Surely only one team can prosper in this group – and it’s nearly definitely going to be Italy. Although they’re maybe not as good as they were when they won the last world cup, they’re definitely the most powerful team in this group.
And against the likes of New Zealand, they look even better. Will they win again? Maybe. Will they get through to the next round? Definitely.
Group F
Italy
Current World Ranking: 4
In typical italian fashion, this olive-loving nation secured the top place in a overly dramatic fashion – equalizing with Ireland in the last minute of the game.
Admittedly, their qualifying stages didn’t all go to plan as they would’ve liked, but no-one should see this as a sign of weakness.
That would be a mistake, especially seeing as they’re undefeated in this tournament so far. Early days yet, but predictions say that they could hold this title for a while longer.
Regardless of how powerful they currently are, they’re definitely weaker now than they were back in 2006. In the time period that has passed in between now and then, all that has seemingly happened, is that their best players have aged a few more years.
Their key player is definitely Milan midfielder Andrea Pirlo. The rest of the team is looking fairly balanced, with players like Cannavaro in defence. As for attacking, there are no real stars, and that may be Italy’s downfall.
Paraguay
Current World Ranking: 30
Admittedly, Paraguay have given an exceptional performance in this tournament so far.
Qualifying with two games still left to play after beating Argentina 1-0, they soared into these group stages.
Just to show how far Paraguay have come, they finished just one point behind Brazil – truly a feat.
Paraguay should definitely not be underestimated, despite their current world ranking, as I predict that by the end of this tournament, that number will definitely be in the twenties, or maybe even the ‘teens.
Slovakia
Current World Ranking: 34
A new face to this stage of the world cup, Slovakia qualified by defeating Poland 1-0, thanks to an own goal by Polish player Seweryn Gancarczyk.
Winning European Group Three was an impressive feat itself, and a lack of real talent in the Slovakian line-up looks to stop their progression here.
With only Marek Hamsik providing high-grade football, it’s nearly certain that a team like England will dispatch of Slovakia 4-0 again.
New Zealand
Current World Ranking: 77
New Zealand are almost just here for the ride. It’s extremely unlikely that they’ll get any further than this.
If I’m going to be honest, I’m gonna have to say that the only reason they even got this far, was because the group they had to win was so amazingly low-grade. It couldn’t have been too hard.
Just look at their team line-up – nothing more than a mixture of low-league players really. With exceptions made for Celtic’s Chris Kellen and Blackburn’s defender Ryan Nelsen, the team just looks like an average Coca-Cola Championship team.