defensores del Chaco - Asuncion, Paraguay Camp Nou - Barcelona, Spain (renovating to 100,000+ capacity, likely to be where the final is played) Santiago Bernabéu - Madrid, Spain Metropolitano Stadium - Madrid, Spain Nou Mestalla - Valencia, Spain La Cartuja - Seville, Spain San Mamés - Bilbao, Spain RCDE Stadium - Barcelona, Spain Estádio da Luz - Lison, Portugal Estádio José Alvalade - Lisbon, Portugal Estádio do Dragão - Porto, Portugal Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium - Rabat, Morocco Grand Stade de Casablanca - Casablanca, Morocco (to be built) Ibn Batouta Stadium - Tangier, Morocco Adrar Stadium - Agadir, Morocco Marrakesh Stadium - Marrakesh, Morocco Fez Stadium - Fez, Morocco These will need to be expanded to over 40,000 capacity Nueva Condomina - Murcia, Spain El Molinón - Gijón, Spain La Rosaleda - Málaga, Spain La Romareda - Zaragoza, Spain Balaídos - Vigo, Spain Riazor - La Coruña, Spain Estadio Gran Canaria - Las Palmas, Spain Anoeta Stadium - San Sebastián, Spain

Mess, but understandable since it was going to be impossible for countries like Paraguay, Chile and Uruguay to build enough suitable stadiums without human rights question marks ala what happened in Brazil and Qatar for theirs. I was rooting for the Spain, Portugal, Morocco one because of this and the fact that the geographical anomaly of having Morocco be an intercontinental neighbour the way it is was unprecedented. No argument for any of those three being automatic qualifiers either, even if it was a 32-team tournament. The Saudi Arabia one is gross after what happened in Qatar. Seriously it's the might dollar over above everything else I guess. Personally, I'd much rather have another Australia/New Zealand World Cup because they already have the infrastructure necessary (without the LGBT nightmare we had in Qatar and will certainly face in Saudi Arabia) -- plus another November World Cup? No thanks. I don't know why South Korea/Japan haven't expressed wanting to do another one either.

Saturday 7th October Luton Town 0-1 Tottenham Hotspur (12:30) Burnley 1-2 Chelsea Everton 2-0 AFC Bournemouth Fulham 1-1 Sheffield United Manchester United 3-0 Brentford Crystal Palace 1-1 Nottingham Forest (17:30) Sunday 8th October Brighton & Hove Albion 1-3 Liverpool (14:00) West Ham United 2-1 Newcastle United (14:00) Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-1 Aston Villa (14:00) Arsenal 0-1 Manchester City (16:30)

Union Berlin 1-2 Braga Red Bull Salzburg 1-0 Real Sociedad Copenhagen 0-2 Bayern Munich Man Utd 1-1 Galatasaray Lens 0-2 Arsenal PSV 2-1 Sevilla Napoli 2-1 Real Madrid Inter Milan 2-1 Benfica Atletico Madrid 0-0 Feyenoord Royal Antwerp 1-0 Skakhtar Donetsk Celtic 0-1 Lazio Borussia Dortmund 2-1 AC Milan Newcastle 0-2 PSG Red Star Belgrade 1-0 Young Boys RB Leipzig 2-1 Man City Porto 0-4 Barcelona

