Sweet Wisdom

This group is composed of some very interesting teams, and the final outcome of the group at the end of stage-one seems pretty clear, but not quite clear enough. One of the best teams to never win the world cup, the Oranje, will most likely come out as the number one of this group, and it would appear as the Cameroon will be able to take the second seed and proceed to the next round, but the challenges that will be put up by very talented Danish side and Asia's powerhouse Japan cannot be ignored.

Roar of African Lions!

Arguably the strongest African nation in this tournament, Cameroon is hoping to carry the hopes of the continent onto the Round of 16. Composed of very talented players, they have the best record in the World Cup history amongst African nations, and they are willing to perform the best again in their mother-continent. All of the atmosphere surrounding South Africa will make these lions to roar even louder than ever before.

Player to Watch: Samuel ETO'O (FW) - This former Barcelona striker, once again, had a very successful year with his new club Inter Milan, winning the tremble. Now, he is ready to show off his world-class talent on the biggest stage of all, to represent his country.

Expected Result: Quarter-Finals

Last of the Vikings

Denmark is the only Scandinavian country to have advanced to World Cup 2010, and they are here to show everything they have! This team might not have as many "well-known" players on the squad compared to some of their competitors in the group as well as in the tournament, but they have many young talents who are rising to the challenge, and their qualifier stage proved that this team is not to be taken lightly. However, it does not seem likely that they are ready to shine this year. They are going to fall a little bit short to their top competitors and most likely going to remain on the third spot of the group.

Player to Watch: Nicklas BENDTNER (FW) - This young striker from Arsenal is a rising star for both his club and for his country. He had a very successful club with one of the English giants this year, and now he is ready to show himself to the world on the biggest stage of all.

Expected Result: Group Stage

Pride of the Samurais

Apart from the host nation, Japan was the very first country to advance to the World Cup 2010 taking an early first place from their group in Asia. However there remains a question as to if this Japanese squad is good enough to advance to the next round, there is also a question as to if this sqaud is even as good as their past squads. Surely, they do have a few talented players on the team but, especially as their recent results have shown, this team is not quite prepared enough for this tournament, and they will most likely taken an early flight back to their island.

Player to Watch: Shunsuke NAKAMURA (MF) - The Japanese #10 is not new to this stage, and he has had his share of competing against some of the world class players. His time as a Celtic in Scottish Premier League was probably the highlight of his career, and we'll see if he can bring the same light to his international career this time around.

Expected Result: Group Stage

The Oranje

Netherlands is one of those teams that were always considered as a heavy favorite going into the world cup yet never victorious. They are once again entering the tournament with abundunce of talented players on their side. I mean, where do I even start? Experience defender Giovanni Van Bronchost? A powerful captain Van Bommel? Dirk Kuyt? Wesley Schneider? There are just so many of them. However, they always had talented squads yet failed to show all of their worth, and it might just be the case that the history will repeat itself. Especially now with the possibility of their star player Arjen Robben, due to a hamstring injury.

Player to Watch: Robin VAN PERSIE (FW) - This Dutch striker had a very successful season with Arsenal, until he received a serious injury. However, he started to make recovery and now he's fitter than ever to compete. This player will be deadly from any areas within and surrounding the penalty box, and all the defenders should watch out for him.

Expected Result: Quarter-Finals


Match-Ups:
NED vs DEN - 3:1
JPN vs CMR- 0:2
NED vs JPN - 4:0
CMR vs DEN - 2:1
DEN vs JPN - 2:0
CMR vs NED- 1:2

Team	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
Netherlands	3	0	0	9	2	7	9
Cameroon	2	0	1	5	3	2	6
Denmark	1	0	2	4	5	-1	3
Japan	0	0	3	0	8	-8	0

The competition in this group will be interesting to watch. While it seems like there is a prominent presence of Germany that could overwhelm their competitors, the other three cannot be underestimated. Since being part of AFC, Australia has become a strong force in Asia. They did not face too much difficulties in qualifying to the World Cup, and considering their last performance on this stage, it appears that they are not to be taken lightly in this group. Serbia is one of those European countries that have to live under the shadow of a few other powerhouses of Europe, but when the right opportunity comes along, oh boy they will shine! Ghana is also a strong African nation composed of quite a few players playing in the big leagues, and they are not to be overlooked either.

Soccer-oos!

