BRAZIL + IVORY COAST + PORTUGAL + NORTH KOREA
Fixtures:
ITV Tue June 15 Ivory Coast v Portugal Port Elizabeth 15.00
ITV Tue June 15 Brazil v North Korea Ellis Park 19.30
BBC Sun June 20 Brazil v Ivory Coast Johannesburg 19.30
BBC Mon June 21 Portugal v North Korea Cape Town 12.30
BBC Fri June 25 Portugal v Brazil Durban 15.00
BBC Fri June 25 North Korea v Ivory Coast Nelspruit 15.00
BRAZIL
Coach: Dunga (since 2006)
FIFA World ranking: 1
World Cup best: Winners in 1958, 1962, 1970, 1994 and 2002
Last appearance: 2006 - Quarter Finals
How they qualified: Brazil ultimately topped the South American Qualifying Group but began their 18-game campaign rather slowly, winning four and drawing six of the first 11 matches. However, Dunga's men then won five successive games, including a sweet 3-1 win in Argentina. In the next match, Brazil sealed a place in the finals with two games to spare as Nilmar hit a hat-trick in a 4-2 home win against Chile. In the meantime, last summer Brazil also won the Confederations Cup in South Africa, beating USA 3-2 in the Final, as well as the 2007 Copa America.
Premier League picks: The lack of silky Brazilian players in the rough and tumble of the Premier League is one of the main criticisms regarding the style of English football. This time, Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes is the only English-based player in the squad, though Manchester City fans may or may not recall Robinho - now at Santos- with fond memories. That is not to say there are not plenty of familiar faces, however, with 20 of the 23 men playing in the major European leagues, and the other three, including Robinho, playing in Brazil. The omission of two-time winner Ronaldinho was major news when the squad was announced, though he has not played for the national team since April 2009. Full squad.
Prediction: Winners
Brazil have won the World Cup in Europe (1958), South America (1962), North and Central America (1970, 1994) and Asia (2002). Unsurprisingly, given that record, they are favourites to complete the set this summer by adding Africa to the list. Even a relatively tough group should be dealt with easily enough. Expect a goal-fest in the opener against the Koreans while the Ivorians are too vulnerable in defence and Portugal too weak in attack to derail Brazil's bid at this stage. Despite just one defeat in 25 games, Dunga has been criticised in Brazil for taking a far too pragmatic approach. But - while the Brazilians are indeed much better defensively under him - Kaka, Robinho and marauding full-backs Maicon and Daniel Alves still provide plenty of flair. Brazil would dearly love to host the 2014 World Cup as defending champions.
NORTH KOREA
Coach: Kim Jong-hun (since 2008)
FIFA World ranking: 105
World Cup best: Quarter Finals in 1966
Last appearance: 1966
How they qualified: The North Koreans qualified for the first time in 44 years, finishing second above Saudi Arabia on goal difference in the final Asian Qualifying Group B, despite scoring just seven goals in eight games. Ultimately, the Koreans 1-0 home win against the Saudis proved vital with the reverse fixture ending 0-0. In four matches against South Korea over two group phases, there were three draws and one South Korean win - but the North Koreans scored just one goal in those matches.
Premier League picks: Unsurprisingly, none of the North Korean squad plays in the Premier League - indeed, only three of the 23 men ply their trade outside of North Korea. Two of them, striker Jong Tae Se and An Yong Hak, play in the J-League in Japan while Hong Yong Jo is with FK Rostov in Russia. Meanwhile, the plan to use Kim Myung-won as a striker instead of naming a third goalkeeper backfired after a FIFA diktat stated he can only be used in goal. Full squad.
Prediction: First Round
The North Koreans are outsiders in every sense of the term. Little is known about their team in the outside world though their lack of goals in the qualifiers is worrying, especially considering the strength of this group. Indeed, the North Koreans will be lucky even to register a single goal considering the gulf in class between them and their opponents. The first match against Brazil could be particularly brutal if the five-time winners play to their best. At least the second match against Portugal will evoke memories of 1966 when the Koreans took a 3-0 lead in the Quarter Final, only for Eusebio to score four goals in a dramatic 5-3 comeback win. But, whatever happens this time, the North Korean public are unlikely to see much action back home due to the ongoing dispute with South Korea who they are relying on to provide a picture feed.
