Robinho of Manchester City celebrates after scoring one his three goals against Stoke City.

by Jeremy Spitzberg and Neal Thurman

There's no denying it, this is a huge week coming up. The first two-match week of the season is always a time when fortunes are gained and lost for fantasy managers. Locking in a player for two matches only to find out that he injured himself warming up for the first match and that you'll get no points while someone else's poor choice is likely to get between 10 and 15 over two matches leads to some major swings. For those of you (including me) who have started out the season slowly, this is the opportunity to make up some major ground on the pack. For those who have come out of the gates strong, this is the time to distance yourself from the pack or fall back to it. Throw in the fact that the big teams are now starting to see injuries and rotation due to the strain of European and International commitments and the ability to put together a strong fantasy team goes beyond figuring out who the most talented XI are that will fit under your budget but who of those talented players will actually play the most minutes and who will be the victim of injury and rotation.

(As an aside to those who care about and/or follow US sports or even have some warm feelings for your favorite blogger and want to support his teams - the Phillies (baseball) and Penn State (college gridiron football) both have huge weekends coming up with the Phillies up 1-0 in the World Series and Penn State ranked #3 in the nation and playing Ohio State ranked #9). Honestly, it's a good thing my wife is going to be out of town this weekend for work because there's going to be a lot I want to be watching and I'm sure she'd be less than pleased to be witness to me spending THAT MUCH of the weekend on it. OK, enough rambling...)

As is generally the case when all teams are playing two matches in the course of a single week everyone plays one home match and one away match so there's no real advantage to be gained from working home/away. That said, there is great advantage to be had from working match-ups. Liverpool and Chelsea, for instance, have been excellent sources of fantasy points thus far they face eachother over the weekend and reasonably strong competition (Pompey and Hull respectively) in mid-week. On the other hand, ManYoo get stumbling Everton as their away match and equally shakey West Ham at home. Other strong match-up combinations can be found with Sunderland (NUFC & @Stoke), Arsenal (@WHU & Spurs), Citeh (Stoke & @Boro), and Villa (@Wigan & Rovers). Bolton, who I don't rate too highly, also have a reasonable schedule with @Spurs & Everton.

OK, on to the players...

Strikers
There has been a lot said and written in the last three weeks about the streaky nature of Wayne Rooney's performances and while this is definitely true, it is also true of Berbs who seems to be hitting his stride as well. With CRon, Rooney, and Berbs all expensive and in form, the big question is really which way to go. Really no wrong answer but before you all go rushing toward Rooney who costs 20+ you might want to consider Berbs at just over 15 instead. The only worry that you have spending on either Berbs or Rooney is the risk that Tevez takes a start away from one or the other which wouldn't be a big shock.

As much as I'm going to pat myself on the back for throwing Kuyt's name in the mix and pimping him to score last weekend, I'm backing off of the recommendation for this week. The opposition is much tougher and unlike Rooney and Berbs, he hasn't shown signs in his career of being a streaky goal-scorer but rather he is a sporadic one bound to frustrate you when you think he SHOULD be scoring. Don't say I didn't warn you.

Alternatives that should be of interest certainly include Cisse, RvP, K2, Gabby (assuming he's healthy again), Carew, Robinho, and Kevin Davies (yeah, I said it). Obviously, there are guys you should stick with if you have them at a reasonable price like Zaki.

Midfielders
This is a tough week to be spending on Gerrard, Lampard, or Arteta given their match-ups. If you have them cheap then sticking with them isn't a bad idea but not the weekend to buy in. I'd be looking at BFAY (good match-ups and still wanting to prove a point to Don Fabio), Barry (much cheaper way to get points from Villa midfield), SWP (just a points machine), Ireland (has quietly been a great producer), MTay (good match-ups and a reasonable price), Theo (seems to be coming into his own), and Nasri (not as many phantom points as I'd like but scores when he plays and still cheap).

For those who got on the Denilson bandwagon last month when he was getting all of Cesc's points, seems like it is time to abandon ship if you haven't already. He has seemingly been asked to move back in the formation somewhat and his opportunities to make the final pass or get a shot on target seem to have dried up.

