Friday, June 30, 2006

World Cup Quarter Final Preview Part 2

England vs Portugal

In a repeat of the European championship quarter final, the English team have a great chance of revenge. They will be encouraged by the suspension of two key Portuguese players and the return of a proper right back in Gary Neville. This will be an interesting game between two teams who will be confident of progressing to the final should they win here. Portugal have won all their games so far and will be full on confidence after beating Holland. However England are improving and they are not losing, which is the key thing.

One of the things England have in their favour is that no-one will be sure what formation they will be playing. People suspect it will be 4-5-1, but Sven could easily spring a surprise and play Crouch instead of Carrick and go to 4-4-2. This is a good thing as it will keep them all guessing until the last minute. For England to win though they will need their key midfield players to step up to the mark. Lampard so far has not been the player we all know he can be and he needs to step up now, and the others also need to perform. Hopefully John Terry's bad game is now behind him and we will again see a solid centre half performance. England must win this in normal time, extra time and penalties will almost certainly see them lose. England will continue their march to World Cup glory and sneak through 2-1.

Brazil vs France

Brazil will be seeking revenge for their 1998 final humiliation at the hands of France. They should have too much for them, but with France you never know. France have a lot in common with England and Germany, as they are improving with every game along the way. Most people, including myself, thought that Spain would beat them, but an emphatic second half performance saw them through in style.

On the other side of the coin, Brazil were extremely flattered by their 3-0 win over Ghana, but they do now have the threat of the tubby Ronaldo who will worry the French defence. They will need to improve again to get through. The French are getting more confident with every game and will not be scared of the Brazilians. Brazil may be spurred on by the fact that they are now the only South American team left in the competition. This is a tough one to call, I am going to say Brazil on penalties.

World Cup - Quarter Final Preview Part 1

Argentina vs Germany

This will be an interesting battle between these two World Cup giants. There is no doubt in my mind that the Germans are the most improved team of the tournament and have once again lived up to their World Cup reputation. However by far the most impressive team so far this tournament has been Argentina. Their systematic destruction of Serbia was a beautiful footballing sight. To work out who should win this one you have to answer the question: Have Argentina peaked too soon?

I think yes, but I also think that they will have to much for Germany. They cam through a tough group and managed to hold off a spirited Mexican side. In contrast to this the Germans have come through a below average group and the seen off an aging Swedish side who were really flattered by the England result. I think that Argentina has just too much talent, in and around the midfield, for the Germans. The home advantage for Germany will work in their favour and if they can get that early goal who knows, but I think their game is up. I think Argentina will win this by the odd goal in three, 2-1.

Italy vs Ukraine

The surprise quarter finalists are the Ukraine, who cam through an easy group and second round match to find themselves here. Many people would have expected them to have played France in the last round, instead they held a bore draw with Switzerland and then demonstrated their penalty prowess to get through. Now they face an Italian side on a par with the Spanish team that destroyed them in their opening game.

The key to this game is which Italian side will turn up, if its the side that played the Aussies, then Ukraine has a chance. If it is the organised, methodical and attacking side then they will cruise through to the semi-finals. The Italians will be thinking they are on easy street. They came out of a tough group to face two easy matches. As usual they did the best to bow out to a lesser known football team in Australia. But they proved when the chips are down you can always chest to win. A side of Italian football none of us like to see. For this game I cannot see the Ukraine scoring and will go for 1-0 to the Italians

