Let the Drama Begin: 2014 World Cup Group Preview, From A to H

The top players are here (for the most part), the stadiums are primed (kind of) and readiness time is up: The 2014 World Cup starts Thursday. After Brazil takes middle of everyone's attention in São Paulo (yes, Croatia will be there, as well, yet everyone's eyes will be on the host), the two greatest heavyweight battles of the first adjust land in short request: Spain versus the Netherlands on Friday and England versus Italy on Saturday. So settle in for the one month from now and revel in.

GROUP A

It's a well known fact where all the consideration will stream in Group A. Brazil is not just by and by among the top choices to win the competition however is additionally the host, a part that has duplicated typical desires.

The Seleção has its regular star grouping of stars, including the gaudy Neymar and the extreme as-nails safeguard Thiago Silva, and it is honed by Luiz Felipe Scolari, who headed Brazil to its last World Cup triumph, in 2002. The interest, however, transcends the playing field. Recently the parts of the group have gotten focal figures in a bigger national show in which the generalization of the nation's charming games society has been punctured by boundless challenges and unfriendliness at the competition.

No more simply legends and performers, the players have been given by some a role as images of the favoritism, restrictiveness and skewed standards that are said to torment Brazil by adversaries of the competition, who denounce its cost notwithstanding required using on foundation, wellbeing and training. Anticipate that this ardor play will keep going for some time, however rest guaranteed there are different stories to be found in the gathering.

Mexico is even now looking for balance on the field in the wake of getting away from a deplorable qualifying competition throughout which it spun through four mentors. Croatia, headed by the energetic and multidimensional midfielder Luka Modric, has the unenviable undertaking of confronting Brazil in the opening round of the competition. Samuel Eto'o, who made his World Cup debut at 17, will play in his fourth competition for Cameroon, a group that has never satisfied the guarantee of its quarterfinal complete in 1990.


GROUP B

On Friday, the main events of Group B, Spain and the Netherlands, will meet in Salvador in a rematch of the 2010 Cup last. The victor of two European titles and one world title since 2008, Spain is immersed with experience — players like Xabi Alonso, Xavi, Andrés Iniesta, David Silva, Cesc Fàbregas and Fernando Torres — and is looking to turn into the first group to win continuous Cups since Brazil in 1958 and '62.

A calming misfortune to Brazil in a year ago Confederations Cup at the Maracanã made some marvel if Spain's brilliant time was arriving at an end, however the group's desire under Coach Vicente del Bosque has never disappeared, and Spain went undefeated in qualifying. The Dutch, after an appalling Euro 2012, additionally traveled through qualifying unbeaten. Robin van Persie and Arjen Robben, the bête-noire of the 2010 last, will even now be emphasized, however Louis van Gaal is taking a more youthful, quicker, more forceful group to Brazil.

Chile stands a true possibility of making it out of the gathering rather than the Netherlands, gave it shields well, which has not been a quality. Barcelona forward Alexis Sánchez represents an overwhelming risk in advance nearby Arturo Vidal of Juventus, yet Chile will be without Matías Fernández, a Fiorentina midfielder, who will miss the competition with a lower leg harm.

The Socceroos of Australia are the least positioned group in the World Cup (No. 62), and under another mentor, Ange Postecoglou, who assumed control in October, the group is youthful, unpracticed and maybe level rusty. The star forward Tim Cahill scored two objectives in a late inviting misfortune to Ecuador and an alternate in a tie against South Africa; if Australia is by one means or another going to force a shocker, he will be the reason.

GROUP C

Colombia drifted through South American qualifying, with a focuses aggregate and objective distinction approve just to Argentina, and was compensated with a spot in the seeded pot in December and what seemed, by all accounts, to be one of the less demanding draws. Be that as it may then the group lost its best player, striker Radamel Falcao, and a ton of air went out of the Colombian blow up. Worry not: This group still has striking ability in Jackson Martínez and Teófilo Gutiérrez, a solid midfield headed by James Rodríguez and Fredy Guarín, and an accomplished hand on the seat in the Argentine José Pékerman.

