World Cup: Preview Predictions for Germany Australia Serbia and Ghana
Group D may have the best chance to create an upset in the FIFA 2010 World Cup. The favourite from this batch is of course Germany and next would be Australia, Serbia and then Ghana. The order of the last three may surprise you but here are reasons why experts suggest this.
Germany
The Die Mannschaft are under the leadership of Phillip Lahm, the reason for that is the infamous injury of Michael Ballack. The star forward is out because of an ankle injury during an English Premier League match against Manchester City. Apart from Ballack, midfielder Mesut Özil has also been ruled out along with their saviour Rene Adler (fractured ribs). They will face a tougher time in comparison to others. Their coach Joachim Lowe has tried his best to produce a balanced team and has succeeded in that endeavour. Their key strikers Miroslav Klose and Lukas Podolski have had a disappointing season in the Bundesliga. Chances are either of them might get replaced by Stefan Kiessling the new star in the team. Still the German team does not thrive as much as others on one-man-shows. They strive on their virtue of teamwork. They still have a lot of world class players; with the junior’s in the team having the job to ensure they help and finish the game plays their seniors start. They should easily finish on top of the table.
Australia
The Socceroos will be trying to console their notorious departure that occurred four years ago. They have been under heavy criticism for playing old ailing players in the team but Coach Pim Verbeek is confident of his 23-man squad. There are reservations about his strategy of playing defensive against strong teams. Their first match against Germany on the 13th will be a crucial one in deciding their fate, even a draw will up their chances a lot. With most of the team from 2006 they have quite a lot of veterans and experienced players and have a good chance of getting to the next round.
Serbia
The Serbs are a surprise entry in this Cup. Nobody really knows what to expect from the Beli Orlovi but a deeper insight will reveal that they have players capable of producing stunners. They managed to beat France in the qualifying rounds. Their defensive stronghold includes Nemanja Vidic (Manchester United), Neven Subotic (Borussia Dortmund) and Branislav Ivanovic (Chelsea). Their attack isn’t subdued either, it features players like Milan Jovanovic and Milos Krasic which have the remarkable capability to cut through defences. The veteran Dejan Stankovic controls the midfield and his coordination with the defence will be the key to their victory. The place where they have another massive edge is their superb manager Raddy Antic. He has coached both Real Madrid and Barcelona before so his planning and instincts will be another factor in leading them to the next stage. If this team wins a match against Germany many would call it an upset but would introduce a new dominant force on the world stage. For that reason they are a very close second to the Australians.
Ghana
The Black Stars probably have the most significant blow in comparison to the team this World Cup. When the learnt that Michael Essien’s injury will not be able to heal before the World Cup they were dumbstruck. But they didn’t lose hope, they are an inspiring new young team and despite the Essien injury they managed to qualify for the final stages. The 21 year old Udinese midfielder Kwadwo Asamoah has been a great part of that and while they face the most difficulty in reaching to the next stage their high levels of motivation can deliver a comeback. They star many players from last year’s victorious World Under-20 squad and their coach Coach Milovan Rajevac will have a couple of strategies in his mind. Lacking in the experience department their objective will be to target Serbia, counter Australia, while playing defensive against the Germans. They are capable of going through to the next round.
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