October 2023 Match Schedule EURO 2024 Qualifying A - Oct 12 - Spain 2-0 Scotland A - Oct 12 - Cyprus 0-4 Norway A - Oct 15 - Georgia 4-0 Cyprus A - Oct 15 - Norway 0-1 Spain B - Oct 13 - Netherlands 1-2 France B - Oct 13 - Ireland 0-2 Greece B - Oct 16 - Greece 0-1 Netherlands B - Oct 16 - Gibraltar 0-4 Ireland C - Oct 14 - Italy 4-0 Malta C - Oct 14 - Ukraine 2-0 North Macedonia [played in Czech Republic] C - Oct 17 - England 3-1 Italy C - Oct 17 - Malta 1-3 Ukraine D - Oct 12 - Croatia 0-1 Turkey D - Oct 12 - Latvia 2-0 Armenia D - Oct 15 - Turkey 4-0 Latvia D - Oct 15 - Wales 2-1 Croatia E - Oct 12 - Albania 3-0 Czech Republic E - Oct 12 - Faroe Islands 0-2 Poland E - Oct 15 - Czech Republic 1-0 Faroe Islands E - Oct 15 - Poland 1-1 Moldova F - Oct 13 - Austria 2-3 Belgium F - Oct 13 - Estonia 0-2 Azerbaijan F - Oct 16 - Belgium 1-1 Sweden F - Oct 16 - Azerbaijan 0-1 Austria G - Oct 14 - Hungary 2-1 Serbia G - Oct 14 - Bulgaria 0-2 Lithuania G - Oct 17 - Serbia 3-1 Montenegro G - Oct 17 - Lithuania 2-2 Hungary H - Oct 14 - Slovenia 3-0 Finland H - Oct 14 - Denmark 3-1 Kazakhstan H - Oct 14 - Northern Ireland 3-0 San Marino H - Oct 17 - Finland 1-2 Kazakhstan H - Oct 17 - Northern Ireland 0-1 Slovenia H - Oct 17 - San Marino 1-2 Denmark I - Oct 12 - Israel PPD Switzerland I - Oct 12 - Belarus 0-0 Romania I - Oct 12 - Andorra 0-3 Kosovo I - Oct 15 - Switzerland 3-3 Belarus I - Oct 15 - Romania 4-0 Andorra I - Oct 15 - Kosovo PPD Israel J - Oct 13 - Portugal 3-2 Slovakia J - Oct 13 - Iceland 1-1 Luxembourg J - Oct 13 - Liechtenstein 0-2 Bosnia-Herzegovina J - Oct 16 - Luxembourg 0-1 Slovakia J - Oct 16 - Bosnia-Herzegovina 0-5 Portugal J - Oct 16 - Iceland 4-0 Liechtenstein World Cup Qualifying - South America Oct 12 - Colombia 2-2 Uruguay Oct 12 - Bolivia 1-2 Ecuador Oct 12 - Argentina 1-0 Paraguay Oct 12 - Chile 2-0 Peru Oct 12 - Brazil 1-1 Venezuela Oct 17 - Venezuela 3-0 Chile Oct 17 - Paraguay 1-0 Bolivia Oct 17 - Ecuador 0-0 Colombia Oct 17 - Uruguay 2-0 Brazil Oct 17 - Peru 0-2 Argentina World Cup Qualifying - Asia - 1st Round (home-and-away pairings) Oct 12 then Oct 17 [1st team at home and then 2nd team] Afghanistan 1-0 | 1-0 | 2-0 Mongolia [Afghanistan's home fixture played in Tajikistan, then Mongolia's] Maldives 1-1 | 1-2 | 2-3 Bangladesh Singapore 2-1 | 1-0 | 3-1 Guam Yemen 3-0 | 1-1 | 4-1 Sri Lanka [Yemen's fixture played in Saudi Arabia, then Sri Lanka's] Myanmar 5-1 | 0-0 | 5-1 Macao Cambodia 0-0 | 0-1 | 0-1 Pakistan Taiwan 4-0 | 3-0 | 7-0 Timor-Leste [both fixtures are being played in Taiwan] Indonesia 6-0 | 6-0 | 12-0 Brunei Hong Kong 4-0 | 0-2 | 4-2 Bhutan Nepal 1-1 | 1-0 | 2-1 Laos 2023-24 CONCACAF Nations League A - Oct 12 - Cuba 0-0 Honduras A - Oct 12 - Suriname 1-1 Haiti A - Oct 12 - Grenada 1-4 Jamaica A - Oct 12 - Trinidad & Tobago 3-2 Guatemala A - Oct 12 - Martinique 1-0 El Salvador A - Oct 12 - Curacao 1-2 Panama A - Oct 15 - Honduras 4-0 Cuba A - Oct 15 - Haiti 2-3 Jamaica A - Oct 15 - Suriname 4-0 Grenada A - Oct 17 - Panama 3-0 Guatemala A - Oct 17 - Curacao 5-3 Trinidad & Tobago A - Oct 17 - El Salvador 0-0 Martinique B - Oct 12 - Saint Lucia 2-1 Guadeloupe B - Oct 12 - Sin Maarten 2-3 Saint Kitts and Nevis B - Oct 13 - Montserrat 0-3 Nicaragua B - Oct 13 - Barbados 0-5 Dominican Republic B - Oct 13 - Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1-4 French Guiana B - Oct 13 - Belize 0-1 Bermuda B - Oct 14 - Puerto Rico 1-3 Guyana B - Oct 14 - Bahamas 1-4 Antigua & Barbuda B - Oct 15 - Guadeloupe 2-0 Saint Lucia B - Oct 15 - Saint Kitts and Nevis 0-1 Sint Maarten B - Oct 16 - Nicaragua 3-0 Montserrat B - Oct 16 - Dominican Republic 5-2 Barbados B - Oct 17 - Bermuda 1-1 Belize B - Oct 16 - French Guiana 3-2 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines B - Oct 17 - Guyana 3-1 Puerto Rico B - Oct 17 - Antigua & Barbuda 2-2 Bahamas C - Oct 12 - Bonaire 2-0 Anguilla C - Oct 12 - Dominica 1-1 British Virgin Islands C - Oct 14 - Aruba 3-1 US Virgin Islands C - Oct 16 - Saint Martin 8-0 Anguilla C - Oct 16 - Turks & Caicos Islands 2-2 British Virgin Islands C - Oct 17 - Cayman Islands 2-1 US Virgin Islands 2023 Melanesian Cup - hosted by New Caledonia Oct 8 - Papua New Guinea 1-3 Soloman Islands Oct 8 - New Caledonia 4-0 Vanuatu Oct 11 - Soloman Islands 1-0 Vanuatu Oct 11 - Papua New Guinea 1-3 New Caledonia Oct 14 - Papua New Guinea 0-1 Vanuatu Oct 14 - Soloman Islands 1-0 New Caledonia International Friendlies Oct 10 - China 2-0 Vietnam Oct 11 - Wales 4-0 Gibraltar Oct 12 - Algeria 5-1 Cape Verde Islands Oct 12 - Bahrain 2-0 Kyrgyzstan Oct 12 - Egypt 1-0 Zambia [played in UAE] Oct 12 - Georgia 8-0 Thailand Oct 12 - Montenegro 3-2 Lebanon Oct 12 - Russia 1-0 Cameroon Oct 12 - Sweden 3-1 Moldova Oct 12 - United Arab Emirates 1-0 Kuwait Oct 13 - Angola 1-1 Mozambique Oct 13 - Congo DR 1-1 New Zealand [played in Spain] Oct 13 - England 1-0 Australia Oct 13 - Equatorial Guinea 0-0 Burkina Faso Oct 13 - Guinea-Bissau 0-1 Guinea [played in Portugal] Oct 13 - Iraq 0-0 Qatar [played in Jordan] Oct 13 - Japan 4-1 Canada Oct 13 - Jordan 1-3 Iran Oct 13 - Malaysia 4-2 India Oct 13 - Mali 1-0 Uganda Oct 13 - Nigeria 2-2 Saudi Arabia [played in Portugal] Oct 13 - South Africa 0-0 Eswatini Oct 13 - South Korea 4-0 Tunisia Oct 13 - Uzbekistan 2-0 Vietnam [played in China] Oct 14 - Benin 1-1 Sierra Leone [played in Morocco] Oct 14 - Ghana 0-2 Mexico [played in USA] Oct 14 - Ivory Coast 1-1 Morocoo Oct 14 - Libya 3-2 Liberia [played in Morocco] Oct 14 - Mauritania 2-1 Madagascar [played in Morocco] Oct 14 - Niger 3-0 Somalia [played in Morocco] Oct 14 - United States 1-3 Germany Oct 15 - Kyrgyzstan 0-1 Philippines [played in Bahrain] Oct 15 - Sudan 1-1 Tanzania [played in Saudi Arabia] Oct 16 - Algeria 1-1 Egypt [played in UAE] Oct 16 - Botswana 2-1 Eswatini Oct 16 - Senegal 1-0 Cameroon [played in France] Oct 16 - China 1-2 Uzbekistan Oct 16 - Kenya 2-2 Russia [played in Turkey] Oct 16 - Mozambique 2-3 Nigeria [played in Portugal] Oct 17 - Albania 2-0 Bulgaria Oct 17 - Angola 0-0 Congo DR [played in Portugal] Oct 17 - Australia 2-0 New Zealand [played in England] Oct 17 - Bahrain 1-0 Philippines Oct 17 - Burkina Faso 2-1 Mauritania [played in Morocco] Oct 17 - Comoros 2-1 Cape Verde Islands [played in France] Oct 17 - Estonia 1-1 Thailand Oct 17 - France 4-1 Scotland Oct 17 - Germany 2-2 Mexico [played in USA] Oct 17 - Guinea 1-1 Gabon [played in Portugal] Oct 17 - Iran 4-0 Qatar [played in Jordan] Oct 17 - Ivory Coast 1-1 South Africa Oct 17 - Japan 2-0 Tunisia Oct 17 - Jordan 2-2 Iraq Oct 17 - Kuwait 2-1 Syria [played in UAE] Oct 17 - Libya 1-1 Niger [played in Morocco] Oct 17 - Madagascar 2-1 Benin [played in Morocco] Oct 17 - Malaysia 0-2 Tajikistan Oct 17 - Mali 3-1 Saudi Arabia [played in Portugal] Oct 17 - North Macedonia 3-1 Armenia Oct 17 - Sierra Leone 2-0 Somalia [played in Morocco] Oct 17 - South Korea 6-0 Vietnam Oct 17 - Sudan 1-0 Chad [played in Saudi Arabia] Oct 17 - United Arab Emirates 2-1 Lebanon Oct 17 - United States 4-0 Ghana Oct 17 - Zambia 3-0 Uganda [played in UAE]

