Less than 24 hours until kickoff! Here is the second part of my group predictions for this year's World Cup.
Group E
Another relatively weak group in which the French should be favorites. France are looking to erase memories of the last World Cup where they finished dead last in their group. This year's squad is a lot different than the last however, and France has a strung together a good series of results. Raphael Varane and Bacary Sagna will anchor the defense while Yohan Cabaye and Paul Pogba pull the strings in midfield. Karim Benzema will likely start at forward, but Olivier Giroud gives France some depth. They should win this group. Ecuador will also fancy their chances of advancing from this group. Their biggest problem is the back line, which is an interesting mix of inexperience and older players who may be losing their form. They also lose their best central midfielder, Segundo Castillo for at least the first game, and likely the second. Where Ecuador is dangerous is one on one: Antonio Valencia and Jefferson Montero are very good in these situations. Switzerland was actually the seeded team for this group, and they have a young team that will push every team in this group. Three Napoli midfielders (Valon Behrami, Blerim Dzemaili, and Gokhan Inler) are the key to the team. Xherdan Shaqiri is a bright young talent that will play on either wing and Josip Drmic is poised for a big World Cup after finishing in the top 5 scorers in the Bundesliga. Honduras make it to their second straight World Cup, and though they didn't win a game last time, they were influential in eliminating Switzerland (who coincidentally are in their group yet again). This group is certainly more manageable than 4 years ago, but getting out is still a long shot. The back line is experienced, specifically Maynor Figueroa who plays in the Premier League for Hull City. Wilson Palacios is their best player. The central midfielder also plays in England for Stoke City, and every attack will go through him.
Prediction
1. France
2. Switzerland
3. Ecuador
4. Honduras
Group F
This group features a relatively easy draw for Argentina, and should they win the group, could set up a match-up with Brazil in the final. Argentina is favored to go far, and of course they'll look to none other than Lionel Messi to step up. Argentina is loaded up front with Messi, Angel Di Maria, Sergio Aguero, Gonzalo Higuain and Ezequiel Lavezzi. Javier Mascherano will likely start in the center, but it's the defense and goalkeeping that may undo Argentina. Pablo Zabaleta is one of the best right backs in the world, but the central defense is a huge question mark. There are even bigger question marks at goalie, with Sergio Romero the number 1, but if he plays like he did at the last World Cup, expect a change. Bosnia-Herzegovina make their first World Cup appearance, and they are a dark horse for me. Even if they finish second in the group, they get a favorable draw against the Group G winners.Like Argentina, Bosnia boast a great attack with Edin Dzeko the main star, but Miralem Pjanic is also expected to play a big role. Defense is a little shaky, with Emir Spahic being the only experienced player. Bosnia also don't have a very good bench, and depth becomes a key once you get past the group stages. Nigeria will also have a good shot at finishing second. The Super Eagles will look to the speed and creativity of Chelsea midfielder Victor Moses. Unlike the previous two teams, Nigeria has more experience on defense, led by Joseph Yobo, who played in the 2002 and 2010 World Cups. Iran is a clear underdog in this group, and a single point should be considered a mild success. Coach Carlos Queiroz was able to guide Iran through qualifiers, and his coaching will be key if Iran are to win. Most of Iran's players don't play in major European leagues, Fulham's Ashkan Dejagah being the one exception.
