Group G features 1998 champions France, along with Switzerland, South Korea and Togo, here are my predictions for the group:
France
After a disastrous last World Cup, the french will be hoping that they can at least score this time, however after a tough time in qualifying the scored only 14 goals in their 10 matches. They will be hoping Thierry Henry can take his club form into the tournament, and after losing Cisse to a dreadful injury will also be hoping that Wiltord and Trezeguet provide some too. Defensively they are relatively weak however, as any side with Jean-Alain Boumsong would do, and they will be relying on the experienced head of Lillian Thuram to provide strength at the back. In midfield they still have Zidane after his return to international duty midway through qualifying, and with Vieira and Makelele they have a strong midfield. My Prediction: Group Winners.
Switzerland
After a violent match in Turkey, Switzerland qualified for the World Cup and with them being in the same qualifying group as France they will be well accustomed to their Gallic neighbours style of football. Their main players are AC Milans Johann Vogel in midfield, Rennes Alexander Frei upfront, and Arsenal revelation Philippe Senderos, whom they will be relying heavily on this tournament. My Prediction: 3rd Place.
South Korea
Since the last world cup, several Koreans have joined the ranks of english football, and fans will be familiar with Park Ji-Sung of Man United, and Lee Young-Pyo of spurs, some will also recognise Wolves midfielder Seol Ki-Hyeon who has made quite an impression over the last year. Although I don’t expect them to go as far as last time when they reached the semi finals, I expect them to at least reach the knockout phase. My Prediction: Group Runners Up.
Togo
This is the first World Cup for Togo (or the Sparrowhawks as they are known), and I can’t see them getting any further than the group stages, with a large France based contingent they will be well accustomed to european football however. The biggest problem now though will be organising themselves after their manager resigned due to constant bickering over financial payments for the players, and they will have to hope that Arsenal’s Adebayor does better than for Arsenal, where IMO he hasn’t been particularly sparkling. My Prediction: 4th Place.