IVORY COAST
Coach: Sven Goran Eriksson (since March 2010)
FIFA World ranking: 27
World Cup best: First Round in 2006
Last appearance: 2006
How they qualified: Ivory Coast were the only unbeaten team in the African qualifiers with five wins and a draw from six matches in the final African Qualifying Group E. At home, the Ivorians were imperious with 5-0 wins over Malawi and Burkina Faso, and a 3-0 win over Guinea. The going was only a little tougher away with early narrow wins over Guinea (2-1) and Burkina Faso (3-2) and a point in Malawi which actually sealed an easy qualification with a game to spare.
Premier League picks: Chelsea's Didier Drogba leads the line for the Elephants and he could be paired with fellow Blues striker Salomon Kalou. Elsewhere, Sven Goran Eriksson has plenty of players with Premier League pedigree. At the back, Arsenal's Emmanuel Eboue will link up with ex-club team-mate Kolo Toure, now of Manchester City while Wigan Athletic's Steve Gohouri also makes it into the 23. Reserve goalkeeper Daniel Yeboah, of ASEC Mimosas, is the only player in both this squad and the one selected in 2006 to play in his home country. Full squad.
Prediction: Second Round
The unlucky Ivorians have been drawn into the so-called Group of Death for a second World Cup in a row. In 2006, they did not cope well, losing 2-1 to Argentina and Netherlands to go out after just two games, before a morale-boosting first-ever finals win over Serbia. This time, their tournament could be effectively over after just one game - their opener is against Portugal and defeat in that, with Brazil to come, would surely spell another premature end. The Elephants also failed to get past the Quarter Finals in January's African Nations Cup and so it is Eriksson's job to turn the Ivorians' doubtless talents into tournament players for that massive opener against vulnerable Portugal. For Eriksson on a personal level, revenge would be sweet after the Portuguese knocked his England side out of Euro 2004 and World Cup 2006.
PORTUGAL
Coach: Carlos Queiroz (since 2008)
FIFA World ranking: 3
World Cup best: Semi Finals in 1966 and 2006
Last appearance: 2006
How they qualified: The semi finalists from four years ago found qualification real tough going for this year's edition, just squeezing past Sweden to finish second in UEFA Qualifying Group One behind Denmark. Just two wins from the first seven games, including a 0-0 home draw with Albania, left a finals place in real doubt but Carlos Queiroz's men hit form at the right time, winning their final three group games to overtake the Swedes. That put the Portuguese into a playoff against surprise package Bosnia-Herzegovina and they finally played nearer to potential, winning both games 1-0 for a comfortable 2-0 aggregate victory.
Premier League picks: Manchester United winger Nani is reunited with his former team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo and there is also still a strong Chelsea presence in the Portuguese squad. Blues defenders Paulo Ferreira and Ricardo Carvalho have been chose along with midfielder Deco. Nine of the 23 men play in the Portuguese league but just one of them, reserve defender Fabio Coentrao, comes from champions Benfica. Full squad.
Prediction: First Round
Portugal's worries over Cristiano Ronaldo are well-founded - not that the 25-year-old seemed too concerned about his form. When asked about his failure to register even a single goal in the Portuguese's laboured qualifying campaign, Ronaldo gave a beaming smile and said he was saving all his goals for the finals. That may well be the case but, despite the ultimately comfortable 2-0 win over Bosnia in the playoffs, Portugal remain a team scratching about for form in front of goal. Their embarrassing failure to break down the might of the Cape Verde Islands, ranked 114 in the world, in a recent warm-up match suggests a lack of firepower remains the issue. A similarly slow start against the Ivory Coast in their opener means this could be a very short jaunt to South Africa, indeed.
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