Ivory Coast is at last seeing things break its path in the wake of being set in the supposed Group of Death in the previous two World Cups, however would it say it is window shutting? The spine of the group is in excess of 30 — Didier Drogba is 36 and Yaya Touré 31 — and battered by disappointments in past runs as top picks. Late comes about (a misfortune to Bosnia and Herzegovina and a win over El Salvador) offer little intimation if this is at long last the Elephants' year.

Greece is among the most seasoned groups in the World Cup (normal age: 28.1), and midfielder Giorgos Karagounis, 37, has been around so long that one marvels in the event that he once played with Socrates (the Brazilian one, not the thinker). Japan could be the trump here: It has a staggering midfield headed by Keisuke Honda and Shinji Kagawa, yet address stamps in front and behind.

GROUP D

This gathering peculiarities three previous World Cup champions — Italy, Uruguay and England — and the conviction that no less than one of them won't development to the second adjust. Italy has battled of course in its warm-up matches, and the ambushing style supported by Coach Cesare Prandelli figures to depend to a great extent on the gigantic ability and irregular disposition of forward Mario Balotelli. The Balotelli who scored twice with superb touch and exactness in vanquishing Germany in the elimination rounds of Euro 2012 would make Italy unsafe against anybody.

Luis Suárez, the Uruguay star who scored 31 objectives for Liverpool in the Premier League this past season, is required to be recuperated from minor knee surgery. Uruguay arrived at the elimination rounds in 2010 and has one of the world's most debilitating strike with Suárez, Edinson Cavani and Diego Forlán — that is, if Suárez does not get threw for gnawing somebody or taking care of the ball (once more).

There is little desire for England and much civil argument about whether Wayne Rooney, who has never scored a World Cup objective, ought to try and be in the beginning lineup. Be that as it may Coach Roy Hodgson has implanted his group with youth, speed and even desire. Daniel Sturridge scored 21 objectives for Liverpool this season, second in the Premier League just to his buddy Suárez.

Costa Rica's trusts managed a blow when forward Álvaro Saborio, who has 32 objectives in 93 universal appearances, softened a bone up his foot. He will miss the competition.

GROUP E

France won the World Cup in 1998 however got only 1 point in 2002. After a moderate begin, the group made it to the last in 2006, and its skipper, Zinedine Zidane, was catapulted for head-butting an Italian player. In 2010, the group dissolved down, again getting only 1 point after a player rebel against group administration. What's in store this time? The ability is there, with any semblance of Karim Benzema, Paul Pogba and Blaise Matuidi to make up for the harmed Franck Ribéry, however with France, who knows?

Switzerland has unassumingly climbed the world rankings lately, to the sixth spot. It was unbeaten in qualifying, however its gathering was decently powerless. A junior strike that incorporates Xherdan Shaqiri of Bayern Munich, Josip Drmic and Granit Xhaka, all under 23, makes this a side to watch now and later on.

Ecuador got the last programmed qualifying spot in South America, however it can't match the firepower of Brazil, Argentina and Chile. Watch out for two players named Valencia, striker Enner and midfielder Antonio of Manchester United.

Honduras is up against it. Aficionados of Major League Soccer will know a couple of the players, including Jerry Bengtson of the New England Revolution and the previous Sporting Kansas City star Roger Espinoza, yet it is hard to see the Catrachos getting more than 1 point.

GROUP F

Lionel Messi is the best player on the best group in a not-as well overwhelming gathering, so it would be staggering if Argentina did not breeze into the knockout rounds. (To be honest, it would be shocking if the Albiceleste did not make a profound run.) Argentina has the striking ability — Sergio Agüero, Gonzalo Higuaín, Ángel Di María, Ezequiel Lavezzi — to outscore any group in the field, however in South Africa that equation worked just until the quarterfinals, when Germany close it down and demonstrated to it the entryway for the second in a row Cup. A third straight untimely passageway could have genuine repercussions for Messi with Argentina's fans, who as of now view him with suspicion, yet the greatest dangers to his legacy likely don't originate from this gathering.

