Day 6 Predictions

Before we get to the games, let's take a second to look at the Brazil-North Korea match, which Brazil won 2-1. North Korea deserves credit for their performance; they played hard and weren't intimidated by Brazil's big-name players. One possible theory is that North Korea, an infamously closed-off nation that gets very little information from the outside world, had never heard of Brazil and didn't know they were so good. Ignorance is bliss, as they say. The North Koreans attacked well and created several good scoring chances, and forward Jong Tae-Se showed he has plenty of talent. Ji Yun-Nam's goal in the 89th minute was very nice and a just reward for the way they played. They may not be the pushover that most people expected them to be. Now on to the predictions that you always look forward to.

Honduras vs. Chile
7:30am - ESPN, Univision
Winner: Chile
Day six is when we finally see some goals, and this game will get it started. Both teams like to attack, and my hunch is they won't be content to sit back and play not to lose like so many other teams we've seen thus far. Hopefully. Chile gets the edge due to superior depth and players with more big-game experience from South American and European leagues.

Spain vs. Switzerland
10:00am - ESPN, Univision
Winner: Spain
Spain can definitely score some goals as well. Switzerland is no pushover, with players in top leagues throughout Europe, but Spain is loaded and looks strong, as evidenced by a 6-0 win over Poland in their last exhibition match before the tournament. Look for Xavi and Andres Iniesta to pull the strings in midfield and set the tempo. David Villa and Fernando Torres form one of the best forward lines in the world. Jesus Navas, a relative newcomer to the squad, is an excellent winger who could have a breakout tournament. He may not start but can have a big impact off the bench.

South Africa vs. Uruguay
2:30pm - ESPN, Univision
Winner: South Africa
The South Africans are full of confidence after their opening draw against Mexico and will have the support of a full stadium in Pretoria. Uruguay got the result they wanted, a 0-0 tie, in their first game against France but will be without attacking midfielder Nicolas Lodeiro, who picked up a red card against France. Uruguay has plenty of good players to pick up the slack, and will probably be the oddsmakers favorite, but 50,000 rabid fans blowing vuvuzelas will spur the Bafana Bafana to victory.

What do you think? Will we see more goals today? Will South Africa get the win and take a huge step towards advancing to the second round? Leave your comments below.