Defenders
Hard to justify moving away from either Pantsil or Bosingwa and hopefully everyone is still on board here. Silvestre is a solid (and relatively inexpensive) option at the back. Jeremy mentioned Zuiverloon as a strong option as well, the match-ups aren't great but he's been sort of like Pantsil in that he's generally done well regardless of match-up. He's tireless getting up and down the flank and will get points both going forward and from his defending even if there aren't too many CSs coming.

If you're looking for a high risk situation, Jeremy just IMd me with the information that Beye's Red Card suspension was overturned and he is available for 4.6 matched up against Sunderland and WBA. Certainly not in the no-brainer category but worth mentioning.

Also worth checking in on Villa's starting line-up today to see if Cuellar is starting at Right Back again. He's cheap and Villa have a nice set of match-ups where they might be able to keep the ball out of the net again.

Keepers
The curse of Neal's keeper raised its ugly head again. I was pretty confident with Hart playing a struggling NUFC team to start with and then when the Magpies went down to 10 men I thought I was completely in the clear but, as they say, "That's why they play the games." Things turned ugly and once again I ended the week with a red (negative) number next to my keeper. I'm sticking with Hart for this week which probably means that you should be choosing between Friedel, Almunia, van der Sar, and Gordon. Obviously price plays a role here and your choice should be dictated by how much you have to spend but this is one of the rare cases where the quality of the choice is in direct proportion to the money spent with EvdS being the best bet for big points and Gordon being the least likely to score big.

So, good luck with your choices and I hope you enjoy a fantastic weekend of sporting activity. Go Phils! Go Penn State!

Cheers - Neal

Below is my picks for this week.

Goalkeeper: Gordon
Defender: Garrido, R.Gardner, A.Traore
Midfielder: A.Young, SWP, Denilson, Gary O'Neil
Striker: Robinho, Rooney, Elmander

Éric Daniel Pierre Cantona (born 24 May 1966) is a French former footballer of the late 1980s and 1990s. He ended his professional footballing career at Manchester United where he won four English Premiership titles in five years (being suspended the season without title), including two League and FA Cup "doubles". Cantona is often regarded as having played a major talismanic role in the revival of Manchester United as a footballing powerhouse and he enjoys iconic status at the club. In 2001 he was voted their player of the century, and to this day United fans refer to him as "King Eric". He is the current manager of France Beach Soccer Team.

Honours

Leeds United

Football League First Division

* Winner (1): 1991-92

FA Community Shield

* Winner (1): 1992


Manchester United

Premier League

* Winner (4): 1992-93, 1993-94, 1995-96, 1996-97
* Runner-up (1): 1994-95

FA Cup

* Winner (2): 1993-94, 1995-96

Football League Cup

* Runner-up (1): 1993-94

FA Community Shield

* Winner (3): 1993, 1994, 1996


Individual

PFA Players' Player of the Year
1994
FWA Footballer of the Year
1996

Famous goal



Famous kick

from FIFA.com

Falcao: I feel fulfilled now

There was no happier man in Rio today than Falcao. Denied by Spain at Guatemala 2000 and Chinese Taipei 2004, Brazilian futsal's most iconic player finally pocketed his first FIFA Futsal World Cup winners medal, on home soil and against the Spaniards to boot.

As if that were not enough, the Seleçao's legendary No.12 confirmed his status as the world's leading exponent of the game by collecting the adidas Golden Ball for the second time running. The icing on the cake was provided by the adidas Silver Boot, which he also picked up as the second-highest scorer in the competition. And, after taking receipt of his silverware, the man himself broke away from the celebrations to chat exclusively to FIFA.com.

FIFA.com: Falcao, what are your feelings at this moment in time?
Falcao: I'm happy. I'm just sorry I twisted my ankle and couldn't help my team to victory at the end. I feel fulfilled now. Four years ago I won all the individual awards but I was desperate to be world champion. Now that I've won the title, the player of the tournament award and finished second top scorer, it's too much. I can't ask for more.

What does it mean to win your first world title at home?
It makes me feel tremendously happy because it's something I've been trying to achieve with the national side for 12 years. It's also come at a special time in a special place - here in Brazil, in front of our families. The feeling is just incredible.