Bosnia and Herzegovina is making its World Cup make a big appearance, and like Iran it lands as a bit of a secret: a program of players new to try and devoted fans supplemented by the infrequent abroad professional (the M.l.s. guard Steven Beitashour and Fulham winger Ashkan Dejagah for Iran, and strikers Edin Dzeko and Vedad Ibisevic for Bosnia).

Nigeria is the trump, following its group camp is regularly equivalent amounts of guarantee and issues. The youthful Super Eagles won acclaim finally summer's Confederations Cup, when their play in misfortunes to Uruguay and Spain helped individuals overlook that they had almost boycotted the competition in a disagreement about rewards. A rehash of either of those things is constantly conceivable with an African group, however the nation's soccer alliance has attempted to appropriate any inconvenience by drawing up an implicit rules that expressly disallows such jokes. Possibly that will bail Nigeria escape the first adjust shockingly since France 1998.

GROUP G

A few onlookers — O.k., most spectators — think Group G is virtually the most exceedingly terrible draw the United States could have gotten. Include some inquiry checks about the created Americans — Landon Donovan, the saint of 2010, did not by any means set aside a few minutes around — and it is not difficult to see a bad dream unfolding. That said, Coach Jurgen Klinsmann has a few weapons: Michael Bradley and Clint Dempsey are dependably dangers, Tim Howard is still one of the best goalkeepers around, and if the Dutch association's Jozy Altidore appears (rather than the Premier League's Jozy Altidore), the United States very well might have the capacity to shock some individuals. Two objectives against Nigeria on Saturday — his first in any rival since December — could be simply what Altidore required.

Who will be the class of the gathering? Germany positively has the family, with elimination round appearances in the last two competitions. The Germans will be feeling eventually weight, however, as veterans like Philipp Lahm and Bastian Schweinsteiger are presumably playing in their last World Cup. Portugal is the accord pick to complete second in light of the fact that it has the best player in the gathering — and perhaps the world — in Cristiano Ronaldo, who, on the off chance that he is solid once more, figures to be in structure in the wake of heading Real Madrid to the Champions League title.

Ghana is the minimum known part of the gathering yet could without much of a stretch development to the knockout stages. The Black Stars, who dispensed with the United States from the previous two competitions, have heaps of ability, including Asamoah Gyan, a deadly striker who is planning to turn into the fourth African player to score in three World Cups.

GROUP H

Belgium is playing in a real competition surprisingly since 2002, but since it drew into the weakest of the gatherings, it is a solid most loved to development. The group is encountering something of a brilliant era; it was a great 8-0-2 in qualifying, scoring 18 objectives and surrendering only four. Furthermore its assault is loaded with choices, including this present year's achievement Premier League star, Romelu Lukaku; Chelsea's Eden Hazard; and Wolfsburg's Kevin De Bruyne. An unsung saint is Axel Witsel, who controls play from an opposing midfield position.

Russia has been debilitating to achievement at a huge occasion for some time, and this simple gathering may give the shot. The Russian association has been paying top dollar for players lately, and this group is completely locally based, which could provide for its play additional cognizance. Search for objectives from Aleksandr Kokorin of Dynamo Moscow.

South Korea made the knockout stages in two of the last three Cups, however it was uninspired in its qualifying fight, completing behind Iran. Its enormous striker is Park Chu-adolescent, who couldn't break into the Arsenal group not long from now. (There are the individuals who say he was marked just to offer Arsenal shirts in his nation of origin.)

Indeed in a simple gathering, Algeria could be into a bad situation. Its top scorer, Islam Slimani of Sporting Lisbon, is one of a lot of people on the group employing their exchanges for second- or third-level European groups.

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