Re: 2006 World Cup draw
Group of death for the U.S. We have the toughest draw for any single team. I think Group C is the toughest, followed by Group E. Argentina, Ivory Coast, Netherlands and Serbia are all very good sides. In fact, Ivory Coast and Serbia who are the weaker of the 4 teams are better than any of Germany's three opponents in Group A, IMO.
F*! We are so **ed. It would be quite an achievement to get 2nd place in that group.
First round cake-walks for Germany, France, and Spain. Oh, how I wish the US was placed in one of those groups.
England look in decent shape. Sweden certainly will be difficult and I really think that Paraguay will be a tough opponent. Of course, there is a reprieve with T&T who could very well finish dead last in the tournament.
I'd love to see Italy in the Final. They can definitely get there if they avoid Brazil in the round of 16.
Well, every time a WC field looks one way, there are bound to be a few surprises that change everything completely, like Senegal, USA, and South Korea in '02 or Nigeria in '98. So, based on current form, here's my gut reaction stab in the dark. Of course, the tourney is six months away, so who knows how much these teams will fluctuate.
PREDICTIONS:
(Group winners first)
GROUP A:
Germany *
Poland *
Ecuador
Costa Rica
GROUP B:
England *
Sweden *
Paraguay
Trinidad & Tobago
GROUP C:
Netherlands *
Argentina *
Serbia Montenegro
Ivory Coast
GROUP D:
Portugal *
Mexico *
Angola
Iran
GROUP E (F!):*
Czech Republic *
Italy *
USA
Ghana
GROUP F:
Brazil *
Croatia *
Australia
Japan
GROUP G:
France *
Korea *
Switzerland
Togo
GROUP H:
Ukraine *
Spain *
Tunisia
Saudi Arabia
KNOCKOUT ROUND
Germany vs. Sweden = Germany
Netherlands vs. Mexico = Netherlands
England vs. Poland = England
Portugal vs. Argentina = Argentina
Czech Rep. vs. Croatia = Czech
France vs. Spain = France
Brazil vs. Italy = Brazil. (Damn it....)
Ukraine vs. Korea = Ukraine
QUARTERS
Germany vs. Netherlands = Germany
Czech vs. France = Czech
England vs. Argentina = Argentina
Brazil vs. Ukraine = Brazil
SEMIS
Germany vs. Czech = Germany
Argentina vs. Brazil = Brazil
FINAL!
Germany vs. Brazil = GERMANY!