What was your view of the final?
It was a very even game between two sides who know each other very well and put on a great show. My heart was really beating at the end but we managed to hang on and beat Spain in just the same way they beat us back in 2004.

Do you think Brazil deserved to be champions?
Yes, absolutely. There's no doubt in my mind that we deserved it. We've been working towards this for four years and in that time the team has grown and learnt to play an effective game. Winning the World Cup today has rounded it all off.

Can you see yourself playing in your fourth FIFA Futsal World Cup in four years?
I want to carry on playing for the national team and I want to enjoy being a world champion while still wearing the jersey. I'll be 35 at the next World Cup and so we'll have to see how things go. My aim is to play one more, though.

What do you think about the standard of futsal at the moment?
Obviously there are some teams who are still finding their way and naturally the results they've suffered tend to devalue the game a little. That said, I've seen a big improvement in most teams. Iran, for example, only lost one game in missing out on a place in the semi-finals, while Italy lost three and still managed to finish third. Portugal are a very good team and I was impressed by Russia. They are doing things very well and I think they'll be one of the sides to beat in four years time. Things have evened out now and we need to start preparing the new generation to compete in those circumstances.

from FIFA.com

Brazil sweep the board

The FIFA Futsal World Cup trophy was not the only accolade collected by Brazil, as the classy Selecao also cleaned up in the individual awards. Three of the stars coached by Paulo de Oliveira were recognised for their outstanding performances at the tournament, as FIFA.com reports.

adidas Golden, Silver and Bronze Ball
adidas Golden Ball: Falcao (BRA)
adidas Silver Ball: Schumacher (BRA)
adidas Bronze Ball: Tiago (BRA)

The Auriverdes supplied the three best players at the FIFA Futsal World Cup. Falcao, named Best Player at the 2004 tournament in Chinese Taipei, retained the accolade after a string of breathtaking displays in front of an adoring home crowd. The player’s undiminished technical ability and haul of 15 goals made him a worthy winner. Fellow world champions Schumacher and goalkeeper Tiago followed in second and third places.

Interviewed by FIFA.com, Brazil captain Vinicius came straight to the point: "I think these awards underline the strength in our team. Falcao was the best player at the tournament, Schumacher the second best, and Tiago the best keeper."

adidas Golden, Silver and Bronze Shoe
adidas Golden Shoe: Pula (RUS)
adidas Silver Shoe: Falcao (BRA)
adidas Bronze Shoe: Lenísio (BRA)

Russia goal-getter Pula’s prolific total of 16 goals earned him the award for the best sharp-shooter at the tournament, edging out Brazilian twosome Falcao (15) and Lenísio (11). The Russian number seven’s nine goals against the Solomon Islands also represents a new individual record.

"It hasn’t really sunk in yet, I think I’ll need until tomorrow or maybe even longer. Even in my wildest dreams, I never thought I’d score this many goals and end up as the leading scorer at the World Cup," the 27-year-old confessed to FIFA.com.

adidas Golden Gloves
This FIFA Futsal World Cup featured a fine crop of goalkeeping talent, but Brazil star Tiago rose above his rivals with a series of consistently excellent displays, providing his team with a rock-solid rearguard right until the end of the final against Spain. In naming him Best Goalkeeper, the FIFA Technical Study Group singled out Tiago’s reflexes and outstanding vision for special praise.

FIFA Fair Play Award
Spain ultimately fell short of a FIFA Futsal World Cup hat-trick, but the Iberians did not leave Brazil entirely empty-handed. Coach Venancio Lopez’ side accumulated 914 of a maximum possible 1,000 Fair Play points to finish as the fairest team of the tournament.

from FIFA.com

Brazil regain the crown

Twelve years have elapsed since Brazil last claimed the FIFA Futsal World Cup. But thanks to two fabulous penalty saves from Franklin in a heart-stopping shootout, the Auriverde finally ended their long wait to rule the world once again, prevailing 4-3 from the spot after a thrilling 2-2 draw.

