World Cup Group Preview - Groups G & H - By Guest Writer Joseph Fry

Group G

The Team – Germany

The Squad - Goalkeepers: Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich), Roman Weidenfeller (Borussia Dortmund), Ron-Robert Zieler (Hannover) Defenders: Jerome Boateng (Bayern Munich), Erik Durm (Borussia Dortmund), Kevin Grosskreutz (Borussia Dortmund), Benedikt Howedes (Schalke), Mats Hummels (Borussia Dortmund), Philipp Lahm (Bayern Munich), Per Mertesacker (Arsenal) Shkordan Mustafi (Sampdoria). Midfielders: Julian Draxler (Schalke), Matthias Ginter (Freiburg), Mario Gotze (Bayern Munich), Christoph Kramer (Borussia Monchengladbach), Sami Khedira (Real Madrid), Toni Kroos (Bayern Munich), Thomas Muller (Bayern Munich), Mesut Ozil (Arsenal), Andre Schurrle (Chelsea), Bastian Schweinsteiger (Bayern Munich). Forwards: Miroslav Klose (Lazio), Lukas Podolski (Arsenal).

The Manager - Joachim Low - Low is one of the longest reigning managers going to the world cup having taken over from Jurgen Klinsmann back in 2006. Since he took over, he has taken Germany to three major tournaments in Euro 2008 and 2012 and the World Cup in 2010. In each one, it has been close but no cigar for Low as he reached the final in 2008 only to lose to Spain and bowing out at the semi-finals in 2010 and 2012.

The Preparation - Germany were absolutely dominant through qualification following the disappointment in the previous Euro’s. They romped through their group picking up nine wins and a draw from the ten games played finishing on an impressive 28 points. They have remained unbeaten through the pre-tournament friendlies including an impressive 6-1 win over Armenia which was sadly overshadowed by an injury to Marco Reus. Reus has been ruled out of the tournament after the ligament tear he suffered and has been replaced by Sampdoria’s Shkordan Mustafi. This is a huge blow to Germany as Reus was one of few sources of goals and with him now out, it leaves Germany looking particularly light up front.

Mighty Mesut 

The Definitive Opinion - Germany go into the tournament looking strong. They possess some real quality in all areas of the pitch and I think this may finally be the year that all the hard work comes to fruition and they finally go all the way. Despite the loss of a key player in Reus, they still have immense talents such as Mario Gotze, Toni Kroos and Mesut Ozil though the latter is in need of recapturing some of the form he had during qualification if he is to make a real impact in Brazil and push Germany to their first trophy since 1996. Once again, Low takes Germany to the World Cup with them being one of the favourites for the trophy and a win would crown what has been an excellent run as manager for the German manager.

The Team – Portugal

The Squad - Goalkeepers: Beto (Sevilla), Eduardo (Braga), Rui Patricio (Sporting). Defenders: Andre Almeida (Benfica), Bruno Alves (Fenerbahce), Fabio Coentreo (Real Madrid), Joao Pereira (Valencia), Neto (Zenit), Pepe (Real Madrid), Ricardo Costa (Valencia). Midfielders: Joao Moutinho (Monaco), Miguel Veloso (Dinamo Kiev), Raul Meireles (Fenerbahce), Ruben Amorim (Benfica), William Carvalho (Sporting). Forwards: Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid), Eder (SC Braga), Helder Postiga (Lazio), Hugo Almeida (Besiktas), Nani (Manchester United), Rafa (Braga), Varela (FC Porto), Vieirinha (Wolfsburg).

The Manager - Paulo Bento - Bento took charge of the national team in 2010 after a four year spell in charge of Sporting CP. He led Portugal to Euro 2012 and to the semi-finals where they lost on penalties to Spain. Bento led Portugal to second in their qualifying group and so to a play-off in which they beat Sweden 4-2 on aggregate to take Portugal to Brazil. He will hope to lead Portugal to their first major trophy ever come June 16th.

The Preparation - After being drawn in a group with Russia, Israel, Azerbaijan, Northern Ireland and Luxembourg, Portugal were considered favourites. However, following disappointing draws to Israel and a loss to Russia, they had to settle for a play-off spot. They were drawn against Sweden and won the first leg 1-0 with a goal from world player of the year Cristiano Ronaldo. The second leg was a one man show and cemented Ronaldo’s position as the best player in the world that year. He scored a hat-trick and Portugal won 3-2 to give them a 4-2 win on aggregate and got them their place in Brazil. Since qualifying however, they have looked far from impressive with a 0-0 draw against Greece and a last minute winner able to paper over the cracks against Mexico although these were without star man Ronaldo who is carrying a hamstring injury though should be fit for the world cup.

