e-Football World Cup Preview - The Underdogs

Article by e-Football's Colin Rowe

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Algeria

Main Strength: Some exciting young players make this Algerian team much stronger than the one which slumped to a goalless draw against England in 2010.

Main Weakness: Algeria made it to the World Cup on away goals after drawing 3-3 against footballing giants Burkina Faso. Enough said.

Player to Watch: With 10 goals in 19 games for his country, Sporting Lisbon striker Islam Slimani could be worth keeping an eye on. He also got 8 in 26 for his club this season, so he knows where the goal is.

Did you know...French Algerian born existentialist philosopher Albert Camus played for Racing Universitaire d’Alger (RUA) junior team and said “After many years during which I saw many things, what I know most surely about morality and the duty of man I owe to sport and learned it in the RUA”.

Can I Support Them? Tottenham fans might wish to cheer on Nabil Bentaleb, Watford have Essaid Belkalem and Premiership new boys Leicester are represented by Riyad Mahrez.

Tournament Predicted Finish: Algeria have never made it out of the group stages of a World Cup, having failed at the first hurdle in 1982, 1986 and 2010. With Belgium, Russia and South Korea in Group H Algeria look likely to make it four out of four.

Australia

Main Strength: Several players with top-class football experience including Tim Cahill (formally of Everton), Mat Ryan (Club Bruges), Mitchell Langerak (Borussia Dortmund) and Mile Jedinak (Crystal Palace)

Main Weakness: A lot of players who don’t.

Player to Watch: While Tim Cahill is certainly the elder statesmen of this year’s Socceroos and will be the main focus of their attaching endeavours.

Did you know...this is Australia’s third consecutive World Cup appearance and fourth overall (1974, 2006, 2010, 2014). They almost qualified for the 1966 finals, but lost 9-1 on aggregate to North Korea in their final qualification match.

Can I support them? Domestic league allegiances aside, it is tough for England fans to cheer for Australia.

Tournament Predicted Finish: With Spain and Netherlands to face in group B It is unlikely Australia will replicate their last 16 appearance of 2006

Cameroon

Main Strength: Strength and power. This is an imposing team, who will work hard and not wilt in the Brazilian heat.

Main Weakness: A lack of goals.

Player to Watch: Anything of interest from Cameroon is likely to include Alex Song and Samuel Eto’o.

Did you know...Cameroon has qualified for the World Cup more times (6) than any other African nation.

Can I support them? Only if Eto’o does a Roger Milla dance when he scores or they turn up with another creative kit choice like the sleeveless shirts or the onesie.

Tournament Predicted Finish: Assuming Brazil win group A, Cameroon certainly stand a chance of progressing, but Mexico and Croatia will both also fancy their chances. However, their preparation for Brazil has been disrupted by disputes over player bonuses.

Costa Rica

Main Strength: The best defensive record in the CONCACAF qualifying region.

Main Weakness: No threat up front.

Player to Watch: While strong at the back, Costa Rica know they will be on the backfoot for most of the tournament. Goalkeeper Keylor Navas of La Liga club Levante is central to the Costa Rican’s miserly defence and will have a chance to prove himself on the world stage in Brazil.

Did you know...manager Jorge Luis Pinto is in his second spell in charge of the national side.

Can I support them? Imagine they will be popular in Scotland when Costa Rica plays England.

Tournament Predicted Finish: Almost impossible to see them getting out of the group.

Honduras

Main Strength: Some recognisable faces

Main Weakness: Yet to win a game at the finals despite two appearances

Player to Watch: Wilson Palacios will be looking to build on a strong season with Stoke City, while there are other recognisable faces from England, Scotland and Spain on display.

Did you know...manager Luis Fernando Suarez will come up against his previous employers Ecuador, a team he led to the last 16 in 2006.

Tournament Predicted Finish: Outside bet for a last 16 place. With France likely to win the group it will come down to the games between Switzerland, Ecuador and the Hondurans.

Iran

Main Strength: Might be better than everyone thinks they are. Iran are expected to be the whipping boys of the tournament, but they beat South Korea twice in qualifying.

Main Weakness: They might actually be as bad as people think they are.

Player to Watch: Captain Javad Nekounam will be appearing in his third World Cup with the national team, having won 136 caps. He previously played for Osasuna in Spain.

Did you know...Carlos Queiroz is appearing at his second consecutive World Cup, having managed Portugal in 2010.

Can I support them? Fulham fans will certainly like to see Ashkan Dejagah have a good tournament, while Charlton fans can support former Netherlands youth player Reza Ghoochannejhad.

Tournament Predicted Finish: Early exit beckons for Iran with a tough group against Argentina, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Nigeria.

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