The grandest sporting event in the world kicks off on Friday, so it would be inexcusable of us to not offer up a preview of the action. Today I’ll preview groups A-D, then tomorrow I’ll (slide) tackle the latter four groups. Without further ado…
Group A
Featuring: France, Mexico, Uruguay, South Africa
Most intriguing game: South Africa vs. Mexico (June 11)
Thoughts: This is perhaps the most deceptively treacherous group in the entire tournament. The big name for sure is defending runners-up France, although they are an aging team that is not the threat to make a deep run in the tournament that they have been in past years (a 1-0 loss to China in their final tune-up last week speaks to this). And don’t forget about the fact that they might not even be in South Africa if it weren’t for Thierry Henry’s “Le Hand of God” goal against Ireland during qualifying. With that said, they are still a very talented team that features one of the top players in the world, Franck Ribery, and they certainly would love to prove all their doubters wrong.
The strongest team in the group may be Uruguay, led by accomplished striker Diego Forlan. South American teams are generally tough outs in the World Cup, and this team certainly is no exception with their aggressive style of play. France needs to be ready for them otherwise they could find themselves in a big hole after Day 1.
Mexico will be looking to move through to the Round of 16 for the fifth consecutive tournament, and they definitely have the horses to do so. Led by veteran defender/midfielder Rafael Marquez, the Mexicans have looked impressive in their tune-up matches, including a 2-1 victory over defending champion Italy last week. They do draw the unenviable task of playing the host nation in the first match of the tournament, however, so this could potentially be a serious hindrance to their advancement.
South Africa is by far the weakest team in this group, and many expect them to become the first host ever to not advance past the group stage. This certainly is a realistic scenario, however while their group is strong overall, it does not possess a single elite team. Their first game against Mexico should tell us everything we need to know about this team. Personally, I expect them to pick off Mexico and possibly France en route to the knockout stage.
Prediction: If Mexico falls to South Africa, they are probably done. I also think France is due for a disappointment this year. This leaves Uruguay and the hosts as the survivors.
Group B
Featuring: Argentina, Nigeria, South Korea, Greece
Most intriguing game: Nigeria vs. South Korea (June 22)
Thoughts: Until further notice, this group belongs to Argentina. They are the class of Group B on paper, and should have no trouble advancing, despite their lackluster qualifying campaign. Having the best player in the world certainly helps, and Lionel Messi is certainly on top of his game coming off a season in which he scored 45 goals in 46 games for Barcelona, including 8 in the Champions League. Perhaps the only thing that can derail Argentina is their coach, Diego Maradona, who is considered by many experts as one of the weakest coaches in the tournament.
After Argentina, the second ticket out of the group is pretty up for grabs. South Korea probably has the best shot at it, as this will be their seventh consecutive appearance in the World Cup (including their run to the semi-finals as host in 2002). Led by Park Ji-Sung, the South Koreans most important match may be their group finale against Nigeria, although getting a favorable result against Argentina certainly wouldn’t hurt their chances of advancing.
Speaking of the Super Eagles, they are making their first appearance in the World Cup since 1998, and will look to their strikers to give them an edge in what should be a very defensive-minded group (outside of Argentina). One particularly explosive option up front for Nigeria is Obafemi Martins, who scored two goals in their berth-clinching win against Kenya in qualifying.
Rounding out the group is Greece, who despite making only their second appearance ever at the World Cup are certainly a threat to advance to the Round of 16 as well. Their defense under coach Otto Rehhegal is always top notch, but they will need to find a way to score more goals if they want to move deep into the tournament. This strategy helped them win Euro 2004, but ever since then Greece has struggled in high profile competitions as teams seem to have their counter-attacking ways figured out.
Prediction: As stated above, look for Argentina to win the group, and look for the winner of the Nigeria-South Korea game to move on as well. My guess is that Nigeria scores another win for the host continent.
Group C
Featuring: England, United States, Algeria, Slovenia
Most intriguing game: Algeria vs. Slovenia England vs. USA (June 12)
Thoughts: A lot has been made of the England-USA game on Saturday, mostly because of a game played between the two sides 60 years ago. Yes, that was a monumental win for US soccer, however its significance is muted by the fact that the US didn’t return to the World Cup for another 40 years. This time around, first place in Group C will likely be at stake, and it should be a good test of how far the US has come since their disappointment in 2006.
England is the clear favorite of the group, and even if they slip up against the US they should be able to rebound against weaker sides Algeria and Slovenia. With players such as Wayne Rooney, Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard back for another go, England fans have realistic dreams of watching their boys host the World Cup trophy, and anything less will certainly be a disappointment.
The United States also have high hopes for this World Cup, after knocking off Spain and giving Brazil all they could handle in the Confederations Cup last year. This team still doesn’t match up with the top teams in the tournament talent-wise, but they are getting there. Landon Donovan is viewed by many as one of the better players in the world when he is in top form, and the rest of the squad features a handful of players that have made their mark playing in Europe. Despite this, the US will need to be nearly tactically flawless if they want to progress deep into the tournament.
Algeria provided a bit of a shocker when they defeated Egypt to earn the last African berth in the tournament. Not viewed by many as a threat to advance, the Desert Foxes will depend on a stout defense and solid play in the midfield to get them through. The pressure will be on striker Abdelkader Ghezzal to get the job done up front. If he fizzles, Algeria’s stay will likely be a short one.
Slovenia on the other hand is a more serious threat to England and the US’s place in the knockout stage. Slovenia knocked off Euro 2008 semifinalist Russia in order to qualify, so this is a team that shouldn’t be taken lightly. They gave up the second fewest goals during European qualifying, so if they can find some goals up front they could very well end up advancing. Keep an eye on Milivoje Novakovic, Slovenia’s main threat up top.
Prediction: Algeria has the potential to be a nuisance and Slovenia’s defense will give teams problems, however England and the US should make it through as they are the group’s best teams.
Group D
Featuring: Germany, Ghana, Australia, Serbia
Most intriguing game: Ghana vs. Serbia (June 13)
Thoughts: This is another group that doesn’t look too stacked to the untrained eye, but in reality each one of these teams has a realistic shot at making it through to the second round. Germany is understandably the favorite, but there are definite question marks surrounding the team. They will be without star midfielder Michael Ballack, who was injured at the end of the Premier League season, and this will be their first World Cup without the brick wall that is Oliver Kahn since 1998. They still sport a dangerous attack, however, so they should still emerge from Group D.
Ghana will be looking to duplicate their success from 2006, and with a crop of impressive young players that won the under-20 World Cup just last year, they are again a talented team that could potentially explode into the second round. They will be without injured star Michael Essien, but German transplant Kevin-Prince Boateng should be able to step in and solidify the midfield next to Steven Appiah. Their match against Serbia may be the key to them returning to the round of 16.
Serbia is a team that is stocked with talent but is lacking in equivalent success in recent tournaments. As Serbia and Montenegro in 2006, they were eliminated without winning a single game, and they didn’t even qualify for Euro 2008. This is a dangerous team, however, especially in the midfield, and a run to the second round isn’t out of the question.
Finally, Australia is probably the weakest team in the group, but they are still a strong side that has the potential to spring an upset or two (as they did in 2006). Led by Tim Cahill, the Socceroos have a stiff task ahead of them, but they are a veteran team that may be able to take advantage of some of the inexperienced players in the group. Goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer is a gamechanger in net and could steal a game or two for Australia.
Prediction: Ghana and Australia may have trouble rekindling the magic from 2006, so look for Germany and Serbia to break through to the round of 16.
-The BOMB
Part 2 still to come...
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