Portugal will be hoping Ronaldo is fit

The Definitive Opinion - Portugal’s recent record at major tournaments has been good reaching the final at Euro 2004 and the semi-finals at Euro 2000, 2012 and the World Cup in 2006. They arrive to the tournament with a relatively similar squad that got them to the semi-finals at Euro 2012. The ever reliable defensive pairing of Bruno Alves and Pepe provide stability to the defence with a sturdy midfield in Raul Meireles, Joao Moutinho and Miguel Veloso provide a mixture of strength and creativity which will be vital in Brazil with the hot conditions meaning teams tire earlier. Whether they reach the latter stages again all boils down to whether Ronaldo is fully fit come June 16th as without him, they could struggle to get out of the groups let alone repeat previous showings we have seen from them.

The Team – Ghana

The Squad - Goalkeepers: Fatau Dauda (Orlando Pirates), Adam Kwarasey (Stromsgodset), Stephen Adams (Aduana Stars). Defenders: Samuel Inkoom (Platanias), Daniel Opare (Standard Liege), Harrison Afful (Esperance), John Boye (Rennes), Jonathan Mensah (Evian), Rashid Sumalia (Mamelodi Sundowns). Midfielders: Michael Essien (AC Milan), Sulley Muntari (AC Milan), Rabiu Mohammed (Kuban Krasnodar), Kwadwo Asamoah (Juventus), Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu (Udinese), Afriyie Acquah (Parma), Christian Atsu (Vitesse), Albert Adomah (Middlesbrough), Andre Ayew (Marseille), Mubarak Wakaso (Rubin Kazan). Forwards: Asamoah Gyan (Al Ain), Kevin-Prince Boateng (Schalke 04), Abdul Majeed Waris (Valenciennes), Jordan Ayew (Sochaux).

The Manager - James Kwesi Appiah - A former Ghana player, Appiah was the surprise appointment in 2012 replacing Goran Stefanovic. Appiah’s only previous managerial experience is with Ghana’s under 23’s which he led to Africa cup of Nations glory in 2011. He became the first black manager to lead a Ghana to a major tournament with qualification for the World Cup in Brazil.

The Preparation - After receiving a bye to the second round of qualifying, Ghana were drawn in a group with Zambia, Lesotho and Sudan with the top team progressing to the third round. Ghana expectedly ran away with the group winning five out of six games only conceding three goals in the process. In the third and final round, Ghana were drawn against Egypt who reached that stage unbeaten after winning all six games conceding no goals. Ghana however had too much quality and in the 1st leg, virtually sealed their spot in Brazil with a huge 6-1 victory. Despite losing the second leg 2-1, the huge deficit Egypt had to make up meant that Ghana had qualified for Brazil. Since then, Ghana have looked impressive slipping to a tight 1-0 defeat against the Netherlands but bouncing back with a 4-0 demolition of South Korea.

Ghana will be hoping Essien is on top form 

The Definitive Opinion - Ghana have been drawn in a very tough group alongside tournament favourites Germany and Portugal. However, I would not put it past them to spring a surprise here and qualify in place of one of the two aforementioned teams. Ghana have a team that is full of attacking quality. Players like the country’s leading scorer and Captain Asamoah Gyan finished joint top scorer in the African qualifying stages with six goals. His strike partners Abdul Majeed Waris and Jordan Ayew, whichever is picked to start alongside, both know where the net is with Ayew scoring a hat-trick in the recent game against South Korea. This attacking threat is improved by the creativity they have in midfield from Kevin-Prince-Boateng and Andre Ayew. These players are allowed to go forward and express themselves as they are given cover from defensive midfielder Kwadwo Asamoah in what gives Ghana are very strong and balanced midfield. Despite these positives, whether Ghana are strong enough to compete with the likes of Portugal and Germany is an aspect that has to be questioned. I feel that unless one of the two top nations under-performs, which is possible as I stated with Portugal, I think that it will be the Black Cats first ever World Cup group stage exit.

