“It is just another Wednesday. Another night when 70 nations representing every continent pursue points along the way to next year’s World Cup finals in South Africa.” (NYT)
Drogba ‘Stunned’ By Footy Stampede Deaths (Sky News)
World Cup will not risk stadium tragedy (Times Online)
Lesson from Abidjan (Daily Monitor)
List: Soccer stadium disasters (The Canadian Press)

Torres treats Turkey with respect (uefa)
“Spain striker Fernando Torres has predicted a tough night ahead as the UEFA EURO 2008 winners travel to Istanbul take on Turkey in a 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifier for the second part of their double-header.”

CAF World Cup 2010 Qualifying Roundup (World Cup Blog)
“Remember our CAF World Cup 2010 qualifying preview on Friday? The general consensus was that nothing is ever as straightforward as it seems. Yes, there were favourites to win each group (and therefore qualify for WC 2010) but there’s a big difference between favourites and certainties. Just ask Emmanuel Adebayor.”

Van Persie looks for Arsenal to match his ambition (World Soccer)
” The Dutch forward said he is happy with the terms on offer but is not yet sure if Arsenal is the right club for him in the long term. The 25-year-old’s contract expires in the summer of 2010 and should he fail to sign a new deal before the end of August the Gunners could be forced to cash in or risk losing him for nothing.”

Neighbours need to find form in Prague (uefa)
“Neither the Czech Republic nor rivals Slovakia have been blazing a trail of late, but in the most open of 2010 FIFA World Cup sections both are still in the thick of things and victory in Prague could send either top of Group 3.”

Brazil’s difficulties will continue, says Dunga (Yahoo!)
“Brazil are likely to struggle in the South American World Cup qualifying group until the end of the competition, coach Dunga warned on Monday. Brazil dropped to fourth in the 10-team group—the lowest position in which they can qualify directly for the 2010 finals in South Africa—after drawing 1-1 away to Ecuador on Sunday.”

Chile, Uruguay providing the drama (SI – Tim Vickery)
“Let’s assume that Paraguay, Argentina and Brazil are going to qualify for the 2010 World Cup. It seems a fair assumption — it could well be that from the seven remaining rounds, just two victories will be good enough to get Paraguay over the line, and three plus a draw may well prove sufficient for the continent’s traditional two powers.”

KOR v PRK Preview: Koreas go head-to-head for top spot (AFC)
“Korea Republic’s Huh Jung-moo wants his players to be more ruthless in front of goal when they host DPR Korea on Wednesday as they look to regain top spot in Group B from their northern neighbours.”