World Cup Predictions & Picks – Group F

All eyes will be on defending 2006 champions, Italy, as they make their 16^th World Cup appearance in South Africa this summer. The Azzurri are defiantly the group’s favorite having made it past the first round in every World Cup it has been in since 1974. But with an aging squad and poor outings at the Euro 2008 and the Confederations Cup in 2009, the Italians could be the biggest disappointment of the tourney. One man that will try to keep that from happening is head coach Marcelo Lippi.  He has a stunning 31 consecutive international matches without a defeat and will look to keep that streak very much alive. The 61-year-old is known for using whatever players he has at his disposal to win matches, as displayed during the qualifiers when he called up a total of 36 players to get the job done. Since Lippi took charge, he has added several young players to the squad in order to provide balance to a side that has been ravaged by age, causing some to criticise his decision to leave several veteran stars off his final 23-man roster. Despite his efforts, the squad is still made up from a core of players in their early to mid 30’s and is led by 31-year old world-class keeper Gianluigi Buffon, a pillar of the Italian defense.  He will be aided by wily veterans Gennaro Gattuso, as well as captain — defender Fabio Cannavaro. The 36-yer old 2006 FIFA World Player of the Year has 130 caps and brings his side the much-needed experience of winning on the world stage. The Azzurri came through qualifying with little problem finishing with seven wins and three draws, scoring 18 goals and conceding seven.

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Paraguay will be another favorite to make it out of the group stage.  La Albirroja are making their eighth FIFA World Cup finals appearance and their fourth in a row after a brilliant qualifying campaign. They will now set their sights on shaking the disappointment of a first round exit in 2006. The side is under the watchful eye of Argentinean boss Gerardo Martino. El Tata is a big fan of attacking football, and brings a new look to the squads’ traditional defensive style. While some questioned his ability to guide the side to excellence, critics were silenced as the squad cruised its way through a tough qualifying group. It will remain to be seen just what effect the loss their best player, striker Salvador Cabanas, will be, after being shot in the head back in January in a Mexico City bar. Losing your best player to tragedy can plunge a team into despair or give cause to rise from the ashes. It is yet to be determined which course La Albirroja will travel. One thing is for certain; they do have a deep enough squad to get them in the knockout rounds. Players like Manchester City striker Roque Santa Cruz will lead the offensive punch along with Oscar Cardozo and Nelson Haedo Valdez, all of whom scored 11 goals between them during the squads qualifying campaign. Paraguay allowed just 16 goals in 18 World Cup qualification matches finishing a very respectable third in South American qualifying behind Brazil and Chile.

It already seems like a small victory as Slovakia qualified for their first ever World Cup finals and expectations should be moderate for the Group F sleeper. Don’t count this resilient bunch out just yet. They side is a remnant of the former Czechoslovakia, a nation who participated in eight finals overall, including a pair of finals appearances in 1934 and 1962. They also advanced as far as the last eight in 1990, and now look to climb to the top of World Stage once again. Boss Vladimir Weiss was handed the duties of head coach in June 2008, and since has formed a very tight, collective unit that knows what it takes to grind out results. Weiss led the Artmedia Bratislava into the UEFA Champions League group phase in 2005/06, so he knows what it takes to compete at a higher level of competition. Although most outside of Slovakia wouldn’t recognize most of the names on the roster, outside of Liverpool defender Martin Skrtel, the Slovaks do have plenty of star-like players. One is Italy’s, Marek Hamsik, who is a constant threat to score and can wreck havoc on many opposing defenses. There is also striker Stanislav Sestak who plays for German Bundesliga 2 VfL Bochum. The youngster finished top scorer for Slovakia with six strikes in qualifying. The Slovaks put on an impressive display and finished first in a tough qualifying group that included the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovenia and Northern Ireland.

If the All Blacks are New Zealand’s epitome of success, than the All Whites have to be the exact opposite. Unfortunately for the Kiwis, football is not their strong spot. The All Whites are making just their second appearance in the World Cup and their first in 28 years. New Zealand also has played in three Confederation Cups, scoring just three goals in nine matches. They have never won either a Confederations Cup match or a World Cup final match. Boss Ricki Herbert who was one of the first Kiwis to play in England, has turned the All Whites into a solid unit after assuming the reins of the national team in 2005, and has a smattering of other Kiwis plying their trades internationally to help him try to change that. The side is led by Blackburn central defender, skipper and former D.C. United star Ryan Nelsen, who took charge of the Kiwis’ playoff series against Bahrain, leading the team to two shutouts and a win over the Asians to reach the tournament this summer. At the other end of the pitch, the Kiwis have a number of key attacking options including Shane Smeltz, the Oceania Player of the Year and Australian A-League top-scorer, Middlesbrough striker Chris Killen, FC Tampa Bay Rowdie midfielder Jeremy Christie, and 18-year old West Bromwich Albion F.C striker Chris Wood. New Zealand took full advantage of Australia’s exodus from the Oceania region comfortably winning their group.

Italy should make quick work of New Zealand and Slovakia with their biggest challenge coming by way of their bout with Paraguay. Paraguay should earn wins against New Zealand and Slovakia and will rely on their talented strikers to move on past the group stage, but the Round of 16 will likely be where their road ends. Slovakia is a solid team and will be battling Paraguay for second place in this group, but it would be the surprise of the tournament if they advance. The Slovaks should get the win against New Zealand and have an outside shot at advancing if they are able to break through the defense of Paraguay. Finally, the Kiwis are the biggest long shot at grabbing the World Cup title, and are worst odds of any World Cup squad. The side has never won a World Cup match and it doesn’t appear that will change this summer.

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