Features

Favourites face tough task

Author: John Harris
Date: 09/12/2009
Football betting

Following the World Cup finals draw in South Africa on Friday, eyes all around the globe are trying to pick out potential winners and losers ahead of the showpiece event next summer.

With 32 nations preparing to slug it out, the draw has dished up a few intriguing groups that are easily recognisable.

Didier Drogba's Ivory Coast may well be ruing the so called luck of the draw having been placed in Group G with five-time World champions Brazil, Portugal and North Korea.

However, with Drogba, brothers Kolo and Yaya Toure, Salomon Kalou, Didier Zokora and Emmanuel Eboue, the West African nation have a real opportunity to excite on the biggest of stages.

Brazil and Portugal may well be twitching at the prospect themselves and any progression to the latter stages will take a stern test of their resolve in the aptly named group of death.

Although the Koreans are expected to be the whipping boys, that should leave one of the big three to be eliminated at the first hurdle.

The Elephants may well be cursing their luck following their inaugural World Cup adventure in 2006.

They had to face Netherlands and Argentina in Germany and as a result, were knocked out after the group stage.

Competition hosts South Africa have a tough draw with France, Mexico and Uruguay to deal with.

Bafana Bafana are not expected to progress and this should allow them to play with a degree of freedom and the French will be curious ahead of clashes against their unpredictable Central and Southern American opponents.

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Netherlands coach Bert van Marwijk could face sleepless nights as he has been dealt an awkward hand.

Denmark, Cameroon and Japan stand in their way if they are to canter to the last 16.

Germany, with Ghana, Serbia and Australia to play could have had it easier while Argentina should win through a group consisting of Nigeria, South Korea and Greece.

England have been handed a dream draw and should make light work of USA, Algeria and Slovenia.

Spain, who are the online betting favourites to win the competition, have to be one of the big winners with games against Switzerland, Honduras and Chile to look forward to.

With Fernando Torres, David Villa, Xavi, Andres Iniesta and Xabi Alonso, amongst many others for coach Vicente del Bosque to choose from, the world powerhouses should ease through.

Four-time winners Italy are in the same boat as the Spanish and these must be the two biggest winners.

Although manager Marcello Lippi suggested shortly after the ceremony that there are no easy draws, he must be secretly content at being selected to face New Zealand, Paraguay and Slovakia.

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