Giovanni Trapattoni’s Republic of Ireland side have been included among the third seeds for Saturday’s draw for the 2014 World Cup qualifiers.
The draw takes place in Brazil but Trap has elected not to travel, instead opting (plug alert!) to tune in here for JOE’s special World Cup Draw Live Blog in association with Continental Tyres, an official sponsor of the 2014 FIFA World Cup™.
The qualifiers get under way in September 2012, and the sides Ireland definitely will not be facing – i.e., those who are also in Pot 3 this weekend – are Switzerland, Israel, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Belarus, Ukraine and Hungary.
England have been named among the top seeds, a group which staggeringly includes Greece and Norway.
Staring into our office crystal ball, we foresee a dream draw which would see us take on Norway, Slovenia, Northern Ireland, the Faroe Islands and San Marino.
But it will probably be something like Spain, Russia, Poland, Macedonia and Kazakhstan.
Anyway, be sure to join us here in JOE Football for all the latest from the draw live on Saturday.
FIFA World Cup 2014 qualification pots (UEFA zone):
Pot one: Spain, Netherlands, Germany, England, Portugal, Italy, Croatia, Norway, Greece
Pot two: France, Montenegro, Russia, Sweden, Denmark, Slovenia, Turkey, Serbia, Slovakia
Pot three: Switzerland, Israel, Republic of Ireland, Belgium, Czech Republic, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Belarus, Ukraine, Hungary
Pot four: Bulgaria, Romania, Georgia, Lithuania, Albania, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Austria, Poland
Pot five: Armenia, Finland, Estonia, Cyprus, Latvia, Moldova, FYR Macedonia, Azerbaijan, Faroe Islands
Pot six: Wales, Liechtenstein, Iceland, Kazakhstan, Luxembourg, Malta, Andorra, San Marino
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