The Czech Republic will look to jump into second place when it takes on Armenia in Friday's World Cup qualifiers.
The top team in the group winds up clinching a berth in the 2014 World Cup while the second team must get through a two-legged berth to be among the 13 European sides in the tournament.
The Czechs are five points out of first place but only one point out of the second spot. The team has a major chance to jump into second as second-place Bulgaria faces first-place Italy in a pivotal match on Friday. Italy is the favored side, meaning a Czech win could potentially put them ahead of Bulgaria with three games to go; the Czechs drew Bulgaria 0-0 in their lone meeting and this team could be confident of defeating its foe in the rematch on Oct. 15.
Czech Republic started its tournament with 0-0 draw against Denmark. In its second game, the team defeated Malta 3-1 before it drew 0-0 against Bulgaria in its third game. A 3-0 loss against Denmark proved a major obstacle, but the team got it back with a 3-0 win over Armenia. A 0-0 draw against Italy also boosted the club's confidence and could go a long way toward the second place berth.
Meanwhile, Armenia is looking to build off a 4-0 win against Denmark in its latest World Cup qualifiers. The team sits in fourth with six points and needs to win three of its final four to have any hopes of qualifying.
Prediction: The two sides battle to a 0-0 draw.
Start Time: 12 p.m. EST
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