© EuroFootball.com
Two world football diamonds will clash on the same pitch on Friday when the knockout stage for the final tickets to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil begins in Europe.
Since last month's knockout draw brought Portugal and Sweden together, the upcoming showdown between Cristiano Ronaldo and Zlatan Ibrahimovic has become the hottest topic.
It's hard to divert attention from the battle between the Portuguese and the Swedes, but Iceland will try to do so, writes "Lietuvos rytas," citing the news agency AP.
The Nordic European nation, better known for fishing and cold weather than football, would become the least populous state in the World Cup if they were to leap over Croatia's barrier.
"These are the most important matches in Icelandic football history," said Iceland's national team goalkeeper Olafur Ingi Skulason.
The other pairs are Ukraine against France, and Greece against Romania.
The return matches will take place on Tuesday. That day will reveal all 13 European teams heading to Brazil next year.
Forwards known for goals
The clash between two of the biggest egos in football, C.Ronaldo and Z.Ibrahimovic, is heating up football fans.
Both are currently in amazing athletic form. Both scored three goals each for their clubs last weekend.
C.Ronaldo has already scored 16 goals in 13 matches for Real Madrid and is the top scorer in the Spanish league.
The 28-year-old Portuguese added 8 more goals in the Champions League in 4 matches.
32-year-old Z.Ibrahimovic scored 15 goals in 16 matches for Paris Saint Germain this season, including 7 in the Champions League.
Both belong to the elite of world football stars, but only one of them will travel to Brazil.
"In terms of composition and personalities, Portugal is the favorite," Ibrahimovic told the Italian newspaper "Gazzetta Dello Sport." "But we finished second in the group behind Germany, which I consider the strongest team in Europe. Portugal finished second in a group they were supposed to win.
So I think we deserve to go to Brazil more than they do."
The Swedes printed a photo of C.Ronaldo crying after Portugal's loss to Greece in the 2004 European Championship final.
"Let's hope he looks like that after November 19th," said Sweden's defender Mikael Lustig, who had the tough task of marking C.Ronaldo and described him as "the best player in the world at the moment."
The first match between these teams is today in Portugal.
Concerns about the pitch
Event organizers for all sports have changed schedules to avoid confl
