Czech Republic – High aims
Though not unlucky qualifying – with two narrow 1-0 wins against Norway in playoff matches – the Czech Republic could make a similar impact in this World Cup like they did 2 years ago in Portugal where they reached the semifinals of the Euro 2004. The quality of the player material, the homogeneity of this team, everything should be in order to enable them to proceed to the late stages of the tournament.

Youth and experience go hand in hand in this team, the former represented by the Rosicky and Cech, the latter by players like Nedved and Koller. Add to that the intelligence of coach Bruckner and you have a team that could go a long way in the tournament. If the team can avoid injuries to key players, they could be at their absolute peak right now, essentially meaning only fantasy puts a limit on what could be possible.

Players to look out for:
Tomas Rosicky
Pavel Nedved
Petr Cech

Prediction:
The Czech Republic should rightly have high hopes with this classy and experienced team, which have all the ingredients to make a dangerous outsider later on in the tournament. But first qualification must be achieved, and even if this by no means is going to be a walkover, this Czech team should possess enough class to go through.
1st place – 5 or 6 points

Italy – Azzurri to be counted?
Italy, a national league like the Serie A, teams like AC Milan, Juventus, there are lots of elements making up a team that should be considered one of the major favourites to go all the way this summer. Having suffered their fair share of dissapointments in the last couple of major tournaments the Italians are ready to bounce back, and my answer to the question above is: Yes, they should be counted, very much so indeed.

A team without any weak spots, the proven records of coach Lippi, star quality players in every position, the final four should be a minimum target for the Italians. The group opposition should not be underestimated but a failed qualification would not be acceptable for this team, even though it is likely that they won’t win the group. I expect the Italians to go through with a narrow margin, but nevertheless go through without any doubt.

Players to look out for:
Francesco Totti
Gianluca Zambrotta
Luca Toni

Prediction:
The Italians, always a team to be counted in a World Cup context. This time, no exception, the Azzurri will be eager to make a better impression as they did 4 years ago in Korea/Japan. Can they win the Cup? Not impossible, a likely scenario would see the Italians scramble their way to the playoffs and from then on get better and better as the tournament proceeds ending perhaps with the ultimate triumph?
2nd place – 5 or 6 points

USA – The awakening of a sleeping giant?
This American has improved vastly over the last decade or so, having secured qualification with a win against the strong Mexicans. Thus there are no obvious reason why the Americans shouldn’t provide stiff competition for their group E opponents, but will this be enough? Remains to be seen, but I would suggest that this American team lacks the last 10% in team width to be able to go through on behalf of one of the above mentioned teams.

No doubt that the American starting eleven can make a nice figure against anyone, but they and their coach Arena will nevertheless have to exceed themselves to compete for one of the top spots in this group. Going against Czech Republic and Italy in the first 2 matches could see that their World Cup is over before it has really begun. Offensive weapons like Beasley and Donovan should perform to their absolute maximum to prevent this from happening.

Players to look out for:
Landon Donovan
Brian McBride
DaMarcus Beasley

Prediction:
From another group, perhaps, but from this one? I guess qualification will be too large a task for this American team in this group competing with 2 European giants, both expected to do well in the tournament. The Stars and Stripes will be presented proudly and with a lot of fighting spirit by this team but it is hard to see them qualify, a single win should be the optimum for them in the group. The awakening must wait 4 more years.
3rd place – 2 or 3 points

Ghana – The revival of the ”Black Stars”
Another newcomer in this years World Cup is Ghana. Having beaten Cape Verde 4-0 qualification was secured, and finally the ”Black Stars” could live up to their previous reputation as one of the finest teams in Africa, producing wonderful players like Abedi pele and Anthony Yeboah. With the exception of Michael Essien, this time around there are perhaps not so many stars, but instead a very well-disciplined team where each player knows what role to play.
This team stability, the form of Chelsea star Essien and the way the team is coping with the great expectations from back home, these will be key issues when it comes to succes or failure in Germany. I wouldn’t expect too much, there are some weaker spots in the team, and the overwhelming experience of a World Cup could alltogether see to that the ”Black Stars” are early retired when it comes to playoff qualification.

Players to look out for:
Michael Essien
Stephen Appiah
Sulley Ali Muntari

Prediction:
It is hard to predict the faith of the ”Black Stars” in this their first ever World Cup presence. Conclusions based on the African qualification tournament would not necessarily be valid in this context, as the competition – at least for the first two 2 spots in the group – should prove quite a bit different. Playing the role of an outsider is probably suiting this team pretty good, but it should be fair to assume that qualification from this group would be too much to expect. 3rd or 4th spot perhaps with a single point gained against either Czech Republic or Italy? Not entirely unlikely.
4th place – 2 or 3 points