e-Football World Cup Preview - Groups A and B

Article by e-Football Correspondent Jonathan Vine

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Group A

Brazil Qualified – As Host’s.

After such a troubled build up to the tournament, with the general public protesting against the government and stadium construction being way behind schedule, everyone in Brazil, including the players, will be glad when the World Cup finally starts.

Despite being amongst the favourites every time the World Cup comes around. This year they have home advantage, a young ambitious squad and the come off the back of last summer’s Confederations Cup win, confidence in the team will be very high. Such is their laid back style, you can never tell when a Brazil squad is under pressure, but like every team, they will be relying on a number of key players if they want to be lifting that famous trophy for the sixth time.

We all know the attacking talent they have at their disposal is endless. They may not have a star striker in the mould of Ronaldo or Romario, but Luiz Felipe Scolari has trusted Fred enough to start him consistently throughout his second stint in charge and he has been rewarded with goals. But he can only do this if players like Oscar and the mercurial Neymar can provide him with chances.

Thiago Silva is widely regarded as the best centre back in the world at the moment. At club level he has been nothing short of superb, as PSG have sauntered to two Ligue 1 titles and two good runs in the Champions League. But surely he will be feeling the pressure of carrying his countries World Cup chances on his shoulders. We all know how good Brazil can be offensively, but it will be down to him to make sure they are equally as good defensively, or it may be a disappointing tournament for the host nation.

Top Bet – Fred to be Tournament Top Scorer, Each Way bet at 22/1 w. Paddy Power and SkyBet.

Croatia Qualified – 2nd in Group A behind Belgium. (2-0 agg. Play-off win over Iceland)

It was a difficult qualifying campaign for Croatia. They would have been expecting to fight it out with Belgium to be the top team in their group, but Belgium blew everybody away leaving Croatia to deal with the playoffs. But they came through reasonably comfortably against Iceland to book their place in Brazil.

Although they have been handed a tough group, there will be very little pressure on Niko Kovac’s men to do well, especially as they face the host’s in the opening game of the competition. So the Croatian’s may fancy themselves as party poopers and they have plenty of players who will cause the Brazilian’s more than a headache.

Midfield duo Luka Modric and Ivan Rakitic have had superb domestic seasons in Spain, as well as helping their side’s pick up the two big European trophies. They will sit in the middle of the park, dictating tempo and hopefully creating chance’s for Mario Mandzukic, although the big Bayern striker is suspended for the opening game.

Dejan Lovren had a fantastic debut season in the Premier League. He formed a formidable partnership with Jose Fonte at the heart of the Southampton defence, as they secured a credible top half finish. He has been linked with a move to Liverpool already this summer and it’s very easy to see why, he will be vital for the Croatians as they battle it out with Mexico for second spot in this group.

Top Bet – Eliminated in the 2nd round, 2/1 w. Ladbrokes.

Cameroon Qualified – Won Qualifying Group I (4-1 agg. Play-Off win over Tunisia)

Despite their seemingly comfortable progression to Brazil, their performances were not good, resulting in the sacking of two managers. New manager Volke Fink has selected a balanced squad, choosing to mix youth with experience, as he hopes his team can go out there and pull off a few upsets.

Defensive linchpins like Alex Song and Aurelien Chedjou will need to provide a solid platform for the attacking players to work from. Samuel Eto’o heads into his fourth World Cup finals, and a lot of the goal scoring pressure will be heaped on his shoulders. His partnership with Vincent Aboubakar up front will be very important.

The young forward had somewhat of a breakthrough season with his club side Lorient. He scored 16 goals and helped guide his side to a very credible top half finish, winning lots of plaudits throughout the French media. He is young, strong and explosive, it will be interesting to see how much faith his coach puts in him, and how much trouble he could cause some of the world’s top defenders.

Top Bet – Vincent Aboubakar to be Cameroons Top Scorer, 8/1 w. William Hill and BetFred.

Mexico Qualified – 4th in Final Group Stage. (9-3 agg. Play-off win over New Zealand)

After finishing behind the USA, Costa Rica and Honduras in qualifying, Mexico had to travel half way around the world to play New Zealand in their play-off. Even though they won that tie very convincingly, the mood in the camp wouldn’t have been particularly confident going into this World Cup.

Since then, they have been unbeaten in their five warm up games so far, and they haven’t all been the easiest of contests, but they didn’t play well in the Confederations Cup last summer and have two teams in their group who are significantly better than they are.

But if their top players perform, they are a team who are always capable of an upset. Giovani Dos Santos is very dangerous, he has always had the potential to be a world beater, but just lacks consistency and his attitude has been questioned in the past. Guillermo Ochoa will need to play up to his growing reputation in the Mexican goal if they are to have any chance of getting out of the group, as will Javier Hernandez.

Chicharito hasn’t had much club football this season, but he is a natural goal scorer. If he is given the opportunities, and can keep himself onside, you wouldn’t bet against him finding the back of the net.

Top Bet – To finish the group with 3 points, 10/3 w. Ladbrokes, Coral and others.

Group B

Australia Qualified – 2nd in Group behind Japan.

For this qualifying campaign, The Socceroo’s were moved into the much more competitive Asia group of qualifying, but still found it pretty comfortable, only losing twice on their travels, as they secured qualification just behind group winners Japan.

However, manager Ante Postecoglou would have been a little deflated to have seen the group Australia have been drawn into, alongside two European giants and a very dangerous South American team on their home continent.

So they will be coming to Brazil knowing they don’t stand much of a chance, which will relieve a lot of pressure, allowing the players to enjoy themselves a bit more and give some of their star players a platform on which to perform.