Wednesday, June 28, 2006

World Cup - Group Predictions

Group A

Prediction Outcome

1. Poland 1. Germany
2. Germany 2. Ecuador
3. Ecuador 3. Poland
4. Costa Rica 4. Costa Rica

Group B

Prediction Outcome

1. England 1. England
2. Sweden 2. Sweden
3. Paraguay 3. Paraguay
4. Trinidad & Tobago 4. Trinidad & Tobago

Group C

Prediction Outcome

1. Argentina 1. Argentina
2. Ivory Coast 2. Holland
3. Holland 3. Ivory Coast
4. Serbia 4. Serbia

Group D

Prediction Outcome

1. Portugal 1. Portugal
2. Mexico 2. Mexico
3. Iran 3. Angola
4. Angola 4. Iran

Group E

Prediction Outcome

1. Italy 1. Italy
2. Czech Republic 2. Ghana
3. Ghana 3. Czech Republic
4. USA 4. USA

Group F

Prediction Outcome

1. Brazil 1. Brazil
2. Croatia 2. Australia
3. Australia 3. Croatia
4. Japan 4. Japan

Group G

Prediction Outcome

1. France 1. Switzerland
2. Switzerland 2. France
3. South Korea 3. South Korea
4. Togo 4. Togo

Group H

Prediction Outcome

1. Spain 1. Spain
2. Ukraine 2. Ukraine
3. Tunisia 3. Tunisia
4. Saudi Arabia 4. Saudi Arabia

All in all, not to bad. I made a few assumptions around the wronf African teams and totally dismissed Ecuador and Germany's chances. Two groups were spot on and mostly I got the right qualifiers. The last eight is now upon us, and I will preview that later. I missed the last sixteen due to holiday, but still stand by my prediction that England will win the World Cup

Saturday, June 17, 2006

World Cup - Day 9

Czech mate!

After writing yesterday about the lack of passion from the Africans, the Ghana team put on a masterclass to defeat the Czechs 2-0. Worse was to come for the Czechs as their only remaining fit striker picked up his second yellow card and will miss the Italy game. They were in pole position coming into this game and have blown it. Currently rated as the second best team in the world, they showed that the world rankings are a joke as they barely threatened Ghana. It has now put Ghana in with a great shout of qualifying as they play the Americans, who as you will read later on, will be missing at least two of their players

Italy and the USA played a 9 v 10 match in the evening as the game was totally dominated by the referee. This is being a bit harsh as clearly he was given no option in one instance. A 1-1 draw keeps the group alive for everyone although the USA will struggle against Ghana in five days time. Italy though will look forward to playing the Czechs as they have no real forward power to threaten them. Also a point will be good enough and in these situations the Italians will probably put on a defensive masterclass.

Portugal sealed their place in the second round with a 2-0 win over Iran. It was not as easy as they thought but they came through it well. Iran held on for a while but class told in the second half and the Portuguese took control. It is a shame for Iran as they have put up two good performances and will be disappointed not to have at least one point in the bag. It does mean for Angola though that they may put out a second string side, which Mexico will not be looking forward to. Their are interesting times ahead for the middle groups.

World Cup - Day 8

Argentina! Argentina!

No surprises about what everyone is talking about today, it's the systematic destruction Argentina did on Serbia. We must remember that this is a Serbian team who topped their qualifying group over Spain, and who only conceded one goal. 6-0 in anybodies language is a thrashing. All the other World Cup nations will know who the real threat is now, their football at times was breathtaking. The only question left unanswered is have they peaked to early, let hope not because as much as I hate them, they are an absolute joy to watch.

They were followed into the last sixteen by Holland, who hung on to a 2-1 win over the Ivory Coast. I had predicted better things for the Ivory Coast in this tournament, but they have not disgraced themselves. What this does show you though is that African football has reached some sort of plateau. All the predictions of an African winner were made out of passion not out of realism. There is still a big gulf between them and the top South American and European sides, and until they bridge that and learn some discipline, they will always be in this position. It has been a poor World Cup so far for Africa.

One bright spot was the 0-0 draw for Angola with Mexico. They clearly were hoping for two draws out of their first two games to put themselves in with a chance of qualifying with a victory over Iran. There is still that possibility, but they will hope Portugal beat Iran today. If not then a draw with Mexico will see them both through. On the plus side, neither Mexico or Portugal will want to play Argentina, so they will be fighting for that top spot in order to play Holland. Oh well guys, it was nice of you all to turn up.

Friday, June 16, 2006

World Cup - Day 7

2-0 to the Engerland!

And didn't they leave it late, two goals in the last ten minutes saw them through to the last sixteen after they finally broke the back of the plucky Trinidad & Tobagans. Even the return of Rooney could not inspire them to score the big win everyone was looking for. They say that good World Cup teams improve with every performance. They will have to as this was only marginally better than their game against Paraguay. Sven needs to look at changes, Lampard and Gerrard was not working. Aaron Lennon came on and started to run at people and then we looked dangerous. Can we drop Beckham for him. No, but we could drop Lampard and move Beckham inside to central midfield. Start Rooney, drop Owen and then we can start talking. With the possibility of playing the Germans in the last sixteen, England really need to pick their game up.

Sweden put themselves in pole position for the second spot in Group B with a late late winner over Paraguay. This was another un-convincing performance, but now they just need a draw against England on Tuesday to see them through. It will be interesting to see their approach to this game as they play just after the Group A games finish. Both sides will want to avoid the Germans at all costs although the current form of Ecuador will have them all a bit worried. Should Germany top the group then expect Sweden to go all out to beat England to avoid them. Fascinating times are ahead.