Reigning champions Spain sent a message of intent at the kick-off, lining up with five world champions. Brazil responded by showing they were not going to be bossed around, however, contesting every loose ball as if their lives depended on it.

Although both sides stuck firmly to their gameplans in the opening minutes, patiently maintaining possession and waiting for openings to appear, it was the Brazilians who had the edge. Spain's Luis Amado was the busier of the two keepers, and he had to be sharp to deny Lenisio on two separate occasions as well as Cico and Falcao, whose impudent back-heel so nearly put the local favourites ahead.

Relying on quick breaks to unsettle their opponents, the Europeans almost stole the lead themselves after only two minutes, with Amado throwing long for Javi Rodriguez only for Tiago to block alertly.

The longer the game went on the more important the first goal became. Brazil coach Paulo Cesar de Oliveira shuffled his pack up front, even pairing Falcao and the powerful Betao together in a bid to outmuscle the Spanish. But every time his side had a sight of goal Amado was on hand to thwart them, denying Schumacher and Vinicius at the end of two superbly worked counter-attacks.

In the end it took a stroke of good luck for the Brazilians to edge ahead, Marquinho's 27th-minute corner kick deflecting off Borja's face and beating Amado at the near post. Spain refused to capitulate and were level within two minutes when Torras powered home a left-foot drive.

Despite being denied the services of Falcao through injury, Brazil came storming back, with Vinicius restoring the home side's lead by thrashing the ball high into the net after Amado had pulled off two more fine stops. With just three minutes left on the clock, that appeared be that. The men in red had not read the script, however, and forced extra-time when Alvaro poked home at the far post with barely a minute left.

Although both sides went into overtime with five fouls each, the pace did not relent. Not for the first time, Amado and Tiago showed their shot-stopping skills at either end to ensure the title would be decided on penalties. And it was Tiago's replacement, Franklin, who proved the hero of the afternoon, denying Torras and Marcelo to spark wild celebrations at the Maracanazinho.

Full name: Diego Armando Maradona
Date of birth: October 30, 1960 (1960-10-30) (age 47)
Place of birth: Lanus, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Height: 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in)
Playing position: Supporting striker, Attacking Midfielder

Diego Armando Maradona (born October 30, 1960) is an Argentine ex-football player, regarded by many as the greatest football player of all time. In 2000 Maradona shared the FIFA Player of the Century award with Pelé after finishing first in a FIFA internet poll on the best player of the 20th century.

Maradona won many trophies with Boca Juniors, FC Barcelona and SSC Napoli over the course of his career. During an international career that included 91 caps and 34 goals, he played in four FIFA World Cup tournaments, leading the Argentina national team to its victory over West Germany in 1986 World Cup, in which he collected the Golden Ball award as the tournament's best player. He scored both goals in the 2-1 victory over England in the quarter-final of the '86 tournament. The first goal was an unpenalized handball known as the "Hand of God", while the second goal was a spectacular 60-metre weave through six England players, commonly referred to as "The Goal of the Century"

He is also considered one of the sport's most controversial figures. Maradona was suspended for 15 months in 1991 after a failed doping test for cocaine in Italy, and then again for ephedrine during the 1994 World Cup in USA.

After retiring from playing on his 37th birthday in 1997,[4] he suffered ill health and weight gain, hardly helped by ongoing cocaine abuse. However, a stomach stapling operation helped control his weight gain. Since overcoming his cocaine addiction, he has become a TV host in Argentina.

Playing style

Maradona had a compact physique and could withstand physical pressure well. His strong legs and low center of gravity gave him an advantage in short sprints. His physical strengths were illustrated by his two goals against Belgium in the 1986 World Cup. Maradona was a strategist and a team player, as well as highly technical with the ball. He could manage himself effectively in limited spaces, and would attract defenders only to quickly dash out of the melee (as in the second 1986 goal against England),[11] or give an assist to a free teammate. Being short, but strong, he could hold the ball long enough with a defender on his back to wait for a teammate making a run or to find a gap for a quick shot.