The Team – USA

The Squad - Goalkeepers: Brad Guzan (Aston Villa), Tim Howard (Everton), Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake). Defenders: DaMarcus Beasley (Puebla), Matt Besler (Sporting Kansas City), John Brooks (Hertha Berlin), Geoff Cameron (Stoke City), Timmy Chandler (Nuremberg), Omar Gonzalez (LA Galaxy), Fabian Johnson (Hoffenheim), DeAndre Yedlin (Seattle Sounders). Midfielders: Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake), Alejandro Bedoya (Nantes), Michael Bradley (Toronto FC), Brad Davis (Houston Dynamo), Mix Diskerud (Rosenborg), Julian Green (Bayern Munich), Jermaine Jones (Besiktas), Graham Zusi (Sporting Kansas City). Forwards: Jozy Altidore (Sunderland), Clint Dempsey (Seattle Sounders), Aron Johannsson (AZ Alkmaar), Chris Wondolowski (San Jose Earthquakes).

The Manager - Jurgen Klinsmann - A world cup winner as a player with Germany, Klinsmann took over as manager of USA in 2011. He had a shaky start as manager and came under criticism for his tactical decisions early on. However, he was able to turn this around and led the USA to victory in the CONCACAF Gold Cup in 2013 and secured world cup qualification later that year with a win over Mexico.

The Preparation - In qualifying, the USA received a bye to the third round along with five other nations. In this round, they were drawn in a group alongside Jamaica, Guatemala and Antigua and Barbuda. Despite a disappointing loss away to Jamaica, USA finished top of the group with 13 points which placed them in the fourth round with the other two group winners and three runners-up. They impressed in this round finishing top of the group by four points and so qualifying for Brazil. They have carried this form into their pre-tournament friendlies with three comfortable wins over Azerbaijan, Turkey and Nigeria.

Tim Howard and Michael Bradley 

The Definitive Opinion - Despite USA’s recent good form, I do not hold much hope for them this World Cup. They have been drawn in arguably the toughest group in the tournament alongside Germany, Portugal and Ghana and sadly for USA fans I cannot see them making it out of the group stages. They lack the goal threat that the other three possess and the decision not to include Landon Donavan in the final 23 man squad, may come back to haunt Klinsmann in Brazil. Their main outlet for goals is Sunderland’s Jozy Altidore. The 24 year old scored one goal in thirty appearances for Sunderland I the Premier League this season and though his record for his country is fairly good, if USA are to stand any chance of getting out of the group, they will need a better focal point in their attack than Altidore.

Group H

The Team - Belgium

The Squad - Goalkeepers: Thibaut Courtois (Atletico Madrid, on loan from Chelsea), Simon Mignolet (Liverpool), Sammy Bossut (Zulte Waregem). Defenders: Toby Alderweireld (Atletico Madrid), Laurent Ciman (Standard Liege), Nicolas Lombaerts (Zenit St Petersburg), Vincent Kompany (Manchester City), Daniel Van Buyten (Bayern Munich), Anthony Vanden Borre (Anderlecht), Thomas Vermaelen (Arsenal), Jan Vertonghen (Tottenham). Midfielders: Nacer Chadli, Mousa Dembele (both Tottenham), Steven Defour (Porto), Kevin De Bruyne (Wolfsburg), Marouane Fellaini, Adnan Januzaj (both Manchester United), Eden Hazard (Chelsea), Kevin Mirallas (Everton), Divock Origi (Lille), Axel Witsel (Zenit St Petersburg). Forwards: Romelu Lukaku (Everton, on loan from Chelsea), Dries Mertens (Napoli).

The Manager - Marc Wilmots - WIlmots has been with the Belgian setup since 2009 when he was the assistant manager for first Dick Advocaat and then George Leekens. Nicknamed “The Warpig” whilst a player at Schalke for his battle hardy style of play, Wilmots has led Belgium to their first World Cup since 2002, and his talent-filled squad will be expected to turn a few heads in Brazil.

The Preparation - Belgium qualified for the tournament unbeaten in what was a tough qualifying group with the likes of Serbia and Croatia also vying for the top spot. Belgium took it though, and in style with eight wins and two draws leaving them finishing nine points ahead of second placed Croatia. They go into the World Cup still unbeaten after three victories in the pre-tournament friendlies over Luxembourg, Sweden and Tunisia respectively. One issue that has arisen for Wilmots’ men is that they travel to Brazil without striker Christian Benteke who has been ruled out with a ruptured achilles tendon.

Lukaku is a dark horse for top scorer

The Definitive Opinion - It has become somewhat fashionable for even people with little knowledge on the make-up of the Belgian squad to declare Belgium as the dark horses of the tournament. It’s not without question that this Belgian squad has immense talent with players like Eden Hazard and Romelu Lukaku, both of Chelsea, hoping to have a real impact on the tournament. The defensive partnership of Vincent Kompany and Thomas Vermaelen is possibly the best centre back pairing heading to Brazil coupled with other talent like Jan Verthongen and this will make for a Belgian team that is very hard to breakdown. I however believe that it is two years too soon to expect Belgium to go and win the World Cup. Though talented, they have a team that is inexperienced at major international tournaments and I feel that it will be this inexperience that will be the downfall of this side who will reach the quarter finals as a maximum in my opinion.