Tim Cahill will be the focal point of their attack once again, this will probably be his last major tournament and he will want to prove he can still perform at the top. After Mark Schwarzer retired, Club Brugge’s Mat Ryan has made the number one position at both domestic and international level his own, attracting the interest of some of Europe’s top clubs in the process.

But the key player for Australia will be Mile Jedinak. He has been named as their captain for the tournament after an excellent season at the heart of Crystal Palace’s midfield. His strength, stamina and tenacity will be integral to his teams’ game plan, as it will be his responsibility for breaking down the opposition attack and stepping on some toes in the process might not be a bad tactic either.

Top Bet – No Australian Goalscorer, 4/1 w. SkyBet

Chile Qualified - 3rd in South American qualifying group.

Just like Australia, the Chileans have been unlucky to find themselves in a very difficult group. Having the tournament in Brazil will be an advantage to every South American team in the tournament, but even if this summer tournament had been held anywhere else, Chile would still be a very dangerous team.

They qualified ahead of Uruguay and have only been beaten twice in the last year, both narrow away defeats to Brazil and Germany. Jorge Sampaoli has created a very dynamic side. Their team combines strong, structured defending, with a real technical base and swift counter attacking ability, playing with three solid centre backs, two defensive midfielders and marauding wingbacks. Combine this tactical proficiency with the amount of technically gifted players they have at their disposal, you have yourself a top, top team.

Goalkeeper Claudio Bravo was in superb form for Real Sociedad last season, both in La Liga and the Champions League. Those performances did not go unnoticed, as he was strongly rumoured to be on his way to Barcelona this summer, before Barca went and signed Marc-Ande ter Stegen. Alexis Sanchez had a frustrating season at The Nou Camp, finding himself fighting for a first team place with Neymar, but when he plays he always looks dangerous, his pace terrifies defenders and his finishing ability is vastly underrated.

However, there is no doubting that Arturo Vidal is their key player. He was integral to Juventus’ title winning season and despite only having knee surgery in May, he will have the weight of his nation on his shoulders this tournament. However, he is one of the most complete midfielders in the world. Calm in front of goal, he also has the touch and vision to set up chances for his team mates. He is strong, commanding and never shies away from the physical side of the game. I have no doubt’s that he will be able to cope with the pressure, I just hope he is fully fit, as he could be one of the stand out midfielders in the tournament.

Top Bet – Stage of Elimination, 2nd Round, 5/2 w. 888 Sport.

Netherlands Qualified - 1st in Group D

The Dutch qualified for this tournament at a canter, dropping only two points in what was a pretty easy group. But their preparation has been a little bit disrupted by Luis Van Gaals appointment as Manchester United manager. This shouldn’t affect on field performances, as he won’t be taking over at United until after the World Cup, but his side have only managed to win one of the five friendly’s they have had since securing qualification.

Just like with any Holland squad, you cannot underestimate how technically good they are, and offensively they will have enough fire power to blow any team away. But their issues are and have always been in defence. I was shocked to see that Virgil van Dijk had been omitted from the squad, he had an excellent season with Celtic and seems destined for a move to the Premier League, but he is not the only Dutch defender who has caught people eye this season.

Feyenord pair Bruno Martins Indi and Stefan de Vrij have been rumoured to be following their international manager to Old Trafford next season, after being part of a back four who secured 2nd place in the Eredivise. De Vrij is very athletic, consistent and capable of playing anywhere across the back four. Martins Indi is a commanding, uncompromising centre back, whose sheer pace and technical ability has made him one of the most coveted young defenders in Europe.

But once again their main man will be Robin van Persie. His second season at Man United was blighted by injury, but he is now fit and firing ahead of what will be a very important tournament for him. He will hope to lead his Holland side through a good tournament, not only to impress van Gaal enough to name him as United captain for next season, but to hush all the doubter’s who questioned his commitment and desire throughout last season. He is a strong character and a very proud Dutchmen, so I expect big things from him during the tournament, if the Dutch perform like we all know they can.

Top Bet – To Finish the Group with 4 points, 10/3 w. Bet365

Spain Qualified – 1st in Group I

The defending World Champions will come into this tournament is one of the favourites, as they have been for every tournament in the last 8 years, but this time round things are going to be a little trickier.

Qualification was reasonably comfortable, even though they drew at home with Finland, and they have been unbeaten throughout their pre tournament build up. Although the South American climate will be easier on them than other European teams, the likes of Brazil and Argentina will have the home field advantage. This was no more evident than the humiliating defeat they suffered in the Confederation Cup Final, losing 3-0 to Brazil in front of 73,000 fans at the Maracana.

But you cannot really compare the significance of that with the grandeur and pressure that comes with the World Cup. Spain have been there and done it, a lot of their key players of four years ago are here again to help them, defend their crown, as well as a few notable additions.

Diego Costa has chosen to represent Spain at this summer’s tournament, despite being born and raised in Brazil. He was the focal point of the Atletico Madrid attack as they won the La Liga title and finished runners up in the Champions League. His injury really affected Atletico towards the back end of the season, but he has declared himself fit and ready to perform on the biggest stage of them all.

Koke and Juanfran have also been included after being amongst Atletico’s top performer’s last campaign. Koke will have a difficult task in trying to break into a star studded Spanish midfield, but Juanfran will probably be first choice at right back. His defensive reliability and attacking flair really caught the eye in the Champions League last season, leading to rumours of a transfer to Arsenal this summer.

Not since the great Brazil sides of 1958 and 1962, has a nation been able to win consecutive World Cups. But if the newcomers can come in and perform, alongside the likes of Xavi, Iniesta and Sergio Ramos, who was a colossus at the heart of Real Madrid Champions League winning run, then there is no reason why this team can’t achieve that feat.

Top Bet – Minimum Progression Semi Finals, 13/10 w. Ladbrokes

Odds correct as of 3rd May.

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