One of Maradona's trademark moves was dribbling full-speed as a left wing, and on reaching the opponent's goal line, delivering lethally accurate passes to his teammates. Another trademark was the Rabona, a reverse-cross pass shot behind the leg that holds all the weight. This maneuver led to several assists, such as the powerful cross for Ramón Díaz's header in the 1980 friendly against Switzerland. He was also a dangerous free kick taker.

Individual achievement

* Golden Ball for Best Player of the FIFA U-20 World Cup: 1979
* Argentine league Top Scorer: 1979, 1980, 1981
* Argentine Football Writers' Footballer of the Year: 1979, 1980, 1981, 1986
* South American Footballer of the Year (El Mundo, Caracas):1979, 1986, 1989, 1990, 1992
* Argentine Sports Writers' Sportsman of the Year: 1986
* Golden Ball for Best Player of the FIFA World Cup: 1986
* Best Footballer in the World (Once): 1986 — 1987
* World Player of the Year (World Soccer Magazine): 1986
* Serie A Top Scorer: 1987/1988
* Golden Ball for services to football (France Football): 1996
* Argentine Sports Writers' Sportsman of the Century: 1999
* "FIFA best football player of the century", people's choice: 2000
* "FIFA Goal of the Century" (1986 (2–1) v. England; second goal): 2002
* Argentine Senate "Domingo Faustino Sarmiento" recognition for lifetime achievement: 2005

Best of Maradona:

from Wikipedia

Alessandro Rosa Vieira, known as Falcão, (born in São Paulo, June 8, 1977) is a Brazilian football and futsal player.

He started his football career with Corinthians in 1992. His great ability earned him a place in the Brazilian national futsal team.

In 2004 Falcão was recognised by FIFA as the world's Best Futsal Player.

After a brief spell in Libertadores Cup 2005 with São Paulo Futebol Clube, Falcão returned to Futsal and nowadays he represents Malwee/Jaraguá, a team from Jaraguá do Sul that won the Liga Futsal (Brazilian futsal championship) in 2005.

Clubs represented

* Corinthians (1992 to 96)
* GMChevrolet (1997 and 1998)
* Atlético-MG (1999)
* Rio de Janeiro (1999)
* São Paulo (2000)
* Banespa (2000 to 2002)
* Malwee/Jaraguá (2003 to 2005)
* Player regular football (soccer) with São Paulo during the first half of 2005.
* Malwee/Jaraguá (present day)

Accomplishments (club teams)

* Club World Championship: 2000
* South-American Championship: 2001 and 2004
* Liga Futsal: 2005
* Liga Nacional: 1999
* Brazilian Club Cup: 1998, 2003 and 2004
* São Paulo City Cup: 1995, 1998 and 2002
* Paulista Championship: 1995, 1997, 2000 and 2001
* Mineiro Championship: 1999
* Catarinense Championship: 2003
* Metropolitan Championship: 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000 and 2001
* Topper São Paulo Cup: 1997 and 2001
* Football: Won the Paulista Championship and the Libertadores Cup 2005, with São Paulo Futebol Clube.

Accomplishments (national team)

* Futsal Mundialito: 2001
* Nations Cup: 2001
* RJ International Cup: 1998
* American Cup: 1998 and 1999
* South American Championship: 2000
* Latin Cup: 2003
* Tigers 5 - Singapore: 1999
* Egypt Tournament: 2002
* Thailand Tournament: 2003
* Pan American Games: 2007
* Grand Prix de Futsal: 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008
* KL World 5's - Malaysia: 2008

He is known for his flashy and potent dribbling skills and a powerful and accurate left foot. His official website is Falcao12.com

I couldn't find Spain vs Italy match highlight. So I put this where in 2004, Brazil lost to Spain. I still remember Rodriguez and Kike also in the team.

Russia almost make Brazil suffered for second time in 4 years. In 2004 Brazil lost to defending champion Spain in penalty shoot out.

Joy and pain on day of drama
from FIFA.com

To the delight of the fans in Rio, joint favourites Spain and Brazil will contest the final of the FIFA Futsal World Cup 2008, although the Iberians’ semi-final was a heart-stopping affair which went right down to the wire. The hosts defeated Russia 4-2 in the day’s first match, before holders Spain finally overcame European rivals Italy 3-2 in the most dramatic fashion imaginable. The Auriverde and the Roja now do battle in Sunday’s final, with world and European runners-up Italy facing the Russians for third place.