The Team – Algeria

The Squad - Goalkeepers: Rais Mbolhi (CSKA Sofia), Cedric Si Mohamed (CS Constantine), Mohamed Lamine Zemmamouche (USM Alger). Defenders: Essaid Belkalem (Watford, on loan from Granada), Madjid Bougherra (Lekhwya Club), Liassine Cadamuro (Mallorca), Faouzi Ghoualm (Napoli), Rafik Halliche (Academica Coimbra), Aissa Mandi (Stade Reims), Carl Medjani (Valenciennes), Djamel Mesbah (Livorno), Mehdi Mostefa (AC Ajaccio). Midfielders: Nabil Bentaleb (Tottenham), Yasine Brahimi (Granada), Medhi Lacen (Getafe), Saphir Taider (Inter Milan), Hassan Yebda (Udinese). Forwards: Abdelmoumene Djabou (Club Africain), Sofiane Feghouli (Valencia), Nabil Ghilas (Porto), Riyad Mahrez (Leicester City), Islam Slimani (Sporting Lisbon, Portugal), Hilal Soudani (Dinamo Zagreb).

The Manager - Vahid Halilhodzic - The experienced Bosnian became manager of Algeria back in 2011 taking charge of his eleventh team. He brings a wealth of experience to Algeria having managed both at club and international level at teams like the Ivory Coast and PSG. He has taken Algeria to only their fourth World Cup and will hope to beat their current record of going out at the group stage every time so far.

The Preparation - In qualifying, Algeria received a bye to the second round in which they were drawn in a group with Mali, Benin and Rwanda. They dominated the group winning five out of a possible six games putting them into the final qualifying round which was a play-off game against Burkina Faso. They lost the first leg in Burkina Faso 3-2 and were on the verge of failing to qualify but managed to squeeze through after a 1-0 win back in Algeria meant that they qualified on the away goal rule. Since qualifying, Algeria have been unbeaten albeit against weak opposition. In the pre-tournament friendlies, they have beaten Armenia and Romania 3-1 and 2-1 respectively.

Nabil Bentaleb 

The Definitive Opinion - With the group that Algeria have been placed in, this is probably their best chance to make it out of the group stages. They are a team that people will look at and just rule out completely but they have to be taken seriously as England found out back in 2010. Sporting CP striker Islam Slimani finished as Algeria’s top scorer in qualifying with five goalshas impressed for club and country bagging 10 goals in 20 for Algeria. They have a squad riddled with top league talent, with tricky wingers such as Sofiane Feghouli and Riyad Mahrez along with midfielders Saphir Taider of Inter and Nabil Bentaleb who has looked steady when playing for Tottenham. In terms of chances, I can see Algeria making it out of the group though for the only time this tournament, there is a group where all four teams could possibly make it through. Algeria will need their star players performing at top level if they are to be one of the two that make it out of the group.

The Team – Russia

The Squad - Goalkeepers: Igor Akinfeev (CSKA Moscow), Yury Lodygin (Zenit St Petersburg), Sergey Ryzhikov (Rubin Kazan). Defenders: Vasili Berezutskiy (CSKA Moscow), Vladimir Granat (Dynamo Moscow), Andrey Eshchenko (Anzhi Makhachkala), Sergey Ignashevich (CSKA Moscow), Alexey Kozlov (Dynamo Moscow), Dmitry Kombarov (Spartak Moscow), Andrey Semenov (Terek Grozny), Georgi Schennikov (CSKA Moscow). Midfielders: Denis Glushakov (Spartak Moscow), Igor Denisov (Dynamo Moscow), Alan Dzagoev (CSKA Moscow), Yury Zhirkov (Dynamo Moscow), Alexey Ionov (Dynamo Moscow), Alexander Samedov (Lokomotiv Moscow), Viktor Fayzulin (Zenit St Petersburg), Oleg Shatov (Zenit St Petersburg), Roman Shirokov (Krasnodar). Forwards: Maxim Kanunnikov (Amkar Perm), Alexander Kerzhakov (Zenit St Petersburg), Aleksandr Kokorin (Dynamo Moscow).

