Group E is another tough group, containing Italy, Ghana, the USA and Czech Republic, with two teams from the top 10 in the world rankings, and 3 inside the top 20 (granted the ranking system sucks) it should be an interesting group.

Italy
The Italians will be hoping for a better world cup than in 2002, when they lost to a golden goal against South Korea, they are however in a tough group. Defensively they should always be strong, and this year with Buffon, Nesta & Cannavaro, they have one of the best defenses in the tournament. Up front, they have the impressive Luca Toni, who was top scorer in this seasons Serie A, and a re-energised Filipo Inzaghi, along with Del Piero, and with Totti providing support from the midfield, they have a world class strike force. However, I can see the Czech’s pipping them to the top spot. My Prediction: Group Runners Up.

Ghana
This is the first world cup for The Black Stars as Ghana are known, and I cannot see them progressing from such a group, they may be able to snatch a win against the USA, but I doubt it. With Essien and Apiah they have a strong midfield, however I think they may be lightweight upfront. My Prediction: 4th Place.

USA
This is the USAs 5th world cup in a row, however I can’t see them reaching the quarter finals as they did 4 years ago. An experienced side, they have quality goalkeepers in Keller, Howard and the increasingly impressive Hahnemann, however I don’t think the rest of their defense is particularly brilliant. Upfront they have Brian McBride, who is the only USA player ever to have scored in two world cups, but aside from him they do not have many goal threats. My Prediction: 3rd Place.

Czech Republic
Finishing behind the Netherlands in qualifying meant the Czechs had to beat Norway in a playoff, however two 1-0 victories secured their place at what officially is their first ever world cup, impressive for a side ranked 2nd in the world. With Petr Cech in goal, they have one of the worlds best goalkeepers, and upfront Koller and Baros have fantastic international scoring records. In midfield they have Smicer, Poborsky and Rosicky, oh, and someone called Nedved, a quality midfield in anyones books. My Prediction: Group Winners.

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.

Nearly every World Cup has a “Group of Death”, in ‘02 it was England, Argentina, Sweden & Nigeria, and this time again Argentina fall into it, along with the Ivory Coast, Serbia & Montenegro and the Netherlands. Here are my predictions for the group of death.

Argentina
After a disastrous last world cup, Argentina will be looking to reach the knockout stages in Germany, and with many bookies placing them among the favourites to win, the pressure is on them again. Yet again they have a star studded squad, with 18 year old Barcelona front man Lionel Messi the main attraction, along with Juan Roman Riquelme the Villareal star. Man United’s Gabriel Heinze, back from injury, will be looking to start in a high quality defence containing Sorin and Ayala. My Prediction: Group Winners.

Ivory Coast
The Elephants, as the Ivory Coast are affectionately known, are competing in their first ever world cup, and with a squad containing a large amount of European based players, they could produce a few shocks. Their main player is Chelsea striker Didier Drogba, who has an impressive international scoring record, scoring 21 goals in 31 games, with Lens forward Dindane providing support and the Arsenal defensive pairing of Emmanuel Eboué and Kolo Touré providing strong defensive cover. Although I can’t see them reaching the knockout stages, like Senegal and Cameroon in the past, they are an unknown quantity. My Prediction: 4th Place.

Serbia & Montenegro
Although this is officially Serbia & Montenegro’s first official appearance at the world cup, their former parent country, Yugoslavia, appeared at the 1990 world cup, and several before then, and former players include Sinisa Mihailovic and Dejan Savicevic. They are another unknown quantity, but with former Chelsea striker Mateja Kezman, and former Aston Villa striker Savo Milosevic upfront, both of whom have impressive international scoring records (the same cannot be said about their premiership records), they could score a few goals, especially after pipping Spain to the automatic spot in qualifying. My Prediction: 3rd Place.

