Wednesday, June 23rd will involve four FIFA 2010 World Cup Group Stage matches with two from Group C playing at the same time and another two from Group D also playing simultaneously. The two Group C matches include Slovenia V England and USA V Algeria while the two Group D matches will see Ghana play Germany and Australia take on Serbia.
FIFA 2010 World Cup June 23rd Slovenia V England
Kicking off at 4pm at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth, England will play Serbia in the last of their Group Stage matches. The England team's manager, Fabio Capello, has come under much fire since the squad's last match against Algeria, as has Wayne Rooney after his frustrated post-match outburst on camera. England defender, John Terry, has recently urged Capello to reconsider his decision to leave Joe Cole out of the World Cup squad as he believes that a combination of Cole and Rooney would be a formidable force against Slovenia.
Slovenia have also promised to be a force to be reckoned with in their match against England, with captain Robert Koren stating that unlike last autumn, they are now properly prepared for this all-important match. England must defeat Slovenia to move to the next stage while their opponents only require a point to progress.
FIFA 2010 South Africa World Cup June 23rd USA V Algeria
Another Group C match kicking off at 4pm will see the USA play Algeria at the Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria. The American side have already taken part in nine FIFA World Cups with this year marking their sixth consecutive appearance at this prestigious event. However, the team have much to prove in this year's tournament having fallen at the first hurdle of the 2006 Germany World Cup. America's best result at this level was in Uruguay back in 1930 when they left the competition at the Semi-Finals.
Algeria have returned to World Cup football after being absent for 24 years with this year marking their third appearance at this level. If the 'desert foxes' make it through to the next level it will be their very first time playing beyond the group stage.
FIFA 2010 World Cup June 23rd Group D Matches
The evening of June 23rd will involve two Group D matches with Ghana V Germany and Australia V Serbia, both due to kick off at 8.30pm with the former taking place at Johannesburg's Soccer City Stadium and the latter at the Mbombela Stadium, Nelspruit. Whilst Germany are well-known for their football skills, Ghana was the first African team to qualify for this year's event and the sole African squad to progress from the Group Stage in Germany 2006. The 2006 World Cup team were also the youngest in the tournament and scored the fastest goal in just 68 seconds into their match against the Czech Republic.
Australia V Serbia will be an important match with Australia having already lost two and drawn one match in the 2010 World Cup while Serbia have won two and lost one match. The Australia team have much yet to prove after returning to World Cup football in German 2006, breaking an absence of 32 years.
As highlighted above, Wednesday, June 23rd promises to be an exciting day of the FIFA 2010 South Africa World Cup with key matches involving teams from Germany, England and USA. This will be particularly important for the England squad after their disappointing draw against Algeria in Cape Town.
Kate Le Page - Kate Henning-Le Page writes about eating disorders, body image and recovery issues. She specializes in anorexia recovery.
Join the Conversation