Group D is, in my opinion, going to be the dullest group in the tournament, consisting of Mexico, Iran, Angola & Portugal, here are my predictions for this group.
Mexico
Mexico are World Cup regulars, which isn’t surprising looking at some of the teams they qualify with, they have yet however, to progress any further than the first knockout stage. With a large amount of their squad playing their football at home in Mexico, the main players are their captain, and champions league winner, Barcelona’s Rafael Marquez and Bolton striker, Jared Borghetti. My Prediction: Group Runners Up.
Iran
Iran qualified comfortably for the tournament, in second place behind Japan, and although I think they are unlikely to reach the knockout stages, they do have 4 players who play their trade in Germany, and with Ali Daei they could scalp someone. Again though, they have a largely insular squad, and with Mexico and Portugal in the group, I expect them to struggle. My Prediction: 3rd Place.
Angola
Pipping Nigeria in qualifying is no easy task, however as World Cup debutants, Angola are inexperienced against major foreign opposition and this will just be an experience for the squad, and I expect them to struggle. My Prediction: 4th Place.
Portugal
Portugal comfortably qualified for the tournament, scoring 35 goals in 12 matches, with Pauleta the PSG striker the top scorer across all European qualifying groups. In pre-tournament friendlies Portugal went 14 games unbeaten, and I expect them to reach 17 by the end of the group stage. They will however be hoping for a better performance than 4 years ago, where an old and overhyped squad failed miserably against the USA and Korea. Their key players are Pauleta and Man United’s Christiano Ronaldo, however he has had disciplinary problems of late. My Prediction: Group Winners.