GROUP F:

BRAZIL
CROATIA
AUSTRALIA
JAPAN

BRAZIL: When you think of the World Cup you probably immediately think of Brazil and it is no wonder when you consider they have won the title five times and have a plethora of World class talent…despite this, I am going on record right now saying they will NOT win this tournament. I know that youngsters like Kaka, Robinho and Adriano will want to carry on the traditions of past finals but I think that Brazil do not play as a team and that could be their downfall. Goalkeeping has been a problem in the past and with AC Milan’s Dida between the posts I think it will remain one as I have never rated him when it comes to crosses. Brazil have so much talent they can boast the possibility of starting two teams but with all that talent comes big egos and it will be up to Coach Carlos Alberto, a playing legend in his own right, to ensure the only big thing for Brazil will be to retain the World Cup.

CROATIA: The Croats finished their qualifying campaign undefeated and with 21 goals to their credit and that will hold this feisty team in good stead against the likes of Australia and Japan…Brazil is another story! Coach Zlatko Kranjcar started the qualifiers in fantastic style winning the opening two games and carrying on that good form which saw them top their group. Glasgow Rangers’ Dado Prso is the leading striker and the fight to partner him is between Werder Bremen’s Ivan Klasnic and Bosko Balaban, the Premiership failure from Aston Villa. Croatia have Juventus’
Robert Kovac at the heart of their well marshalled defence that only conceded 5 qualifying goals in 10 outings. This team will fight with Australia for the second spot but with their experience, 3 out of 3 world cup qualifications, I think they just have the edge.

AUSTRALIA: Finally, the Socceroos have qualified for the World Cup after so many near-misses…who could forget the loss to Iran in 1998 and Terry Venables’ failure to make the 2002 finals in Korea/Japan against the same team they beat to reach these finals. This team has plenty of talent in the likes of Harry Kewell, Skipper Mark Viduka ( talk about a surprise selection as captain!) Blackburn Rovers’ Brett Emerton to name a few. The main problem for the Aussies is they have no experience of the big occasion and could struggle with the magnitude of the tournament. Goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer is pure quality and he should be able to keep the back four in tact and calm everything down. Coach Gus Hiddink will probably not select many Australian based players as there are so many playing in Europe, and let’s face it the European leagues are much better quality than the ones down under. This team is good but without the big game experience they will struggle to make the knockout stages.

JAPAN: What a surprise package these guys were in their home tournament in 2002, reaching the last 16 before Turkey knocked them out. Were you aware that the Japanese were the first qualifiers for this tournament…by beating North Korea on
8 June 2005 in beautiful and neutral Bahrain. Brazilian legend, and I do mean legend Zico has been so encouraged by his team that he thinks a place in the semi-finals is not beyond the realms of possibility. Australia will be the first test for the Asian Champions and earning at least a draw will be vital to their hopes of making the second round. Sunsuke Nakamura, the Player of the Tournament in the 2004 Asian Cup, is the playmaker in the side and the key player to all of Japan’s hopes. Attack will be the watchword for Japan as they were one of only three countries, out of the entire 32, to score at least one goal in each game in qualifying. Japan lack the “big” game players to make the second round and will probably finish last in Group F.

GROUP B:

ENGLAND
SWEDEN
TRINIDAD & TOBAGO
PARAGUAY

ENGLAND: As I said in the introduction to this preview, Wayne Rooney’s injury is a terrible blow but we have so many World class players that it is impossible for me to think of anything but at least and appearance in the final! Captain David Beckham is on a mission to ensure he leads this extraordinarily talented group of players to World Cup win and the best send off that any manager could ever hope for. When Sven leaves, which most of the players are not happy about, at least publicly that is what they say, he will want to go out with a big “I TOLD YOU SO” to the FA. Sven will easily land a big club job as he is one of the best managers in the World and the players’ he has at his disposal is the main reason why. Goalkeeper Paul Robinson is the undisputed number one and in front of him are 10 quality, if not World class performers who should ensure that 40 years of hurt will be ended in the final on
4 July 2006.

