Germany
Whilst the three times World Cup winners haven’t lifted the Jules Rimet trophy since 1990, they are a team that usually finish somewhere near the top in these major international tournaments. Germany came second in Euro 2008, and third in the last World Cup, where even though the team went out in the semi-finals to eventual winners Italy, Miroslav Klose still managed to win the Golden Boot for the hosts with 5 goals in the tournament.
Whilst they may not have the compelling style of other favourites like Spain and Brazil, Germany are stong, consistent, and notoriously good in the air. Even in this tricky group, they should be able to make it through.
Australia
The 2010 tournament is only the second recent World Cup outing for Australia, who other than in 2006 hadn’t made the finals tournament since their one earlier appearance in 1974 (where they went out in the first round). Regardless of this, the strength of their team and their impressive qualification campaign suggest there is a lot more to come from the Socceroos. Australia finished a very clear top of their qualifying group, five points ahead of fellow qualifiers Japan.
In the last World Cup, Australia made it through a tough group containing Brazil, Croatia and Japan, only to go out to eventual winners Italy in the round of 16.
Ghana
At 66-1 to win the tournament outright, Ghana is the second favourite African team after the Ivory Coast going into the first World Cup ever held on the continent.
Like Australia, this will follow 2006 as only their second recent World Cup appearance. They too were knocked out in the round of 16, in this case by Brazil.
Ghana finished second in this year’s African Cup of Nations, beaten in the final by Egypt, who actually failed to qualify for the 2010 World Cup.
With strong players like Appiah and Muntari, all looking to build on the result in the African Cup of Nations and the advantage of the tournament being held in a climate they are used to playing in, Ghana will be looking to fight their way through this difficult group into the knockout stages. Without injured star midfielder Essien it will be tough though…
Serbia
As a team that has played under many names, including SFR Yugoslavia, FR Yugoslavia, Serbia and Montenegro and now Serbia, there is a long World Cup history here. The best position an incarnation of this team has reached is fourth back in 1962.
In 2006, the then Serbia and Montenegro team were drawn in the then dubbed “group of death”, with Argentina, the Netherlands and the Ivory Coast, in which they finished bottom.
Having qualified top of a group that also contained France, Serbia do look to be in very good form going into this cup. It remains to be seen if being in one of the toughest groups possible again will be too much for this side.
Prediction
A very difficult one to call, all of these teams are going to have to fight hard to make it through this group. Germany still seem like the strongest contenders, but the other three all have their merits. Serbia impressed in the qualifiers and has a really strong defence so the bet is on them to qualify. Read more about all the World Cup group predictions.
1. Germany
2. Serbia
3. Australia
4. Ghana