Ecuador went to of Group A with a thumping 3-0 win over Costa Rica. Underdogs they may be, but there learning quickly to handle these conditions. Maybe all the games at altitude are paying off. They play Germany next for the right to top the group. From what I have seen of them they will be quite happy to take them on and top the group. This may give them a tie against Sweden and they will fancy their chances of going further. Given their current form who would bet against them.

Thursday, June 15, 2006

World Cup - Day 6

Is it Spain?

Spain laid down a good marker for the team to watch with a thumping 4-0 win over the Ukraine. Never in any trouble the game was all over before the Ukraine went down to ten men and there will be many teams studying their World Cup wallchart to try and work out if they will end up playing them. They looked solid at the back and explosive at the front. The midfields OK as well. They should comfortably beat their next two opponents setting up a very good run to the semi-finals, at least. Spain has flattered to deceive on may occasions and they will need to show the whole world now that they mean business.

The other two teams in the group were unable to capitalise on this result and fought out a 2-2 draw in the afternoon sun. Both Saudi Arabia and Tunisia will see this as a lost opportunity as the Ukraine will come back fighting in their next game. Neither side will look forward to facing Spain and they will be wanting to take their best shot at the Ukraine to try and make the last sixteen and a possible clash with France, Switzerland or South Korea.

The Germans sealed their place in the last sixteen with a last gasp winner against Poland last night. It was a much improved German performance and they will be please to have won. However they did look like they were relying on the long ball from Michael Ballack more than they would like. There was also some very poor finishing from their strikers, and if they continue to do this they will not be progressing much further. England fans will be concerned by this performance as they may end up playing them in the last sixteen and an improving German side is always a danger. England will need a really good performance tonight to show they to mean business.

Wednesday, June 14, 2006

World Cup - Day 5

Boring, Boring, Boring

What a disappointing day. Considering the football super powers that were on offer on day five it’s amazing that the most entertaining game came from South Korea and Togo. An interesting dual of sides hoping to cause an upset, was settled in the second half when Togo were reduced to 10 men. This allowed South Korea to steal the game 2-1. This now surprisingly sits them in the box seat for their group, two points clear of France and Switzerland and it will be interesting to see the tactics that they adopt for the remainder of the group as two draws from their next two games has the potential to see them through. As for Togo, their World Cup debut has been blighted by player arguments and coach resignations, if they would only take a look at those teams around them. They would see two European teams ripe for an upset, and who is to say that France will not score a goal again, since their 1998 victory they have failed to register a goal in the World Cup finals. Togo take note, you could yet get a point.

As for the Switzerland, France game the least said the better. My only comment on this is that if neither of these teams buck their ideas up, they will be on the first coach home as surely first class travel would not be right for two teams who were so bad I cannot comment

The evening game saw the first appearance of Brazil with a tough opener over Croatia. They won, but were far from convincing. I can’t help but think that their coach has made a mistake by naming his team weeks before the start of the World cup. It would be easy to say that Ronaldo looks a shadow of his former self, because he looks more like he ate his shadow and anything else he could find. He was a very sad sight jogging off the pitch in the second half. The ever reliable Kaka bailed them out with a great goal, but this was not the Brazil that people were expecting. Their coach was right this morning when he said the performance did not matter and it was the three points that counted. What he fails to realise is that the world expects flair from Brazil. It’s OK for England to be poor and win, no-one expects them to set the world alight. With Brazil it’s the opposite. I am sure that their supporters would prefer them to lose with style rather than win with boring tactics. They will face a tough game against Australia, the group leaders, and will need to up their game to show the world why they should be favourites

Tuesday, June 13, 2006

World Cup - Day 4

Aussie Aussie Aussie

Day four of the world cup saw two of the European superpowers show their hand, and they were quite impressive. A very good Czech Republic side made light work of a reasonably good USA team, with a 3-0 victory. They may of paid a price though with their giant forward Koller limping out of the game. With Baros on the sidelines they have very little attacking options for them and will now look to rely heavily on their midfield to produce the goods. The USA will be disappointed with this result, as they had high hopes of qualifying for the next stage. This means they will need to beat Ghana and possibly Italy. If I were them I would be getting an early discount for booking the flights home early