SWEDEN: I am convinced that when the draw for these different tournaments is made one of the balls in the pot feels different to the rest to ensure that Sven will face the country of his birth and once again test his loyalty to the “Three Lions”. I have lost count of the number of times we have faced the Scandinavians in major tournaments but how ever many the number it always seems to come out as a draw.The last time the Swedes lost a 90-minute match in a major tournament was 6 years ago when Italy beat them in the final group game of Euro 2000. Coach Lars Lagerback has two outstanding strikers who should ensure that goals won’t be one of the problems in this tournament. Zlatan Ibrahimovic is a moody but skilful striker who will lead the line and help to feed his partner European Cup winner Henrik Larrson, the former Celtic and Barcelona striker seems to have retired on a couple of occasions but keeps coming back for more. Sweden can win this group but they will need maximum points and I can’t see England falling in any group game.

TRINIDAD & TOBAGO: One thing you can be sure of when they arrive in Germany is that they will make everything colourful and loads of fun! Skipper Dwight Yorke is coming to the end of what has been a fantastic career and what better way of going out…although he won’t be lifting the World Cup trophy. Their second fixture against England is the one everyone in the Caribbean is looking forward to the most and some believe that with their pace and experience up front they can produce a shock. Stern John is Yorke’s strike partner and he has been as prolific as for T&T as any forward for any other country. Port Vale’s English midfielder Chris Burchill, whose powerful strike from distance equalised against Bahrain, calls this game against England a “dream come true”. Coach Leo Beenhakker has the technical know-how to cause a few teams problems but although they are capable of qualifying for the second phase I think it will be one step too far.

PARAGUAY: This is not the first time Paraguay have played England in the World Cup…remember 1986 in Mexico. During the lengthy South American qualifying period they scored as many goals as they conceded and somehow they hope to qualify for their third successive knockout phase. Coach Anabil Ruiz was under fire near the end of the qualifiers as the Albirrroja lost their final fixture 1-0 to Columbia but the federation would not be swayed and Ruiz remains the man in charge. The main concern is that giant striker Santa Cruz, who scored in the 2002 finals, will not be fit in time after his knee surgery this past November. Paraguay are getting old and despite the fact that there are some good youngsters coming thru in the shape of 22 year old Julio Dos Santos from Bayern Munich and Udinese’s 17 year old Jose Montiel. Three European teams will compete against the Albirroja to get them ready for Sweden and England but that will hardly matter…

BILL HEDRICK'S FIFA 2006 WORLD CUP PREVIEW

Once again it is time for me to unashamedly display my prodigious talents as a prognosticator…or to most of you how badly I can predict football results! I really enjoy writing these previews despite the fact that although the information in the paragraphs is spot on the final position of the teams in their groups is usually far from exact! I will first of all list the way I think the group will finish and follow it with an analysis of each team’s strengths and weaknesses. I really do believe England have the best chance they have ever had at winning the World’s most prestigious tournament! The loss of Wayne Rooney is a blow but when you consider that we have at least 6 of our starting 11 in the World Class category you can see why I am filled with such optimism. I personally think that Steven Gerrard is the most important mid-fielder and I also believe that Peter Crouch will score at least 5 goals and end the tournament as the joint, if not top, scorer of the finals. I know some of that sounds a bit daft, especially the part about Crouch, but believe me he will frighten the smaller defenders and our power-packed mid-field will overrun the opposition. The defence is in great shape as all of the back four are comfortable on the ball and can turn defence in to attack with one slick pass! If Rooney does by some miracle make the tournament and turns on the style then we will be World Champions…hopefully after thrashing Germany in the final!

GROUP D:

PORTUGAL
MEXICO
IRAN
ANGOLA

PORTUGAL: Big Phil Scolari snubbed England, supposedly due to the intrusion into his private life, and I believe the reason was no more than he wanted to take this highly talented team to the biggest stage of all…and win! Most teams would have broken after being beaten in the final in their own country and especially by a team no one fancied but Scolari has held them together and they have become stronger…as evidenced by their 7-1 thrashing of Russia in Lisbon and the fact they finished their qualifiers undefeated. Manchester United winger Cristiano Ronaldo proved his worth with 7 qualifying goals which was second only to skipper Pauletta who popped home 11. The only grey cloud on the Portugese horizon is the injury to centre-half Jorge Andrade who tore the patella tendon playing for Deportivo La Coruna and is out of the tournament. Despite this massive blow, Scolari can rest assured that this team of feisty and talented men will do everything they can to go that one step further than in Euro ’04.