Russia - Brazil 2-4
Goals: Pula, Damir Khamadiev for Russia; Schumacher, Falcao, Vinicius, Gabriel for Brazil
Brazil defeated Russia in an enthralling match on Thursday morning to claim the first spot in the FIFA Futsal World Cup 2008 final. Taking the game as a whole, the Europeans actually had the better of the possession and the play, but the South Americans were the more effective, and ruthlessly exploited individual errors made by coach Oleg Ivanov’s men.

Schumacher and Falcao handed the hosts an early cushion, before Pula pulled one back for the Russians and Vinicius restored the Brazilians’ two-goal advantage in the run-up to half-time. Khamadiev made it 3-2 after 26 minutes and an upset briefly seemed on the cards as the sides tore into each other and created chances at both ends. However, Pula was caught in possession shortly before the end and Lenisio fed Gabriel, who calmly slotted home to seal the victory.

The player
Lenisio (Brazil)
The hosts’ number 10 made a magnificent contribution to his side’s 4-2 win, finishing with two assists.

The stat
5 – The number of times Brazil have now reached the final of the FIFA Futsal World Cup. The South Americans won their first three appearances, but lost their fourth to Spain at Guatemala 2000. The Auriverdes exited at the semi-final stage in 2004.

What they said
It was a very intense game, our toughest match of the tournament. Now we have to focus on the Final. Marquinho, Brazil player

Spain - Italy 3-2
Goals: Daniel, Fernandao, Adriano Foglia (own goal) for Spain; Foglia, Grana for Italy
Holders Spain dramatically overcame Italy in a breathtaking second semi-final. After beating their European rivals in the finals of the FIFA Futsal World Cup 2004 and the 2007 European championship, the Roja made it three in a row to book a meeting with Brazil for the 2008 world crown.

Coach Venancio Lopez’ men began with their customary swagger and panache, Daniel beating keeper Alexandre Feller in a one-on-one situation to open the scoring after just five minutes. The Iberians eased back for a spell and the Nazionale Azzurra enjoyed the lion’s share of the ball, although the world champions always had the match under control. Keeper Luis Amado was only once called upon to demonstrate his outstanding agility, pulling off a superb save to deny Grana after 12 minutes.

The spirited Italians upped the pressure in the second half and Adriano Foglia brilliantly struck a deserved equaliser. Neither side produced a winner within the allotted 40 minutes and the game went into extra-time. Fernandao and Grana traded goals, but just as the teams and the crowd were mentally preparing for a sudden-death shoot-out from the six-metre mark, tragedy struck the desperately unlucky Adriano Foglia. A shot off the post rebounded from the Italian’s leg and over his own goal line to settle the issue in the Spaniards’ favour in the very last second of extra-time.

The player
Luis Amado (Spain)
The keeper made a string of exceptional saves in the second period to keep his team in the match, almost single-handedly ensuring the world champions' survival into extra-time.

The stat
7 – the number of goals scored at the tournament by Spain's hitman Fernandao, his side’s leading scorer.

What they said
We mustn’t start feeling sorry for ourselves now, although I can’t begin to describe what’s going through my head at the moment. Grana, Italy player

1 LUIS AMADO
2 ORTIZ
3 JAVI ESEVERRI
4 TORRAS
5 FERNANDAO
6 ALVARO
7 JAVI RODRIGUEZ
8 KIKE
9 ANDREU
10 BORJA
11 MARCELO
12 JUANJO
13 CRISTIAN
14 DANIEL

1 ROGERIO
2 TIAGO
3 FRANKLIN
4 ARI
5 CICO
6 GABRIEL
7 VINICIUS
8 SCHUMACHER
9 BETAO
10 LENISIO
11 MARQUINHO
12 FALCAO
13 WILDE
14 CARLINHOS

1 Alexandre FELLER
2 GRANA
3 PELLEGRINI
4 Jocimar JUBANSKI
5 Cleyton BAPTISTELLA
6 Edgar BERTONI
7 Marcio FORTE
8 Saad ASSIS
9 FABIANO
10 Adriano FOGLIA
11 MORGADO
12 FARINA
13 Sandro ZANETTI
14 Patrick NORA

Already converted to Malaysian time. Please see Astro Supersport Guide below.