Italy flexed their muscles and showed they are potential candidates for the trophy with a business like 2-0 win over Ghana. Like most African teams Ghana were let down by their discipline. Not from a yellow and red card perspective, but from a paying attention perspective. Italy caught them out from a corner to take the lead and then it was only a matter of time before they hit them on the break for the second. If the Italians can keep this form up they will be a team that everyone will want to avoid, and they will also want to finish top to avoid a last sixteen clash with the Brazilians, but on this form they will not be scared. Ghana for all their promise failed to deliver and will hope that they can win their next game or like the USA they will be on this first plane home

The other game played on day four was a game between the also-rans of Group E Australia and Japan. In a fascinating encounter the Japanese led for a long time but were caught out by Tim Cahill and John Aloisi three times in the last six minutes. This could lead to an interesting scenario should Brazil and Croatia draw today, as this will but Australia in the box seat. There was no sign of the heavy handed tactics they used in the game against Holland, but you can expect they will be evident in their next two games as they will definitely see two draws as enough to get them through to the last sixteen. Croatia will still be confident, but not if Brazil beat them today. I’m sure this win will have convinced a few Aussies that they can go on to win the World cup, but I’m sure they will need to learn the meaning of the word “humility” after their next game

Monday, June 12, 2006

World Cup - Day 3

Three games, Three wins!

Day three of the World, had three winners, coincidence, I’m not sure when you look at the fixtures. What is surprising is that the victories were not all as comfortable as they were expected to be. Holland and Serbia opened the proceedings and with a very good match decided by an early Arjen Robben goal. I’m not a big fan of his, mainly because he has a huge tendency to cheat, but yesterday he looked like the world beater that Holland need. It was not an east game by all means and the Serbs for their part kept on trying to the end and made sure they kept Holland honest. What is interesting about this group now is that both favourites have won. This will force the other two sides to come out and attack them in the next games and it will be interesting to see how Hollands defence copes as they did not look the most solid against Serbia.

Next up came Iran and Mexico who served up a very entertaining early evening game. If Mexico had thought this would be an easy game, they would have had a shock as Iran took the game to them and definitely showed they weren’t here just to make up the numbers. They created several good chances before Mexico took the lead against the run of play. Credit to Iran for not folding and getting themselves back in the game, before eventually falling to a couple of late goals. The Mexican coach will be a little concerned with this performance, and will know that they will need to improve upon this if they want to get to the next stage. Like England they will be happy with the three points and will look to consolidate on these in their next match. If Iran choose to keep playing this type of attacking football they will certainly have a good chance of causing an upset in their next two games

Finally, Portugal struggled past a very average Angola 1-0 in the evening game. This would not be the ideal start for them as Angola are widely seen as the whipping boys in their group. Big Phil Scolari will be sounding a lot like Sven today as he will be saying it’s the three points that count and not the performance. Behind that though he must be concerned, Portugal will be a team that expect the quarter finals as a minimum and anything less will be deemed as a failure. They will need to sharpen up and make a few changes, there was no Deco for this game and if he continues to sit on the sidelines then they may well struggle. If results go for them they will have an easy route to the quarters, if they don’t we could see an early exit for a fancied team.

Saturday, June 10, 2006

World Cup - Day 2

Engerland - Engerland - Engerland

What a great day for England, not only did they grab three points, they saw their closest rivals drop two points. England lined up as expected, no Rooney and Crouch up front. It was a very hot day and an early free kick saw them take the lead with an own goal. That was all they needed, which was a good job really because they faded very badly in the second half. It wasn't the greatest England performance you will ever see, but it did the job. One question still left unanswered was the fitness of Michael Owen. He was substituted after 55 minutes and from then on it was clear that England were going to take what they had.

To be honest though, Paraguay did not pose much of a threat, they failed to make the most of their increased possession and Paul Robinson will have busier days in goal than this one. It was hard to see what Sven was thinking when he pushed Joe Cole forward rather than Gerrard, and again Michael Carrick must be wondering what he has done as Owen Hargreaves was bought on to anchor the midfield. On the positive side Terry, Ferdinand and Neville did alright at the back but there will be concerns that sides will start to target Ashley Cole. He will need to sharpen up his game as he is clearly seen as the weak link.

Sven could probably not believe his luck as he settled down to watch his country take on the minnows of Trinidad and Tobago. In his wildest dreams he would not have expected this game to finish 0-0. Contrary to the result Sweden were not that bad. They played good one touch football and were let down badly by their finishing. Trinidad played well above themselves but you could see they were there for the taking. This places the group firmly in Englands hands and if they can get a good result against Trinidad then they will already have qualified. Sweden however have a very tricky game against a Paraguay side who know they will have to win, this will be one to watch.