In 2006, the Aussies returned to the big stage for the first time in 34 years, and their performance was definitely something they could be satisfied with. Ever since then, they never slowed down their gear and started preparing strongly for the next opportunity, and they succeeded without too much trouble. This is a fairly well experienced team led by veterans Tim Cahill (MF) and Mark Schwarzer (GK). However, their chances of advancing to the Round of 16 does not look too bright as they were put into the other 'group of death' in this World Cup. (The most obvious one being Group G)

Player to Watch: Harry KEWELL (FW) - This well experienced former Liverpool striker was the most integral part of Australia's offense in 2006 World Cup, and he will be, once again, for this tournament. His ability to strike might not be as sharp as it once used to be, but he is not to be taken lightly by any of the defenders in this group.

Expected Result: Group Stage

Not Quite There Yet!

The three-time champions, Germany, is always a force to be reckoned, and in recent tournaments, they have been proving their name-value. However, they were always just a little bit off from taking home their fourth trophy. In 2002, after a fantastic run, with the help from their MVP goalie - Oliver Kahn, they had to settle for the runner-up position as they fell powerlessly to the greatest soccer nation - Brazil. 2006 was not too different. Until they reached the semi-finals, their performance was fantastic. Well, in all honesty, their performance in their match agasint Italy was fantastic as well, they were just out-performed by their opponent who eventually became the Champions. So, how will they perform this year? They are still very much a strong team, and there are a few returning players from 2006, and some from 2002 such as their top scorer in the World Cup, Mirsolav Klose. However, they were dealt a deadly blow when it was announced that their captain, Michael Ballack, will not be joining to due to a serious injury he picked during English FA Cup. They are most likely to advance from this group, but we'll have to wait and see how they will be able to perform once they get out of the group stage.

Player to Watch: Philipp LHAM (DF) - This Bayern Munich left-back was a crucial part of Germany's defence (and offence occassionally), and he will definitely need to perform at his top level once again if Germany wishes to win this tournament. I love him, because while he is a good defender, he can also be so quick in the transition to offence. In addition, he can also score, when he needs to. It is a joy to watch this little guy running up and down the entire field!

Expected Result: Quarter-Finals

No Essien!

Ghana was the first African nation to advance to the World Cup (well next to South Africa, but they technically did not 'advance') and they were also considered, by many, to be the other nation to advance from this group along with Germany [despite the tough competition]. However, I think this strong African nation will not be able to meet that expectation, and many of the fans' expectations were lowered as well when it was announced that their star midfielder Michael Essien will not be joining the team due to his injury. It is true that Ghana still has many players who play in the top class clubs in Europe, but the presence of Essien, or lack of it, will hugely influence them and their performance. If it was any other group, then they still might be able to get by, but considering the nature of this group being so competitive, even the smallest damage can deal a huge blow; and that is what I expect to see.

Player to Watch: Sulley MUNTARI (MF) - This midfileder had a successful season with his club team, Inter Milan, who became the UEFA Champions League champions. He is very powerful in keeping the midfield area strong for Ghana, and he did a great job doing it in 2006 as well. We will just have to wait and see how much he can do without his collegue Essien on the field.

Expected Result: Group Stage

White Eagles Will Fly

Serbia is not exactly a new comer to the World Cup, as the matter of fact you could consider them a veteran who already has 10-previous appearances (as Yugoslavia, and Serbia and Montenegro). They proved themselves to be worthy of entering this tournament by coming out first in their qualifying group stage after beating the 2010 runner-ups, France. They have a number of extremly talented players on the squad. An experience Inter Milan midfielder, Dejan Stankovic, along with Milan Jovanovic will lead their midfield to provide the right support for their forwards. They were put in a tough group, but they most certainly have the ability to fight through it and fly into the Round of 16.

Player to Watch: Nemanja VIDIC (DF) - This player's name should not be unfamiliar to you if you are a football fan and if you follow either the English Premier League or just European Soccer leagues in general. This world-class defender from Manchester United have had quite a bit of success with his club team and he made tremendous amount of contributions. It is now time for him to see if he can do the same for this mother nation!

Expected Result: Round of 16

Match-Ups:
GER vs AUS - 3:1
SRB vs GHA- 1:0
GER vs SRB - 2:1
GHA vs AUS - 2:1
GHA vs GER - 0:2
AUS vs SRB- 1:1

Team	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
Germany	3	0	0	7	2	5	9
Serbia	1	1	1	3	3	0	4
Ghana	1	0	2	2	4	-2	3
Australia	0	1	2	3	6	-3	1