World Cup Preview: Group F

Group F

It doesn't take a genius to figure out that Brazil will win this group. The race for second, though, is anything but clear, as Australia, Croatia, and Japan will all feel as if they have a chance to advance behind Brazil for a spot in the round of 16.

Brazil

What you need to know — They standout as the deepest, most talented, dominant team in a field of deep, talented, and dominant teams. The five-time world champions sit as 2-1 favorites to take home the title.

Style — It doesn't get better than watching the Selecao. They play the most beautiful, attacking football in the game, and why shouldn't they — they have virtually the best player on the planet at every position. Their depth is unparalleled — it wouldn't be a stretch to say their reserve team would still be one of the contenders for the title.

Weaknesses — None that I know of. Okay, Dida didn't have a great year for AC Milan, and Cafu and Roberto Carlos aren't exactly young at the wing backs, but there is still no reason to think they will be liabilities. The only thing working against this squad is 1982 — when just as talented a side didn't get out of second round in Spain, finishing behind Italy. And that is something members of this team have openly referred to, and vowed not to repeat.

Player you need to know — Ronaldinho. Okay, you probably already know him. He's the best player in the world, no arguments. And in the mode of the Tiger Slam, Ronaldinho has a chance to pull off the "Ronnie fin" this year — he is already the reigning FIFA and European Player of the Year, plus he has guided his club team Barcelona to La Liga and Champions League titles. The World Cup would complete his run as having the greatest footballing year ever. Oh, he is an absolute treat to watch. His creative skills (I mean, have you seen his Nike commercial?) combined with his goal-scoring ability make him the only must-watch this summer.

Player you will learn to know — Adriano. The best left foot in the game. I could have picked Kaka here, as well, but the Inter striker is bound to score more goals, and Kaka's genius might be offset by the dazzling King Ronnie.

Prediction — Sorry to spoil the ending for you, but they will win the group, and then every game that follows. I don't care what happened in 1982 — this team is way too talented not to win it all. Look at it this way — Juninho Pernambucano and Robinho can't even find a starting spot. If they were on the United States team, they would be far and away the best players. Strange things have happened before, but if Brazil doesn't win the World Cup this time around, I would be flabbergasted.

Australia

What you need to know — They have been one of the more talented teams in previous years not to have made the World Cup finals, and that is because they had lost in all of their playoff qualifiers — first to Argentina in 1994, then to Iran in 1998, and finally to Uruguay in 2002. But after 32 years of heartbreak, the Socceroos finally qualified by way of a shootout, ousting Uruguay in a dramatic two legged playoff last November.

Style — The biggest reason for Australia's qualification was their coach, Guus Hiddink. The Dutch maestro has made consecutive semifinal appearances in each of the last two World Cups with the Netherlands and South Korea respectively, and has now worked his magic with the Socceroos. He has brought in a determined, disciplined system that has cut-down on mistakes and thrived on accountability. In their victory over Uruguay, the Aussies did a much better job of controlling the tempo and possession, which led to many scoring chances.

Weaknesses — They are aging at the back and have injury worries. Harry Kewell is on the mend, as is Tim Cahill. And for all the chances they did create against Uruguay, they managed just one goal — they will have to do a better job of converting opportunities.

Player you need to know — Harry Kewell. The Liverpool midfielder is the catalyst for his national team. He hasn't quite found the form at Anfield that he displayed at Leeds, but he remains Australia's most dangerous offensive player.

Player you will learn to know — Mark Bresciano. The Parma man is one of the hardest working midfielders in Serie A, and has a nose for the goal, as he proved in Italy this season with eight tallies. He might be the most worrisome player for opposing teams.

Prediction — Australia is fanatical when it comes to their sports. In their win over Uruguay, more than 80,000 packed the stands, and the team is aware of the pride their country places in them. The atmosphere surrounding this club will reach epic proportions when they play Croatia in their final group game — not only because it will likely be for a spot in the second round, but also because of the familiarity between the two teams. Three of the Croatian team members were born and raised in Australia, and seven of the Australian team members have Croatian roots. But I believe Hiddink's managerial ability will ultimately prove to be the decisive factor, and Australia will emerge as the second-place finisher in this group. Anything after that is unexpected, and a bonus.

Croatia

What you need to know — Qualified by winning a tough group that featured Sweden and Euro 2004 qualifier Bulgaria. And even though their country is young, they do have some history — they made it to the semis in the 1998 World Cup, and qualified for both the 2002 World Cup and 2004 European Championships.

Style — A good defense and some opportunistic finishing from some in form strikers. They might not be as talented as they were in the '90s when Zvonimir Boban and Davor Suker were playing, but they are still plenty dangerous. They outscored opponents 21-5 in qualifying while going undefeated.

Weaknesses — Their midfield does not possess the same quality found in attack or the defense, and that leads to inconsistency. They have failed to get out of the group stage in each of their last two major tournaments. In 2002, they beat their toughest group member Italy, but lost to Mexico and Ecuador. And in 2004, they drew with France, but couldn't score against Switzerland and got smoked by England. In qualifying, they did beat Sweden twice by 1-0 scores each time, but were almost undone by a draw at Malta, which is unfathomable (to give it some perspective, Malta lost at home 7-0 to Sweden).

Player you need to know — Ivan Klasnic. The Werder Bremen striker was in prime form for his club this season, scoring 15 goals in the Bundesliga. Klasnic was relatively quiet in qualifying, but he should be extra motivated for a World Cup in the country where he plays professionally and where he was born.

Player you will learn to know — Dario Srna. The 24-year-old midfielder is less than prolific for his Ukrainian club Shahktar Donestk, but he is a force with his national team. Srna had the only goals in the both of their wins over Sweden, and tied Dado Prso for the team lead in qualifying with five.

Prediction — They can certainly compete with the best, but their erratic form and shaky midfield makes me hesitant about their ability to string together three successive strong efforts. I think they will bow out before the round of 16.

Japan

What you need to know — Their third consecutive World Cup, and they managed to get out the group stage in 2002 for the first time, but failed to advance to the quarterfinals despite having the home field advantage.

Style — They are the most skilled team of the Asian region, especially in their midfield where familiar names Hidetoshi Nakata, Shunsuke Nakamura, and Junichi Inamoto roam, as well as some unfamiliar ones like Shinji Ono and Mitsuo Ogasawara. They will push their offense through this well-balanced and experienced midfield.

Weaknesses — Scoring has been a problem, although having watched Naohiro Takahara put two past Jens Lehmann the other day, you wouldn't think it. The other obvious dilemma is this team could only get out of weak group at home in a World Cup — how far can we expect them to go in a tougher group in Europe?

Player you need to know — Shunsuke Nakamura. The Celtic midfielder is the best of the lot on this team and has applied his trade successfully in Europe since 2002.

Player you will learn to know — Naohiro Takahara. The Hamburg forward was sparingly used this season, and criticized his coach for it. He is hoping to use this World Cup in Germany as preview for what he is capable of bringing to his Bundesliga club Frankfurt next season.

Prediction — With the Bazilian legend Zico at the helm, Japan hopes some of his legend will rub off on the team. I am less optimistic. They have talent and heart, as they proved against Germany with a 2-2 draw, but this group will be too much for them. If there is a glimmer of hope, they play Brazil last, and the Selecao in all likelihood will have already clinched the top seed of their group, meaning that Japan might not see their regulars in the starting lineup. The only problem is Brazil's reserves are really, really good, and will be hungry to demonstrate to Brazil coach Carlos Alberto Parreira why they should be starting instead of languishing on the bench.