The Manager - Fabio Capello - Capello became the manager of Russia in 2012 following the departure of Dick Advocaat. He has a managerial CV that cannot be matched having managed clubs like AC Milan, Roma, Juventus and Real Madrid who he managed twice. The Italian’s only national job previously to Russia was when he managed England after they failed to qualify for Euro 2008. Though England qualified unbeaten, their performance at the 2010 World Cup was nothing short of shambolic. They scraped through their supposedly simple group only to be knocked out in the round of 16 after an embarrassing 4-1 loss at the hands of Germany. Capello was criticised for his strict rules and boundaries that he put in place in South Africa which had a large negative effect on team morale. He will be keen to put that disappointment behind him by taking Russia far in Brazil.

The Preparation - After being drawn in a qualifying group with Portugal, many people expected Russia to have to qualify via a play-off. But after beating Portugal and Portugal slipping to two draws against Israel, Russia qualified in first place by a solitary point and did not have to go through a play-off. Russia head into the World Cup on a ten match unbeaten run having recently beaten Slovakia and Morocco in Russia.

Russian star Alan Dzagoev 

The Definitive Opinion - Russia head into the tournament in great form and since Capello has come in, the dead wood like Arshavin and Pavyluchenko have been gotten rid of allowing for players such as Aleksandr Kokorin who is expected to shine for Russia along with their star of Euro 2012 Alan Dzagoev of CSKA Moscow to come through to the fore front of the Russian team. As usual with Russia, they have a team with a powerful midfield with Igor Denisov and Viktor Fayzulin at the heart of it. In terms of chances for this tournament, they will be favourites along with Belgium to get out of the group and should their key players perform, then they should be able to qualify for the knockout stages. They need to be careful in not underestimating the other two teams in their group however who have a lot to offer in Algeria and South Korea. As stated, should Russia perform, then I expect to see them in the knockout stages and they will not want a repeat of the performance from Euro 2012.

The Team - South Korea

The Squad - Goalkeepers: Jung Sung-ryeong (Suwon Bluewings), Kim Seung-gyu (Ulsan Horang-i), Lee Bum-young (Busan I'Park) Defenders: Yun Suk-young (QPR), Kim Young-kwon (Guangzhou Evergrande), Hwang Seok-ho (Sanfrecce Hiroshima), Hong Jeong-ho (Augsburg), Kwak Tae-hwi (Al Hilal), Lee Yong (Ulsan Horang-i), Kim Chang-soo (Kashiwa Reysol), Park Joo-ho (Mainz) Midfielders: Ki Seung-yueng (Sunderland, on loan from Swansea), Ha Dae-sung (Beijing Guoan), Han Kook-young (Kashiwa Reysol), Park Jung-woo (Guangzhou R&F), Son Heung-min (Bayer Leverkusen), Kim Bo-kyung (Cardiff City), Lee Chung-yong (Bolton Wanderers), Ji Dong-won (Augsburg). Forwards: Koo Ja-cheol (Mainz), Lee Keun-ho (Sangju Sangmu), Park Chu-young (Arsenal), Kim Shin-wook (Ulsan Horang-i).

The Manager - Hong Myung-Bo - Hong is a very inexperienced manager with the South Korea job being the first senior management job of his career. He has managed the South Korean under 20’s and under 23’s sides including leading the under 23’s to a bronze medal at the London Olympics in 2012. He will hope to build on that previous success with a good showing in Brazil.

The Preparation - South Korea have not been in the best form recently. After they got through the third round in qualifying finishing top of a group that consisted of Lebanon, Kuwait and the UAE as well as themselves, they were placed in group A along with Iran with whom they had a fierce rivalry, Uzbekistan, Qatar and Lebanon. They were expected to finish top of that group but after underperforming in numerous matches including losing to Iran twice and drawing with Lebanon and Uzbekistan, they finished second and just qualified automatically ahead of Uzbekistan by a single goal. This poor form has continued into the pre-tournament friendlies which have resulted in a 1-0 loss to Tunisia and a 4-0 thrashing at the hands of Ghana.

Ki Seung-Yeung

The Definitive Opinion - Korea appear to be the weakest of the four nations in group H. Having nearly had to qualify via a play-off narrowly beating Uzbekistan in qualifying, Korea have gone from bad to worse. They are the only team in group H to arrive at the World Cup in poor form and I cannot see this form being turned around in time for the tournament. If the defence plays anything like it did against Ghana, then Korea will have no chance come the 17th of June when they take on Russia. Korea have the ability to make it through this group, with players like Heung-min Son from Bayer 04 and Ki Seung-Yeung from Swansea but if they don’t regain some form before the start of the tournament, then Korea will be heading out in the group stages.