Argentina also laid down the basis of their campaign with a very efficient 2-1 victory over the Ivory Coast. They will be happy with this as they would have seen them as a tricky tie. It was also good news for Crespo as he opened his account. They definitely look like a team that means business and they will be hoping that Holland will be sharing the points with Serbia today. If things go the way they are they will be meeting England in the quarter finals, and Argentina will be the more confident of the two teams at the moment. The Ivory Coast will also be hoping for a draw today to make sure of having a fighting chance of qualifying for the second round. But for now I will revel in the glory of England's three points and won't start worrying until Thursday

World Cup - Day 1

Germany and Ecuador claim 3 points

Who would have thought that the first shock of this years World cup would come on the first day. Ecuador, probably the greatest side at home in the world, came down to sea level and scored a very handy 2-0 win over Poland. Ecuador qualified off the back of playing at altitude and the only away game they won was played at a higher altitude than their own stadium. Poland will be waking up today not knowing how this happened. For Ecuador it is a golden opportunity to qualify for the last sixteen for the first time.

For my money, Poland choked, if they played again tomorrow in a friendly, they'd win. I had thought Poland has potential to win this group if they tried. Their qualification nerves have obviously returned to haunt them and may see them take the short journey home in 12 days time. It will certainly make their game against Germany very interesting on Wednesday, because if they attack the Germans and can stay solid in defense they have a chance of getting a result.

How is that? I hear you say. Well although they beat Costa Rica 4-2, their defense looked ready to leak goals at every opportunity. As opening games go this was one of the best for entertainment I have seen. Based on footballing ability, it was severely lacking. There were two exceptional goals from the Germans, but also two rubbish pieces of defending that allowed Costa Rica to keep the pressure on. Based on this they will have to make sure they get at least one more victory. When they attack everything looks good, but when they defend everything looks average, and average is not good enough to win the World Cup. Hopefully today England and Argentina will raise the quality bar that everyone else will have to live up to.

Thursday, June 08, 2006

World Cup Countdown - Group H

Saudi Arabia - Ukraine - Spain - Tunisia
The final group holds no surprises, again you can expect the European teams to dominate. The Saudi's are at their fourth World cup final and will have some experience to bring to the table. However they have no real threats that could possibly worry either Spain or the Ukraine.

Spain carry the tag of constant under achievers and in many ways have been handed an easy route to the last eight here. Should they manage to fill their potential then they will face a very average Swiss side in the last sixteen. This could be their year especially as this group should give them confidence to beat teams.

The Ukraine have one of the best strikers in the World in Andre Shevchenko, and he has the potential to carry them to the last sixteen and a clash with France. Tunisia are yet another African side who have not shown their best form this year and will have to make a vast improvement to worry any of these sides. I expect them to get one victory but that is all. The group will end up looking like this
1. Spain
2. Ukraine
3. Tunisia
4. Saudia Arabia

World Cup Countdown - Group G

France - Switzerland - Togo - South Korea
France could probably not believe their luck when their Group G opponents were drawn out of the hat. If they wanted an easy run to the knockout stages they certainly got it. They will easily pick up the nine points that will see them through safely, and they can look forward to taking on the Ukraine for a place in the quarter finals. They have suffered a blow with the loss of Cisse yesterday, but with Henry and Trezeguet to fill the gap they will just be to strong for
everyone else.

So who will finish as runner up, well you could perm anyone from the other three teams. The Swiss team are average; the South Koreans over achieved four years ago and who knows
anything about Togo. Most people didn't know that Togo was a country until they qualified for the World Cup. They could be a threat if they can get the crowd support, they will
certainly have all the neutrals on their side. However even that may not be enough, so we have a choice between the Swiss and the Koreans. I cannot see the Koreans posting the
same results they managed on home soil four years ago, so it means a mediocre Swiss team will be the worst team in the last sixteen. The group will finish like this:
1. France
2. Switzerland
3. South Korea
4. Togo

Tuesday, June 06, 2006

World Cup Countdown - Group F

Brazil - Croatia - Australia - Japan

Two weeks ago this would be one of the easiest groups to call, with Croatia trailing second behind the might of Brazil. This would leave Australia and Japan fighting for third place and some sort of respectability. However all this has changed after the performance Australia put in against a very strong Holland team.