MEXICO: Many eyebrows were raised when it was announced just before the World Cup draw that one of the eight seeded teams would be Mexico. Did you know that including this tournament, the Mexicans will have qualified for 13 finals…hardly surprising since apart from the U.S.A. they never really face any competition and always qualify anyway! Bolton striker Jared Borgetti knocked in 14 goals in qualifying and will be the main man up front for Coach Ricardo La Volpe’s charges. Finishing first or second should be pretty easy as the only difficult game is against Portugal…it is in the second round where either Holland or Argentina will provide very stern opposition. When you consider that the Mexicans have only ever won one knockout game in their World Cup history, you can imagine that trend possibly continuing in these finals. Skipper Rafael Marquez is one of only a few who have ventured out of Mexico to ply his trade but the experience could be invaluable.

IRAN: Prolific goal scorer and skipper for these finals, Ali Daei is determined to go out of international football with a big bang. The 37 year-old has over 100 international goals to his credit and wants to add to his massive haul with a few more and hopefully get his team to the second phase. Croatian coach Branko Ivankovic knows it is crucial for his team to get at least a point in the opener against Mexico as the next game will be group favourites Portugal. The Iranians are not the strongest side but are certainly not going to be pushed around…many of the players play their league football in Germany so they will be much more familiar with their surroundings than their opponents. Mehdi Mahdavikia of Hamburg and Bayern Munich’s Ali Karimi are two of the more experience players and will be crucial to any success the Iranians may have. The defensive side of the game is where the main concern lies…in 12 qualifiers they allowed 12 goals and this against very weak opposition.

ANGOLA: After opening the qualifying campaign with a 3-1 loss to Chad there was much room for improvement…cue a 2-0 victory against the same opposition 5 weeks later and the start of an unbeaten run that stretched for six matches. This excellent run was the catalyst for their qualification and the fact they are in a manageable group should give them some reason for optimism. Pedro Manuel Mantorras is, by common consent, the most gifted player in the squad and moved to Europe on the strength of his performances. Coach Luis Oliveira Goncalves’ attitude to the team making the finals for the first time in their history is commendable…he wants this team to make the people of Angola proud and happy after years of civil war. If this team want to make the knockout stages then they will have to make war on the pitch while playing with smiles on their faces.

GROUP E:

ITALY
USA
CZECH REPUBLIC
GHANA

ITALY: The Azzuri have not performed well recently when placed under the spot light, as evidenced by their failure to qualify for the second phase at Euro ’04. Italian fans are not going overboard about their teams’ chances due to the fact that one of the most embarrassing losses in Italian football history was a loss to Slovenia in their third qualifying game. Coach Marcello Lippi has been there and done that at club level but can he do it at international level…he does have a lot to live up to considering Italy have been to 12 consecutive finals and won the title on three occasions. Fabio Cannavaro skippers a side that only scored 17 qualifying goals but in the midfield and defence have more talent than most nations. Italy does not have an out and out goal scorer in the mould of Rossi or Baggio…the leading scorer in the qualifiers was Luca Toni who only pushed the ball over the line four times. Italy are in a very tough group and may not make the knockout stages but I think they will.

USA: When I was growing up the national team was non-existent…or at least I never saw or heard anything about them! In 1994 the tournament went to the States and the USA made the knockout phase and only lost to Brazil 1-0 in the second round.
France ’98 was most notable for the upsetting loss to Iran in the “Mother of all matches”. American pride was restored at the 2002 finals when the second round was achieved and the quarter-final loss to runners-up Germany was bathed in controversy. This new breed, under the guidance of Bruce Arena, is a mixture of Europe based and MLS based players who are young, very quick and skilfull. PSV Eindhoven winger Damarcus Beasley is the rising star of the this talented group. The veteran goalkeeper Kasey Keller will be one of the oldest players in the tournament and 17 year-old Freddy Adu will battle with Theo Walcott as the youngest.