Prediction
1. Argentina
2. Bosnia-Herzegovina
3. Nigeria
4. Iran
Group G
There is little doubt about it, this is the group of death, and unfortunately the Americans are in it. This is also the part where you probably expect me to pick them to make it out of the group and shock the world, but I just can't see it happening. Even with Marco Reus missing, Germany may have the most depth at this World Cup. They are certainly a favorite to life the trophy. Germany may also have the best mid-field at this tournament with the likes Bastian Schweinsteiger, Mesut Ozil, and Mario Gotze. The defense is also loaded with stars like Phillip Lahm and Mats Hummels. Where Germany may have some issues is at at forward. Miroslav Klose is the all time leading scorer, and needs just one goal to tie Ronaldo's record for most career World Cup goals. However, he is 36 and struggled for his club this year. Mario Gomez and Thomas Muller may be inserted in his place. Portugal are likely favorites to get the second spot, and to me a dark horse to win the tournament. Contrary to popular belief, Portugal is not just Cristiano Ronaldo. Joao Moutinho and Raul Meireles enjoyed great seasons at their respective clubs. On defense, Pepe and Fabio Coentrao highlight an experienced and underrated group. In my opinion, this is the group of death because of Ghana, the best African team. Ghana's major weakness is mental toughness with many of the players quitting the national team at some point. They are very strong up front with Asamoah Gyan, Kevin-Prince Boateng, and Jordan Ayew. The midfield, led by AC Milan duo Sulley Muntari and Michael Essien, is also loaded. Defense is a bit of a question mark. Jonathan Mensah is a solid center back, but the rest of the group is relatively inexperienced. The United States are the underdog in this group, but getting out of the group is not impossible. I question why the chose Sao Paulo as their base camp, meaning they have to travel almost 10,000 miles in the group stage alone. The key will be the first game, they HAVE to win it to have any shot at getting out. Ghana seems to be the U.S. kryptonite, eliminating them from the last two World Cups. Personally, I disagree with leaving Landon Donovan off the roster. Even if coach Jurgen Klinsmann didn't start him, Donovan could come off the bench or just be there as a veteran leader. I also would've picked Eddie Johnson over Chris Wondolowski. Jozy Altidore recently ended a 6 month goal drought, hopefully that means his form will improve. Michael Bradley to me is a very underrated midfielder. His passing is on point and he is a true box to box midfielder. The defense is what worries me the most. They are inexperienced and seem to be slow at times. Geoff Cameron and Matt Besler will have their hands full in this group of death.
Prediction
1. Germany
2. Portugal
3. Ghana
4. United States
Group H
In this group you have two teams that are dark horses in Belgium and Russia. The Belgians have seen an incredible revival, and their main weakness in this tournament will be lack of experience. Talent-wise though, this team is stacked with young superstars: Eden Hazard, Romelu Lukaku, Axel Witsel, Dries Mertens, Kevin De Bruyne, Jan Vertonghen, Thomas Vermaelen, Vincent Kompany, and Thibaut Cortois just to name a few. Unfortunately, the winner of this group likely faces Portugal while the runner up likely faces Germany. Russia will fight with Belgium for the top spot, but may be looking at the next World Cup (which they will host) as their real shot at going far. Coach Fabio Capello brings a plethora of knowledge and experience, and he decided to pick only players from the Russian league. The experienced center back duo of Vasili Berezutski and Sergei Ignashevich will look to keep opponents out, while Yuri Zhirkov will link up with the forwards. Alexander Kokorin is the future of Russian strikers, and he's likely to start in this tournament. South Korea's main problem is the defense, who's most capped player, Kwak Tae-hwi, has only 33 caps. The Koreans actually have multiple players in major European leagues including Lee Chung-yong, arguably their best midfielder. Ji Dong-won and Son Heung-min enjoyed good seasons in the Bundesliga. Look out for 6'5" forward Kim Shin-wook. Algeria are one of the most inexperienced sides at this tournament but will look for defender Madjid Bougherra to continue leading the team. Sofiane Feghouli had a great season for Valenica, and most attacks will go through him. Islam Slimani will be looked upon to keep up his scoring pace for the national team. Slimani has 9 goals in just 18 games and was the leading scorer in qualifiers.
Prediction
1. Belgium
2. Russia
3. South Korea
4. Algeria
Final Thoughts
The World Cup only comes around once every four years, so if you have the chance to watch, I encourage you to do so. Keep in mind no European team has ever won a World Cup in North or South America, and until 2010, no European team had won outside of Europe. I think that trend continues this year, and I have three South American teams in my semi-finals. I do think someone will finally solve Spain, in this case Uruguay. Also, opening games are usually very cautious, nervous games. Don't be surprised if Brazil-Croatia ends in a tie. Before I finish, I'll give you my predictions for the final 4.
Winner: Brazil
Runner-up: Argentina
Third Place: Germany
Fourth Place: Uruguay
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