How the significant seven stand on road to 2010 World Cup

In 78 years, only seven nations have won the World Cup and one of those seven will likely win it again during the South African winter of 2010.

So where do the significant seven stand on the eve of another round of qualifying, with no fewer than 94 soccer matches scheduled worldwide over the next five days? Here’s a capsule glance at the seven:

* ITALY – The defending world champion is comfortably atop its group, having beaten both Cyprus and Georgia. The Azzurri take on Bulgaria in Sofia on Saturday and Montenegro in Lecce on Wednesday. With Luca Toni badly out of form and veteran Alessandro Del Piero not even named to the squad, Italy Coach Marcello Lippi is expected to give Udinese striker Simone Pepe his national team debut, while New Jersey-born Giuseppe Rossi, who did well at the Beijing Olympics, also could see some playing time. “He is an important player,” Lippi said of Rossi, who turned down the chance to play for the U.S. “Up front, he knows what to do.” Lippi’s roster contains only eight of the players he led to the World Cup two summers ago.

* FRANCE – The 2006 runner-up is struggling, and unless Les Bleus score a convincing win over Romania in Constanta on Saturday, Coach Raymond Domenech could be shown the door as early as next week. Having failed to get his team past the first round of Euro 2008, Domenech is on very thin ice. France was upset by Austria before rebounding to overcome Serbia, but the team lacks harmony. Captain Patrick Vieira has called on the players to support Domenech, but Franck Ribery has criticized France for being “afraid to try things,” saying: “We must take risks. We’re France, we’ve got good players. We must enjoy ourselves on the pitch.” Meanwhile, 1998 world champions Didier Deschamps and Laurent Blanc wait in the wings for Domenech to stumble.

* GERMANY – An intriguing clash against Euro 2008 semifinalist Russia in Dortmund on Saturday is the next order of business for Coach Joachim Loew’s team, which also plays Wales on Wednesday. Michael Ballack returns from injury and after an unseemly spat with team manager Oliver Bierhoff. Having trounced Liechtenstein before being unexpectedly tied by Finland, Germany needs a good result against Russia, whose Dutch coach, Guus Hiddink, knows what to expect. “We know that they rarely lose their concentration and will score goals up until the last seconds,” Hiddink said. “A Germany team will never give up.” Germany’s first-choice goalkeeper Robert Enke broke his wrist in training and Loew will start a novice in the nets, either Rene Adler or Tim Wiese.

* ENGLAND – With David Beckham having been reduced to the role of cheerleader on the bench, England plays Kazakhstan in London on Saturday before traveling to play Belarus on Wednesday. Coach Fabio Capello’s squad has beaten Andorra and Croatia away from home, and two more victories will set it squarely on the road to South Africa. Theo Walcott, Beckham’s 19-year-old replacement, scored three goals against Croatia, but Capello warned fans not to expect an encore at Wembley. “He can’t play like the last game every time,” said Capello, who controversially left striker Michael Owen off his roster and also will be missing injured defender John Terry, with Rio Ferdinand taking over the captaincy. Kazakhstan’s new coach has called up a slew of young, uncapped players. “It’s all changed and now I know nothing,” Capello said of England’s opponent.

* ARGENTINA – For a team with an immense wealth of talent at its disposal, Argentina has not been getting the expected results. It has been tied in each of its last six qualifying and friendly matches, leading Coach Alfio Basile to come under increasing pressure. On Saturday, Argentina plays Uruguay in Buenos Aires, where Uruguay has not won a game in 21 years. Basile is considering dropping playmaker Juan Roman Riquelme from his starting lineup because of the player’s uneven performances. Still, the likes of Lionel Messi, Sergio Aguero and Carlos Tevez give Argentina the creativity and firepower necessary to win. Argentina, in third place in the South American qualifying group, travels to Santiago to play Chile on Wednesday.

* BRAZIL – If there is any coach under more pressure than France’s Domenech, then it is Brazil’s Dunga, who was jeered off the field by fans in the Brazilians’ last two matches, amid cried of “Goodbye, Dunga” and “Idiot.” Yet the five-time world champions are in second place behind Paraguay in South America as they prepare to play Venezuela in San Cristobal on Sunday and Colombia in Rio de Janeiro on Wednesday. The problem has been Brazil’s lack of style under the defense-minded Dunga. Confidence, too, has been affected by an indifferent run of results. “We know that nowadays Brazil can lose to any side,” striker Robinho said. Dunga has dropped Ronaldinho, but Kaka, the FIFA world player of the year having overcome a string of injuries, returns to the team for the first time in 11 months.

* URUGUAY – The Uruguayans have not won the World Cup since 1950 and chances are that won’t change any time soon, but they continue to be a troublesome opponent in South America. Coach Oscar Washington Tabarez’s team is in fifth place in the standings, only one point behind Chile and Argentina, but his cause has not been helped by an injury to striker Diego Forlan, the continent’s leading scorer in qualifying with four goals. Not that forward Sebastian Abreu helped matters by questioning Argentina’s strength. “We’re better because we have shown it,” Abreu said. “Against defensive teams and under strong pressure [Argentina] has not functioned well.” Responded Tevez: “We are playing in Argentina and they have to have some respect.” Uruguay also plays Bolivia in La Paz on Tuesday.

grahame.jones@latimes.com