LIECHTENSTEIN vs SPAIN, Vaduz, 03/09/10

Full preview here

With just hours to go before the next UFWC title match, the question seems to be not, ‘Will Spain will beat Liechtenstein?’, but, ‘How many goals will Spain beat Liechtenstein by?’. On paper it looks like one of the biggest mismatches the UFWC has ever thrown up. (You can read about previous mismatches here.) It may be time to get the abacus out to keep score…

So could tonight’s match end up being the biggest win (or defeat, depending on your perspective) in UFWC history? Spain’s strikers will need to have their very sharpest shooting boots on to achieve that. The biggest winning goal margin that’s ever been managed in UFWC title matches is 11. England beat Ireland 13-2 in 1899, and Scotland beat the Irish 11-0 two years later.

There have also been two 9-0 wins – Scotland beat Wales by that score in 1878, and England beat Ireland with the same scoreline in 1895.

In more recent years, an eight goal margin is the biggest that’s been managed – that was in 1990, when the Netherlands whupped Malta. Russia beat San Marino 7-0 in 1995. And Liechtenstein themselves were involved in a UFWC goal rout in 2000 when they were beaten 8-2 by Germany.

Just four months ago, in the run-up to the World Cup, the Netherlands beat Hungary 6-1. Can Spain match that kind of scoreline tonight?

Outside of the UFWC, Spain’s biggest ever win was 13-0, against Bulgaria in 1933. Liechtenstein’s biggest loss was 11-1 to Macedonia in 1996.

Will Spain set a new UFWC record tonight? Or can Liechtenstein keep the score down – or even pull off the biggest shock results in the history of the UFWC?

Rather than polling on the result of the game, we’re asking how many goals you think Spain will score tonight. make your predictions and post your comments below.

Match Previews Liechtenstein, Spain

LIECHTENSTEIN vs SPAIN, Vaduk, 03/09/10

When it comes to underdog stories, it doesn’t come much bigger than Liechtenstein versus Spain, as the minnows have the rare chance to become champions of the world.

Liechtenstein, with a population of only around 36,000 and ranked 141st in the FIFA World Rankings, are regarded my many as the whipping boys of international football. In each of their World Cup and European Championship qualifying campaigns they have finished in last place in the group, the 2006 World Cup being the only exception where they finished one place higher. With most of their players playing with Liechtensteiner clubs, there are few if any recognizable players in their squad, although Mario Frick will be their biggest threat as the nation’s highest-ever goalscorer with 14 goals (a statistic that really highlights the gap betwewn the two nations).

Their history in the UFWC is marginally more respectable. They have competed twice in the UFWC before, the first of which was an 8-2 defeat against Germany. Interestingly, the other match was against Spain in the same home venue as this Friday, where they only lost 2-0, so an upset is far from impossible, and a victory for the challengers will not only mean they become the UFWC champions by beating the undisputed champions of the world, but they will become the smallest nation to ever hold the title, overtaking the Netherlands Antilles, the current holders of that honour.

But their Spanish opponents will not make that an easy feat to achieve. Spain are the World Cup and UFWC Champions, deservedly earning them the title of undisputed world champions. They have named argubally the strongest squad possible for this qualifier and their following friendly against Argentina, comprising some of the biggest names in world football. However Spain only barely retained the title in their last title match with a last-minute equalizer, and this is football, so anything can happen. Deservedly, though, the Spainsh are strong favourites to retain the title, with Liechtenstein 66/1 to overcome possibly the biggest obstacle they will ever face.

If the home team manage to defy the odds and win the UFWC title, their first title defence will be away to Scotland four days later. And if Spain defend the title, they will contest a delicious match against Argentina on the same day.

Match Previews Liechtenstein, Spain

The next UFWC title match, on 3 September, will see current champs Spain take on Liechtenstein. Anything can happen over 90 minutes, but, let’s be honest, it would be the biggest shock in the 138-year history of the UFWC if Liechtenstein managed to beat the undisputed official and unofficial champions. Not that we won’t be watching with anticipation – we do love the sniff of a potential upset here at the UFWC.

But, assuming that Spain do manage to successfully retain the title, what happens next? The good news is that things get even more exciting. Spain’s next match, four days later, is a friendly against Argentina – currently managerless following the departure of Diego Maradona. Argentina are ranked third in the all-time UFWC rankings – the highest-ranked non-British team in the competition – but haven’t held the title since 1998. Can they halt Spain’s reign?

If Spain manage to see off Argentina, they’ll face Lithuania on 8 October. And if they survive that encounter, their next game sees them face all-time UFWC champions Scotland on 12 October. So that would be the current WC and UFWC champions versus the all-time UFWC champions. Quite a prospect.

Spain’s next match is against Portugal – another tempting match. But we’re getting ahead of ourselves. What if lowly Liechtenstein manage to play the game of their lives and beat Spain? Well, they’d become the smallest nation ever to have held the UFWC title, and they’d make their first title defence against… Scotland.

So, whatever happens over the next couple of months, they look like being very exciting for UFWC watchers.

UFWC News Argentina, Liechtenstein, Scotland, Spain