CZECH REPUBLIC: This side has as good a chance as any of getting to the final if they can make it out of their very tough group. Goalkeeper Petr Cech, an ever present for Chelsea in his two season at Stamford Bridge, is one of the best ‘keepers in the World and will be vital if they are to go thru to the next round. Despite the fact the team is an average age of 30 plus the names roll off the tongue and from past performances the skill level does not appear to have diminished. Pavel Nedved, the diminutive 33 year-old retired at the end of Euro’04 but came back to help the Czechs overcome Norway in the playoffs. Jan Koller was the leading marksman in the qualifying games with 9 goals followed closely by Arsenal new boy Tomas Rosicky with 7, a good haul for a midfielder. Coach Karel Bruckner will call it a day after this tournament so the team have all the enticement they need to give him a huge send off. It is a toss up who will go through but if the Czechs do make it then who knows how far they can go.

GHANA: There are some big names on this team that has taken 10 attempts to finally qualify for the finals…none bigger than Michael Essien, the Chelsea midfield dynamo. Ghana really missed him in the African Nations Cup as he was out with an ankle injury. Udinese’s Sully Muntari and Captain Stephen Appiah of Fenerbahce were also missing from the African Nations and without these three midfield stalwarts the side really struggled in Egypt. Despite the names just mentioned it was the appointment of Ratomir Dujkovic that really pushed the side towards qualification. Ghana won 4 out of its final 5 games under his guidance to make it to Germany when, at one time, they looked like they would not quite make it. Defence will probably give Ghana a chance of qualifying for the knockout stages...the only allowed four goals in qualifying.

GROUP G

FRANCE
SWITZERLAND
SOUTH KOREA
TOGO

FRANCE: 1998 World Champions, 2000 European Champs and as they age it seems there is only the slightest hope they can rekindle the glory days. Zinedine Zidane, one of the most silky players ever seen in Europe, missed the 2002 finals and will call it a day when this tournament closes. It is hardly believable that with a strike-force of Thierry Henry and David Trezeguet the French only scored 14 qualifying goals in 10 games…one of the lowest of all the finalists. But, as the saying goes “youth is temporary, class is permanent” and it is because of the class of the French players that I am tipping them to top the group. Coach Roger Lemerre knows that he must depend on the old guard to get the team to the second round where after that anything can happen. Les Bleus have the experience of the big tournaments so they should not get flustered and the memory of the Senegal defeat will ensure they avoid complacency.

SWITZERLAND: Joint hosts of Euro 2008 with Austria, this Swiss team is ready for the big time now and the experience of these finals will hold them in very good stead in 2 years time. Turkey nearly knocked these Alpine fighters out of the tournament in the second leg of their playoff but new found resiliency and bullish determination ensured they went through on away goals. Coach Jakob Kuhn has very few World-class players to choose from but he does have a team of grafters who never know when they are beaten. The last appearance in the finals was in 1994 when Englishman Roy Hodgson was in charge and the Swiss qualified for the second round…current captain Johann Vogel hopes to emulate that feat and go even further. The defence is strong with Arsenal youngster Philippe Senderos and Patrick Muller of Lyon at the heart. The Swiss are good enough to make the knockout stages I see no reason why they won’t.

SOUTH KOREA: A fourth place finish at the finals they co-hosted in 2002 has led to unbound optimism and even a little pressure on the players to perform…it could be argued that being amongst friends and having a 12th man was the reason they went far above expectation. Guus Hiddink is now gone so another Dutchman in the shape of former Rangers boss Dick Advocaat steps in to the breach. The Koreans will open against Togo, considered to be the weakest of the African nations, and after having knocked out three quality European sides in 2002, they should give a good account of themselves when they take on France and Switzerland. Park Ji-Sung, the Manchester United dynamo, is the key to Korean tactics and their hope to make, as a minimum, a place in the second round. Ever-present Lee Woon-Jae will be between the sticks for the second tournament in succession and he will lead a defence that conceded only 7 qualifying goals. They are slick and quick and very energetic but I think they will come down to earth with a bang!

TOGO: If ever a team were “no-hopers” it is this West African nation…only one player, Arsenal’s Emmanuel Adebayor, who scored 11 qualifying goals, is playing in a top European league. In fact, skipper Jean Paul Yaovi Abalo plays in French division 4! German coach Otto Pfister, who has experience in African football, has said he will only select players who are playing regularly but I doubt he can be that picky. If Togo register a draw it will be astounding…win, and anything could happen. I will go on record right now and say that Togo will score goals, mostly thru Adebayor, but they will not win a game—in fact, I will go even further and say Adebayor could win the Golden Boot as the tournament’s top scorer.