Netherlands
The Netherlands had a very impressive time in qualifying, in a tough group containing the Czech Republic and Romania, they won 10 games, and drew the other 2, scoring 27 and conceding only 3 goals. Although Ruud Van Nistelrooy has been struggling of late club wise, his international record speaks for itself, scoring 26 goals in 50 games, and with Dirk Kuyt, one of Europe’s hottest properties of late, and Arsenals ever improving Robin van Persie they have a quality strike force. Defensively they are relatively in-experienced however, with aside from Van Bronkhorst and Van der Sar, none of the defense having over 20 caps, and 4 players in single figures. They will be hoping that their midfield, containing Cocu, Van Bommel and Robben will keep the pressure off the defence. My Prediction: Group Runners Up.

The next group I shall preview will be England’s group, Group B, in group order:

England
Although Englands chances of winning the overall tournament depend on the fitness of Wayne Rooney, getting out of this group shouldn’t require the Man United striker. Playing Sweden last also helps as we should have qualified for the knockout stages before this game. Defensively, England are strong, with Paul Robinson in goal, and John Terry and Rio Ferdinand at the back, they have arguably one of the best defences in the tournament, the midfield is also strong, with Beckham, Gerrard and Lampard playing, however, upfront is where England may struggle (mainly due to Svens selection policy). With Owen struggling from his injury vs spurs in the season, and Rooney out, Crouch is likely to start, and the only backup available will be the tournaments youngest player, Theo Walcott. My Prediction: Group Winners.

Paraguay
Paraguays main threat is Bayern Munich’s Roque Santa Cruz, with extrovert goalkeeper Chilavert having retired from football. Having qualified in 4th place in the CONMEBOL qualification zone, they will be looking to try and take a european scalp home with them. My Prediction: 3rd Place.

Trinidad & Tobago
World Cup debutants T&T will just be hoping not to embarrass themselves, with a large contingent of UK based players, many fans will recognise the names, especially the captain, perma-smiling Dwight Yorke. As the smallest team ever to compete in the World Cup, they have little or no expectations, so an upset against one of the European teams in the group could happen, although I think it’s unlikely. My Prediction: 4th Place.

Sweden
Sweden will be hoping not to be beaten by another world cup debutante after losing to Senegal 4 years earlier. They have an impressive strike duo (at club level anyway), with Ibrahimovic and Larsson, however in recent friendlies the squad have not been impressive, with the BBC reporting them looking toothless upfront in a recent match against Finland. My Prediction: Group Runners Up.

The World Cup in Germany begins in 8 days, however, I’m currently bogged down with exams, but I shall take a small break from revision to post some thoughts on each group before each group kicks off. So lets start with the hosts, Germany, and the rest of Group A, in group order:

Poland
After just being pipped into second place by England, but qualifying as one of the best 2nd teams, Poland have a chance of improving upon their disastrous 2002 world cup. With Jerzy Dudek not selected due to his lack of games this season, Poland are likely to play Celtic #1 Artur Boruc, although Kuszczak, the WBA goalie, may push for a starting spot (although judging by the goal he conceded the other day, maybe not). Up front, Celtic’s Zurawski and Derby, Tottenham, Southampton’s Rasiak will be hoping to score a few goals. My Prediction: Group Runners up.

Germany
The hosts have been having a torrid time of late, losing 4-1 to Italy, and drawing 2-2 with Japan, and they are again likely to be relying on Ballacks skills, however Podolski has an impressive scoring record too. The debate as to who will be the first choice keeper is likely to continue, however with Lehmann on impeccable form of late (aside from the rush of blood in Paris), he is likely to continue in the starting 11. My Prediction: Group Winners.

Costa Rica
This is the third World Cup Costa Rica have attended, as they continue to show why they are the 3rd best team in the CONCACAF qualification groups. They are a very insular squad, with only 3 players playing outside of Costa Rica, and only one playing in another region, so they could be classed as an unknown. My Prediction: 3rd place.

Ecuador
This is only the South Americas second World Cup, and although reaching the knockout stages will be virtually impossible, they will be hoping for another scalp after beating Croatia in 2002. English fans will recognise Ulises De La Cruz (of Aston Villa) and Augustin Delgado (who failed miserably at Southampton a while back), and they are likely to be in the starting squad again this time. My Prediction: 4th place.