FIFA WORLD Cup is less than a fortnight away and the 32 teams remaining for
football's greatest prize the Jules Rimet Cup are rounding out their final
preparations. From newcomers Trinidad and Tobago to five-time champions Brazil, all the teams in Germany harbour great hopes. Some just want to put on a good show on the world's biggest stage while others will settle for nothing less than being crowned world champions.
This Saturday and next, The Gleaner's Associate Editor - Sport, Tym Glaser, will break down each of the eight groups. On the tournament's first Saturday, June 10, we will give you all the facts you need to know about the World Cup and who the experts expect to hold aloft the trophy on July 9.
Group A
GERMANY
HOSTS GERMANY have had a pretty ordinary build-up to this Cup, so that can mean only one thing: they're going to have a great tournament. You can't beat Cup pedigree and Deutschland, with three crowns, have plenty of that. Never renowned for pretty style, the Germans are generally ruthlessly efficient and grind you down more than finesse you to death. Juergen Klinsmann's side is driven by the engine of supreme midfielder Michael Ballack. He should be well
supported by rising youngsters Bastian Schweinsteiger and Lucas Podolski and more
seasoned campaigners in Miroslav Klose, Torsten Frings and Jens Nowotny. Jens Lehmann has the job in goal over veteran Oliver Kahn for now.
POLAND
POLAND had a fine Cup
qualification campaign and are a legitimate darkhorse for the crown. Advanced from their Group just a point behind England. Maciej Zurawski and Tomas Frankowski form a
formidable strike force while Artur Boruk, who keeps for Celtic, is as cool as they come between the posts. However, the player who could have the biggest impact for the Poles is speedy, left-footed midfielder Jacek Krzynowek who plies his trade in Germany with Bayer Leverkusen.
COSTA RICA
YOU JUST never know what you are going to get from Costa Rica. When they are good they are very good and when they are bad they are wicked. Alexandre Guimaraes' side had a rocky path through CONCACAF qualification but seemed to improve near the end and could have some momentum going into the Cup. Unfortunately, their first match is against the hosts and that could be the end of their campaign right there. Tico midfielders Walter Centeno and Mauricio Solis and gritty defender Gilberto Martinez are all class but this is still ageless striker Paulo Wanchope's team and he will be keen to bow out of international football on a high.
ECUADOR
ECUADOR could just pull off a surprise or two in this group. They have reached their second straight Cup after qualifying a solid third behind South American powerhouses Brazil and Argentina. Luis Suarez has a load of talented young players to call on including Christian Lara, Luis Valencia and Franklin Salas. The experience comes from the likes of Ivan Hurtado, Edison Mendez and Agustin Delgado.
HOW THEY WILL FINISH:
1. GERMANY, 2. POLAND,
3. ECUADOR, 4. COSTA RICA
Group B
ENGLAND
TALENT-LADEN ENGLAND could probably not have hand-picked a better group to be drawn in and look a breeze to advance to, at very least, the quarter-finals. Sven-Goran Eriksson's side was pushed by Poland in qualifying but never looked like missing out and did actually defeat the Poles twice. England look strong all over the pitch; up front Sven can pick from a crop of Michael Owen, Wayne Rooney (if fit), Joe Cole and
beanpole Peter Crouch. David Beckham, Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard can cause plenty of headaches in midfield during their forays forward while Sol Campbell, Rio Ferdinand and John Terry look rock solid at the back. Keeper
Paul Robinson from Spurs is relatively inexperienced and could be the team's Achilles heel. As good as this side looks, England have shown a propensity to either self-destruct or underperform at
the Cup 1966 aside.
PARAGUAY
PARAGUAY wobbled into the Cup field finishing fourth in the South America zone just three points ahead of Uruguay and a play-off battle with Australia. Star strikers Roque Santa Cruz, Jose Cardozo and Nelson Valdez lead the attack while Julio Dos Santos and Edgar Barreto run things in the midfield. Justo Villar has been given the tough task of following the legendary Jose Luis Chilavert in goal. Advancing out of this relatively weak group should not be beyond the Albirraja but anything after that could be a bonus.
TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO
TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO'S Soca Warriors shimmied their way to Germany thanks to a play-off series victory over Bahrain. That triumph made T&T the
second English-speaking Caribbean side to make the finals following our own Reggae Boyz who achieved the feat in 1998. Dutch coach Leo Beenhakker's
side is big on experience with veteran campaigners keeper Shaka Hislop, Stern John, Russell Latapy and Dwight Yorke all in the squad. Young(ish) midfielder Carlos Edwards could be the team's
surprise packet. The team looks a little overmatched at the Cup but could pull
off a surprise.
SWEDEN
SWEDEN only just avoided the Cup play-offs by qualifying as one of the two best runners-up in European qualifying. Prolific goalscorer Henrik Larsson is the star of this side and gets solid support from fellow forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Freddie Ljunberg and Christian Wilhelmsson provide the midfield drive while skipper Olof Mellberg marshals the defence. This team can score but needs to keep things tight at the back to advance far in the Cup.
