International Midweek TV Preview Special: 10 June

(All times - UK)

Wednesday 10th June

11:00 Australia v Bahrain, World Cup Qualifier, British Eurosport
Dead Rubber of the Week #1: As we'll be discussing shortly, Australia secured their place at the 2010 World Cup at the weekend following their goalless draw against Qatar. This match, therefore, will only be of interest if you're writing a thesis on the demise of Arab football in the early 21st century.

13:00 South Korea v Saudi Arabia, World Cup Qualifier, British Eurosport 2
Dead Rubber of the Week #2: ...and if you are, this match will be of some use to you too. South Korea reached their seventh consecutive World Cup by beating the UAE 2-0 on Saturday, so this will also be akin to an exhibition match for the jubilant South Koreans.

20:15 England v Andorra, World Cup Qualifier, ITV1 / HD
Fabio Capello's looking for an early goal to settle the nerves tonight, although that won't be easy with Andorra playing their usual 10-0-0 formation. He's also said to be considering resting those players currently on a yellow card prior to the Croatia game in September, so that means Beckham, Johnson and Heskey missing part (if not all) of the game. Oh and we should also mention Rio Ferdinand's out injured and Gareth Barry's suspended. At least there'll be no more mention of Borat, which as far as we're considered is a wonderful thing.

22:00 Ecuador v Argentina, World Cup Qualifier, Sky Sports 1
We still haven't told you about the recent South American qualifiers, but take it from us that Argentina beat Colombia 1-0. By all accounts they weren't overly convincing, but at least it was a shade better than losing 6-1 to Bolivia.

00:00 (Thursday) Colombia v Peru, World Cup Qualifier, Sky Sports 1
Technically on Thursday, but we include it here as the die-hards amongst you will no doubt be rounding off your evening on Sky Sports. Peru have now lost five on the trot and lie at the bottom of the table while Colombia are only two places above them. Perhaps a good time to have a short nap before...

02:00 (Thursday) Brazil v Paraguay, World Cup Qualifier
Perfect timing for this fixture as Brazil hit top spot in the table after their resounding 4-0 win over Uruguay on Saturday. With Paraguay losing 2-0 at home to a resurgent Chile side, this is the ideal time for Dunga to show who's boss while Paraguay attempt to halt their alarming drop in form.

International Weekend TV Preview Special: 6 - 7 June

(All times - UK)

Saturday 6th June

09:00 North Korea v Iran, World Cup Qualifier, British Eurosport
Iran have much work to do. Lying fourth out of five teams in Asia Group 2 and four points behind their opponents, a defeat would pretty much spell the end of their chances. That said, Iran have won the three previous World Cup qualifiers between these two sides, so a congratulatory phone call to Pak Doo Ik might have to wait a little longer yet.

16:00 Azerbaijan v Wales, World Cup Qualifier, BBC2 Wales/Interactive
Even if Wales win today (and it's likely, let's face it), they'll still have a mountain to climb what with better teams in the group having games in hand and all. Still, one mustn't pass up the chance to see Berti Vogts in the Azerbaijan dugout looking utterly hacked off again, and that can only be a good thing.

16:00 Kazakhstan v England, World Cup Qualifier, Setanta Sports 1
Your challenge for this match is to see how many England supporters you can spot wearing fake Borat moustaches. It'll be arguably more entertaining than this potentially one-sided affair.

17:00 Qatar v Australia, World Cup Qualifier, British Eurosport 2
The Aussies have a two point lead over Japan at the top of Asia Group 1 and quite frankly if they don't qualify for next year's World Cup, they should be banned from international football until hell freezes over. Away win.

18:30 Bulgaria v Republic of Ireland, World Cup Qualifier, Setanta Sports 1
The Bulgars are well adrift in the race for a qualifying spot in Europe Group 8, in fact if Ireland (currently 2nd) win, they'll be a further three points ahead of their opponents. That, we think you'll agree, is quite a staggering statistic.

19:50 Italy v Northern Ireland, International, BBC3 / BBC2 Northern Ireland
So let's get this straight: the Republic of Ireland are playing Bulgaria tonight and will go top of thier group if they win. Italy, however, are already at the top of the group but tonight play *Northern* Ireland prior to their *own* game against Bulgaria on Wednesday. Yes, that's right. That is right, isn't it?

20:00 Uruguay v Brazil, World Cup Qualifier, Sky Sports 1
In the competition no-one seems to want to win, these are two of the least inconsistent teams. Brazil, despite being second in the group, really need to start winning more games rather than drawing while Uruguay could do with more wins *full stop*. Let's hope for an appropriate all-guns-blazing attitude from both of them in this one.

22:00 Argentina v Colombia, World Cup Qualifier, Sky Sports 1
Argentina, meanwhile, have slipped from their lofty perch down to fourth - below Chile, even. Time for Maradona's merry band of men to show their authority over a Colombia side that have scored just six goals in their twelve games thus far.

00:00 (Sunday) Paraguay v Chile, World Cup Qualifier, Sky Sports 1
This could turn out to be the Game of the Weekend as 1st Place plays 3rd. Paraguay are still reeling from a 1-1 draw against Ecuador and a defeat to Uruguay last time out while Chile are undefeated in their last three. A failure to win on Paraguay's part could mean a change at the top of the table and a monumental cat-among-the-pigeons situation ensuing ahead of next Wednesday's qualifiers.

Sunday 7th June

21:30 Peru v Ecuador, World Cup Qualifier, Sky Sports 1
End your weekend with a large anti-climax courtesy of this bottom-end-of-the-table drivelfest.