Were they skilful and threatening, not at all. In fact, they were downright dirty, kicking themselves to a one all draw. When their coach, Gus Hiddink (ironically a Dutchman), was questioned about their tactics, he insinuated that this was their game and if anything they would be getting harder for the World Cup. So Brazil and Croatia beware, a team has arrived to kick you off the park.

As a England supporter, I would love to see Ronaldinho and co take a damn good kicking and wind up in the semi finals hobbling. As a neutral, there is a potential for the whole World Cup to be ruined by mindless Aussie thugs. The only question to answer will be, can they take it and are they too skilful for the Aussies. Well Brazil definitely are, but the Croatians may not be. However, the Aussies may not have enough players left to trouble Croatia. The group will finish in this order:

1. Brazil
2. Croatia
3. Australia
4. Japan

Monday, June 05, 2006

World Cup Countdown - Group E

Italy - USA - Czech Republic - Ghana

This is another fairly straight forward group to predict. I expect to see a strong showing from both European team here and they will both qualify quite comfortably. The unknown in this group is yet again an African team, this time Ghana. It will be interesting to see how they cope with the lively attacking threats of Italy and the Czech Republic as they will never have faced attacks like these in the past.

The USA are now one of those teams that qualify every year now out of the CONCACAF group along with Mexico. However they have yet to really set any tournament alight and this year will be no exception. They have plenty of experience, just not the talent to threaten the Europeans. They have the potential to get a draw but not to post three good results in a row and I really fancy them to finish bottom of this group.

The only remaining question is who will finish top of the pile. Will the height and pace of the Czech's be to much for the skill and guile of the Italians. Answer is no, frankly their World ranking of two actually flatters them and I expect that the Italians will want to post a strong group showing to avoid Brazil in the last 16. Expect them to sneak that game 2-1 and the group to finish like this

1. Italy
2. Czech Republic
3. Ghana
4. USA

Sunday, June 04, 2006

World Cup Countdown - Group D

Portugal - Mexico - Iran - Angola

This will be one of the easier groups to predict for this World Cup, and it will also offer an easy opportunity for one of the World cup regulars to progress to the last sixteen. It will be really difficult to look past Portugal and Mexico to qualify out of this group. The only downside of it will be a last sixteen clash with the winners and runners up from Group C, which is probably the strongest group.

The only real question to answer is who will finish top and third. Angola will be very much and unknown. They were not a team that was expected to qualify and had a fairly average African Nations at the turn of the year. The bookies have them at 400-1, which in this case looks very generous. Having said that Portugal will not be looking forward to the opening game with them and will want to get that early goal to diffuse any enthusiasm that the African have. Iran are a different kettle of fish and will most likely be rolled over fairly easily by Mexico and Portugal, but they may well pale for a draw in both these game hoping to get a win over Angola and qualify.

It will take a very vivid imagination to see that happening and they will struggle. The only unanswered question now is how will Mexico fair and will they be able to top the group. They play Portugal in their last group game and by then both sides could have qualified. If they opt to play out for the draw it will be down to goal difference as to who wins the group. I don't think that Mexico have the same strike power as Portugal so predict that the group will finish up like this:

1. Portugal
2. Mexico
3. Iran
4. Angola

World Cup Countdown - Group C

Argentina - Holland – Ivory Coast – Serbia and Montenegro

This is bound to be labelled the Group of Death, for the reason that any two of these four has the potential to go through to the last sixteen. The bookies will have Argentina and Holland as the two teams to qualify. This is hard to argue as they are the teams with the pedigree here and both managed to qualify in some style. But can you really rule out the Ivory Coast, the best team to qualify from Africa, or Serbia who only conceded one goal throughout qualification

The key to this group will be who can break who down. Argentina have a relatively poor record against African teams and will not relish the thought of facing the Ivory Coast first up. This could well be a game decided by who the referee sides with, if Drogba can get away with what he does in the Premiership he will prove to be a big threat to them. Holland will not look forward to playing Serbia either as they will have to attack for most of the game and hope to break them down. The interesting games will come towards the end of the group stages when sides will have to play to win. It will be interesting to see the defensively minded Serbs go out on the attack.

I think that we will see a big casualty in this group and only one of Holland and Argentina will progress. The other will go home and the Ivory Coast will carry the flag for African football into the last sixteen. The tough task will be to predict which one it will be. One thing is for sure the Argentina vs Holland game has the potential to be the best game of the group stages. I have this sneaking suspicion that Argentina will have too much for everyone and Holland will do their usual implosion trick. The group will end up looking like this

1. Argentina
2. Ivory coast
3. Holland
4. Serbia