HOW THEY WILL FINISH:
1. ENGLAND, 2. PARAGUAY,
3. SWEDEN, 4. TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO
Group C
ARGENTINA
ARGENTINA MUST rank as one of the Cup favourites after a pretty good qualifying campaign which saw them finish second on goal difference to arch-rivals Brazil in the South America zone. Among their qualifying wins was a 3-1 beating of Brazil in Buenos Aires which sealed their ticket to Deutschland. Coach Jose Pekerman has a plethora of talent to pick from. Juan Roman Riquelme, Carlos Tevez, Javier Saviola, Roberto Ayala, Juan Pablo Sorin, Pablo Aimar and Hernan Crespo are all world class or above. However, the word emerging from the Argentine camp is that 18-year-old forward Lionel Messi could outshine them all. Anything short of the semis would be regarded as a failure for the
two-time champions.
IVORY COAST
IVORY COAST were the surprising top qualifiers from Africa and could just be Africa's shock side in Germany. The mercurial Didier Drogba is the heart of the Elephants but fellow striker Aruna Dindane, Kolo Toure, Didier Zokora, Arthur Boka, Blaise Kouassi and Barry Copa are more than able lieutenants. Not many are expecting this team to go too far, but it also wasn't expected to win the Africa zone either. A tricky proposition for opponents if they can maintain their discipline.
SERBIA AND MONTENEGRO
SERBIA AND MONTENEGRO are another surprise top qualifier beating the likes of Spain and Belgium on the way. They went through qualifying unbeaten with a record of six wins and four draws. This is a team built on defence and is
obviously a tough nut to crack. Captain Mladen Krstajic and keeper Dragoslav Jevric run things at the back while Mateja Kezman and Dejan Stankovic provide the firepower. The side could drive a long way into the tournament if things go its way. Don't sleep on S&M.
THE NETHERLANDS
THE NETHERLANDS are harbouring legitimate title claims after comfortably topping their European zone. The Dutch are currently ranked No.3 in the world
and could justify that in neighbouring Germany although they are in a more
than tricky preliminary round group. Cup veteran Edwin van der Sar is as solid as they come in goal and is the rock upon which this team is based and Giovanni van Bronckhorst is as good a leftback as there is in the game but this team's not all about defence. In Ruud van Nistelrooy, Arjen Robben, Phillip Cocu, Robin van Persie and the emerging Dirk Kuyt, Hedwiges Maduro and Rafael van der Vaart, coach Marco van Basten has a wealth of talented midfielders and attackers to chose from. Could this be the year the Oranje finally win the Cup?
HOW THEY WILL FINISH:
1. THE NETHERLANDS,
2. ARGENTINA, 3. SERBIA AND
MONTENEGRO, 4. IVORY COAST
Group D
MEXICO
CONCACAF POWERHOUSE Mexico cruised through to
another World Cup although they did not top the zone that
honour went to the United States. It's always hard to get a read El Tri because, outside of the region, they can be wildly inconsistent. However, coach Ricardo Lavolpe has a core of talented
players that can make some waves in Germany and they are not in a particularly tough group. The side is solid at the back with
'keeper Oswaldo Sanchez, veteran Claudio Suarez a surprise inclusion in the squad at 37, Rafael Marquez and Ricardo Osorio leading the way and there's plenty of talent in front of them like prolific scorer Jared Borgetti, Pavel Pardo, Zinha, Ramon Morales and player-to-watch Argentina-born Guillermo Franco. They can win this group, but with Mexico, you just don't know.
IRAN
IRAN ARE not expected to upset the apple cart in Germany but they are a team that should not be underestimated. Team Melli are coached by canny Croatian Branko Ivankovic and are not planning to return to the Middle East soon. Midfielder Ali Karimi is the star of the side and he receives solid centre of the ground support from Mehdi Mahdavika while experienced forwards Vahid Hashemian and Ali Daei lead the attack. It should be noted that four of the team's players are based in Germany.
ANGOLA
FIRST-TIME QUALIFIERS Angola may just have to settle
with being happy to have made it. They topped a strong African qualification zone which included Nigeria and Zimbabwe but this group, while not the toughest, looks too deep for them. Captain and forward Akwa is the undoubted star of the side but fellow
forward Mantorras, who plays for Benfica in Spain, Figueirido, Joao Pereira, the skilful Maurito and Ze Kalanga are no slouches. As an incentive, the players have been offered US$5,000 per goal.
PORTUGAL
PORTUGAL GO into the Cup in sizzling form. They dominated their European group which included Russia and Slovakia. They won nine of 12 games while scoring 35 goals and giving up five
to win the section by seven points from the Slovaks. Luiz Felipe Scolari's side is obviously a great one to watch but has a reputation for coming up short on the big stage. They should have little
trouble emerging from this group, but then the fun will start.
'Big Phil' has a side with talent to burn, but it's how he harnesses
it that will see just how far the Iberians can go. The great Luis Figo is past his best now but is a crucial part of the side. Fortunately, he can leave most of the midfield dashing to Cristiano Ronaldo and Deco. Striker Pauleta is a constant threat while Ricardo Carvalho
is extremely reliable at the back.
HOW THEY WILL FINISH:
1. PORTUGAL, 2. MEXICO, 3. IRAN, 4. ANGOLA