14 Oct 2125 Quarter Final: Brazil vs Ukraine (Live)

15 Oct 1800 Quarter Final: Iran vs Italy (Delayed)

15 Oct 1900 Quarter Final: Argentina vs Russia (Delayed)

15 Oct 2000 Quarter Final: Paraguay vs Spain (Delayed)

16 Oct 2125 Semi Final (Live)

17 Oct 1500 Semi Final (Delayed)

20 Oct 2000 3rd & 4th Placing (Delayed)

20 Oct 2200 Final (Delayed)

Four candidates, two places
from FIFA.COM

The Maracanazinho in Rio de Janeiro provides the setting for Thursday's semi-finals at the FIFA Futsal World Cup Brazil 2008. First up are the tournament hosts and Russia, with Spain and Italy following them onto the court. Setting the scene as usual is FIFA.com.

Brazil-Russia, 10.30 (local time)
The two sides met in the opening phase but with a place in Sunday's final up for grabs, the stakes are much higher this time around. Russian confidence was dented by the 7-0 hammering they received in that first meeting, although Oleg Ivanov's men quickly recovered their poise to advance to the business end of the tournament.

Once again the Auriverde are the clear favourites. While their opponents will be hoping that leads to complacency, the yellow and green machine has kept its focus in every outing to date. History is also on their side. As well as that 7-0 group win, they also beat the Russians 6-2 at Spain 1996 and again at Guatemala 2000.

The key
The Russian defence. Both teams have already demonstrated their potency in front of goal, but only Brazil have been able to combine flawless finishing with defensive solidity, shutting out the eastern Europeans when the two met in the first phase. If the Russians try to match the hosts blow for blow, they could well pay for it.

Players to watch
Schumacher and Sirilo are the go-to men in both sides, the gifted schemers their team-mates will look to during key phases. If fully fit, the Russian playmaker could play a decisive role. The duel between adidas Golden Ball candidates Pula and Falcao, with 15 and 11 goals to their name respectively, should also prove absorbing.

The stat
117 - The number of goals Russia and Brazil have scored between them, 59 and 58 respectively, almost 34 per cent of the 369 goals scored in the tournament so far.

What they said
"We played badly the first time we faced Brazil, but now we're going to show some real Russian spirit and give them a battle." Russia player Konstantin Dushkevich.

Italy-Spain, 12:30 (local time)
Spain seem to have the edge in terms of form and morale going into the game, having racked up six straight wins to qualify for the semis with a match in hand. The Italians have already tasted defeat twice and needed a last-minute goal against Iran to sneak into the last four. But just as in any derby, there are no favourites in this clash.

With both teams so well acquainted with each other, it will be no surprise to see another tight, combative duel on Thursday. La Furia Roja edged home 3-1 when they met in the UEFA Futsal Championship final last year, and the two duels between the European adversaries at Chinese Taipei 2004 ended with honours even, Italy winning 3-2 in the group phase and Spain gaining revenge with a 2-1 victory in the final.

The key
The details. Both sides are known for their tactical astuteness and the match could well hinge on the slightest loss of concentration or merest flash of brilliance. Keeping mistakes to a minimum and knowing when to gamble will be vital.

Players to watch
Javi Rodriguez and Sandro Zanetti have the necessary experience for the big occasion. While the Spanish linchpin has shown the better form so far, there is no question the Italian has what it takes to make the difference.

The stat
34 - The number of matches Spain have won in the history of the competition. The Spanish are second only to Brazil, who have 40 wins, while Italy stand third with 17.

What they said
"Spain will be tough rivals and they're the favourites too. But we know we can match them and that's just what we'll do." Italy goalkeeper Alexandre Feller.

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This is a jaw dropping goal from Geovanni. Man City should be crying selling him for free. These two goals against Spurs and Arsenal added in the beautiful goal of the week.