Look for the Indomitables to play more of the latter than the former sadly

But he's got the kind of firepower (the trio of Messi, Tevez, Aguero, and even Higuain) at his disposal. Nigeria has always been the great promise of African soccer, but have never capitalized on that promise.Greece, the surprise winner of the '04 Euro, are well-coached by Otto Rehhagel, and deeply organized; again, they may be one of the surprises of this WC. South Korea played very well in qualifiers, and could challenge Argentina for the top spot. Winner: Argentina Runner-Up: Greece Group C England United States Algeria Slovenia England comes into the World Cup with a tremendous buzz following them. The Three Lions have a strong chance to sweep the board with nine total points.

This team may be the best team England has fielded since the last time they won it all, back in 1966. Don Fabio has England playing well, and Wayne Rooney could be the breakout star. Provided they don't get snakebitten as always during the WC, we could see England in the final. USA must be breathing a huge sigh of relief, knowing they've dodged European bullets like France and Portugal. For once, the US gets a favorable draw and has no excuse not to take advantage of this. If the US doesn't advance, the entire team should remain stranded somewhere in Africa. Algeria qualified via an ugly and bloody playoff against Egypt, but they'll be invisible during the tournament.

As for Slovenia, they shouldn't be taken lightly; dispatching a heavily-favored Russia showed this team could be a tournament dark horse. Winner: England Runner-up: USA Group D Germany Australia Serbia Ghana You know what you're going to get with Germany: tight discipline and a rich history behind them. Australia still plays with the style that Guus Hiddink stamped on the Socceroos four years ago, and they'll continue to be feisty, with Tim Cahill leading the charge.Serbia will prove to be defensively tough, as Nemanja Vidic patrols the defensive backfield. Finally, Ghana will look to improve on their strong WC 2006 showing, and their strong play during qualifications Look for Michael Essien to have a strong tournament. Winner: Germany Runner-up: Ghana Group E Netherlands Denmark Japan Cameroon The Orange wrapped up their qualifying spot earlier than any other European nation. On paper, this may be the strongest Dutch team for quite some time, but they always seem to find a way to self-destruct or play to less than their potential. The one question that remains unanswered is will Rob Van Persie be ready, and fit.

The matchup between Denmark and Netherlands will be a matchup of two similar styles, which calls for open, attacking football, and could be the match of the opening rounds.Japan is greatly improved, what with their J-League providing quality, attacking players that are looking attractive to European clubs. Cameroon will drive you insane; they can play dominant, beautiful football the first game, and inept, uninspired football the next. Look for the Indomitables to play more of the latter than the former, sadly. They've been placed in a favorable group, but don't expect Italy to advance past the quarterfinals. Paraguay surprised everyone in CONMEBOL qualifiers, handily beating Brazil and Argentina, and they'll come to South Africa as a strong, intriguing side.As for New Zealand, their qualifying was a feel-good moment for their nation, but the Kiwis will be grossly overmatched. Slovakia showed they're organized, but organization doesn't win tournaments. Winner: Italy Runner-up: Paraguay Group G Brazil North Korea Ivory Coast Portugal This here is the vaunted Group of Death.