Great World Cup Matches

On paper there are some tasty match-ups in the group stages of next year’s World Cup. Here are my early stage predictions based on nothing more than gut feeling.

Group A:
Germany and Poland should be a cracker of a game. If not for the football, then for the history and the passion of the fans. There are plenty of Poles in Germany, and many of their players make their living in the Bundesliga. And of course we won’t mention ze vwar. Germany lucked out with the draw and I see them moving in to the next round comfortably with a dogfight between Poland and Costa Rica to join them in the second round.

Group B:
England has a tough group. It’s not quite the Group of Death, but it’s close. Paraguay is a tough team with good World Cup experience and some talented players. Sweden always plays well in big tournaments and especially against England. It’s a toss up who makes it through this group and it could come down to goal difference. My picks go to England and Paraguay, but I’m not confident.

Group C:
Argentina vs the Netherlands. I cannot wait for this game. So much history here and the papers will be talking about the passionate final of 1978 in the days before this game. I don’t see much other competition in this group and both these teams will progress. The only question is, in which order? My pick is Argentina first, Netherlands second. Even the expected Netherlands team meltdown when the coach gets fired and the players start bitching should not prevent them from progressing in this gourp.

Group D:
Mexico and Portugal would have to be favourites on paper for this group. But Mexico can be erratic, especially away from home, and Iran could pull an upset here. Plus I love the underdogs, so I’m gonna say Portugal first, Iran joining them in the second round.

Group E:
This is, without doubt, the Group of Death. The teams that make it through this group will have earned the right. I just hope it doesn’t exhaust them for the rest of the tournament. Italy on paper should be good enough, but the USA is a top ranked team these days and the Czech Republic are one of my dark horse favourites. The Czech’s should have progressed further at Euro 2004 and that motivation will make then a tough team to beat. And Ghana have individual talent across the park. I can’t see them moving on, but they could spoil any of the other teams in this group. Wins will be like gold in Group E.

Group F:
I love Australia and I have high hopes for them in this World Cup (to make it to the next round), but the draw was not kind to them. They play Japan first up and I expect that to be a defensive stalemate for most of the game with a 1-0 victory to one or the other at the final whistle. Brazil will be an awesome game but I expect us to get schooled in a big way. And there will be no love lost between us and Croatia. I remember years ago when football was still considered ‘wog ball’ in Australia and when Croatian teams would play in Sydney or Melbourne, oftentimes there would be more Croatian fans in the stands than Aussies. Of course, they were Australian, but were still (rightfully) very proud of their heritage. This is a tough group, but I think Croatia and Brazil will progress fairly easily.

Group G:
In my opinion, France got a free pass with their draw. They have some tough games, but on paper they should go through. They have some older players returning which could go either way. Experience versus fatigue. But France have sucked big-time recently so I think this group is up for grabs. Most people expect South Korea to repaet their heroics of the last World Cup. I don’t think they will, but they’re good enough to get through to the next round based on the competition in this group. Switzerland are draw specialists too, so whoever can get a win out of those three will be favourite to progress.

Group H:
Spain has a tough group, but they should progress on top. Certainly that will be the expectation of their fans based on the draw. Tunisia are African champions and that’s no easy feat and the Ukraine is a tough game for sure. Saudi Arabia didn’t show much last World Cup and I don’t see much hope for them. Will be a dogfight under Spain unless they self-destruct, but I see Tunisia having the goods.