Group G: Our Infallible Prediction

Last month I called Group G the Group of Life because I thought any of the four teams had a realistic shot of advancing. After watching Togo’s performance in the African Cup of Nations and the subsequent sacking of its coach, I no longer think the Sparrowhawks have a shot in hell of making it to the airport on time for their flight to Germany let alone the knockout stage. Too much turmoil, too little talent. So that leaves three teams vying for two spots.

France is one of the more intriguing teams in the tournament. No one needs to be reminded of Les Bleus horrific showing in 2002 when the tournament holders were swept aside, falling to score a single goal. After a dismal start to qualifying, the old guard was brought back in and France showed better form with Zinedine Zidane, Lilian Thuram and Claude Makelele running the show than it did with the next generation in charge. Will the old timers have enough to make some noise in the Germany? I don’t think so. But I do think they have enough pride and talent to win this group before they get sent home in the knockout stage.

After missing out on the past two World Cups, Switzerland is back. Is anyone really excited about this? The Swiss are a nice team with a few players that are talented. Alexander Frei has shown he can score goals and Phillippe Senderos anchors a decent backline. The Swiss did earn a pair of draws against France in qualifying so they are capable of testing the group’s favorite. How I see things playing out, however, is Switzerland will beat Togo and lose to France. So will South Korea. So the money game in this group is South Korea against Switzerland and my money is on the Red Devils.

South Korea is a different team than the one we saw make it to the semifinals on its home soil four years ago. Gone is an experienced backline and in are a bunch of talented young players. The South Korean midfield is one of the better units in this tournament and I see Manchester United’s Park Ji-sung as a player who will make some noise in Germany. I don’t see the Red Devils going further than the knockout round, but I do think they will beat Switzerland in a high scoring match to capture second place in this group.

As for Togo, it is a great story that the tiny nation made it to Germany but great stories don’t always translate to great performances. From what I have seen of the team, it has a few individuals who are very good, but as a whole it is not a very complete team. With a new coach taking over a team that has been hurt by its own football federation’s foolishness and whose own players don’t want him, this Togo team will struggle to come away with any points in a group that at one time might have been ripe for the taking.

Group winner: France
Group runner-up: South Korea

Here is the rundown of all our predictions to date. Go ahead and call your bookie today because there is no way any of these selections could possible be wrong. Infallible they are.

Group A

Group B

Group C

Group D

Group E

Group F