Saturday 30th September Aston Villa 2-4 Brighton & Hove Albion (12:30) AFC Bournemouth 2-5 Arsenal Everton 3-0 Luton Town Manchester United 2-0 Crystal Palace Newcastle United 1-0 Burnley West Ham United 4-0 Sheffield United Wolverhampton Wanderers 0-2 Manchester City Tottenham Hotspur 4-0 Liverpool (17:30) Sunday 1st October Nottingham Forest 2-0 Brentford (14:00) Monday 2nd October Fulham 0-3 Chelsea (20:00) Tuesday 3rd October Luton Town 0-1 Burnley (19:30)

Matchday One: Tuesday 19th September Feyenoord 5-0 Celtic Lazio 0-2 Atletico Madrid AC Milan 3-0 Newcastle United PSG 5-2 Borussia Dortmund Young Boys 0-2 RB Leipzig Manchester City 4-0 Red Star Belgrade Barcelona 4-0 Royal Antwerp Shakhtar Donetsk 1-2 Porto Wednesday 20th September Galatasaray 4-2 FC Copenhagen Bayern Munich 1-1 Man Utd Arsenal 2-0 PSV Sevilla 2-1 Lens Real Madrid 3-0 Union Berlin Sporting Braga 0-4 Napoli Benfica 6-0 RB Salzburg Real Sociedad 2-2 Inter Milan

Fixtures (All kick of times are 15:00 BST unless stated otherwise) Saturday 23rd September Crystal Palace 2-1 Fulham Luton Town 0-2 Wolverhampton Wanderers Manchester City 4-0 Nottingham Forest Brentford 2-1 Everton (17:30) Burnley 2-1 Manchester United (20:00) Sunday 24th September Arsenal 3-1 Tottenham Hotspur (14:00) Brighton & Hove Albion 2-1 AFC Bournemouth (14:00) Chelsea 4-1 Aston Villa (14:00) Liverpool 4-0 West Ham United (14:00) Sheffield United 2-1 Newcastle (16:30)

Saturday 16th September Wolverhampton Wanderers 0-2 Liverpool (12:30) Aston Villa 3-1 Crystal Palace Fulham 1-2 Luton Town Manchester United 2-0 Brighton & Hove Albion Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 Sheffield United West Ham United 0-2 Manchester City Newcastle United 3-0 Brentford (17:30) Sunday 17th September AFC Bournemouth 0-0 Chelsea (14:00) Everton 1-1 Arsenal (16:30) Monday 18th September Nottingham Forest 4-0 Burnley (19:45)

Cameroon wins 3-0, so it's them and Namibia: Ivory Coast (host) Nigeria Guinea-Bissau Burkina Faso Cape Verde Islands Cameroon Namibia Egypt Guinea Ghana Angola Algeria Tanzania Mali Gambia Zambia Congo DR Mauritania Tunisia Equatorial Guinea South Africa Morocco Senegal Mozambique The draw is Oct 12th in Abidjan, Ivory Coast.

All the top countries have road tests today: Argentina will probably still cruise at Bolivia, but even they have a tough road environment. Colombia at Chile, Brazil at Peru, and especially Uruguay at the mile-high stadium in Quito, Ecuador all provide tricky situations. South American (and CONCACAF) regional qualifying is a bloodbath because many of the home venues have their own characteristics that make them tough road trips. The geography is quite varied and the fans are...something else as far as how much passion they display. If you see a 2-1 road win by a Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Mexico, or USA at any mid-tier or higher opponent, they truly earned it. That's why Brazil having 45 points last time is unthinkable.