Germany

Location: Central Europe, Bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark and the Baltic Sea, to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic, to the south by Austria and Switzerland and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium & The Netherlands. (52.31N 13.23E)

Prior Appearances: 16 (all bar 1930 where it withdrew and 1950 when it was banned) competed as two seperate nations in 1954-1990

Best Performance: 1954, 1974, 1990 Champions – all by West Germany

Qualification: UEFA (Europe) 1st in Group containing Russia (W 8 D 2 L 0)

Players to watch:

Miroslav Klose (FW – Bayern Munich, German Bundesliga)

At 31 this tournament represents Klose’s last chance to get his hands on the World Cup, having had an up & down season this year, the Bundesliga’s record goal scorer has some work to do in order to assert his dominance, having said that, he’ll lead a strike force that has a lot to prove at this tournament. Klose has done very well for Germany over the years, and was the top scorer in the 2006 tournament, if Klose performs it could be a good tournament for Germany.

Bastian Schweinsteiger (MF – Bayern Munich, German Bundesliga)

Schweinsteiger is something of a fixture at Munich, having started there in the youth set up in 1998, making his first appearance in 2002, he has gone on to play over 200 games for the Bavarian giants. Winning a Champions League medal this year, Schweinsteiger has been a rock in the heart of midfield for Bayern. Schweinsteiger will be key to Germany’s chances in South Africa.

Prediction: Germany are raging favourites for this group, after their amazing qualifying campaign the Germans look set for big things. The unfortunate death of Robert Enke will solidify this team. They look set for a good tournament, it will take a good side to knock out Germany, even without Ballack. (Semi Finals)

Australia

Location: Largest island in the world, in the Pacific ocean West of New Zealand, south of Indonesia & East Timor and east of Africa (35.18S 149.07E)

Prior Appearances: Two (1974, 2006)

Best Performance: 2006 2nd Round, eliminated (somewhat controversally) by eventual champions Italy

Qualification: AFC (Asia) 1st in Group A containing Japan (W 6 D 2 L 0)

Players to watch:

Tim Cahill (MF – Everton, English Premier League)

The most recent hero of Australian Soccer, Tim Cahill scored Australia’s first ever world cup goals, against Japan 4 years ago and comes into this tournament on a run of form and typically has been making his trade mark runs into the box. A lot of pressure will be on Cahill, with the Australian attack being malligned by the press in Australia & Harry Kewell coming in under an injury cloud (as per tradition) Cahill will be expected to make a lot of the play and a lot of the scoring, however, he has proven time & time again to be Mr. Reliable for Australia.

Mark Schwarzer (GK – Fulham, English Premier League)

Schwarzer has had a phenomenal two years since moving to Fulham, proving a crucial part of their run to the Europa League final. Schwarzer has constantly proven himself reliable on penalties as well, saving 2 crucial penalties to send Australia through to the 2006 World Cup. Schwarzer is a class goal keeper and 2010 presents him a chance to be remembered as such.

Prediction: I need to be honest here, I’m an Australian citizen so it’s hard for me to look at this objectively. Australia qualified undefeated in a difficult group, but the World Cup is a whole new ball game. Australia’s scoring has been poor lately, with Verbeek coming in for a lot of criticism for turning Australia into a dour defensive side who don’t score. Australia have, however, been solid in defence, only conceding one goal in their whole qualifying campaign. Defence will be key for Australia, but they’ll also need their much maligned (even hated) strikers Scott McDonald & Brett Holman to start producing to have a shot of setting up a grudge match with England (Group Stage/Quarter Final)

Serbia

Location: Southern Europe, bordered to the north by Hungary, to the east by Romania & Bulgaria to the south by Macedonia & Croatia, Bosnia & Herzegovina & Montenegro to the west – border with Albania is disputed due to Kosovo’s confusing political status (44.48N, 20.28E)

Prior Appearances: Ten (1930, 1950-62, 1974, 1982, 1990 As Yugoslavia, 1998, 2006 as Serbia & Montenegro), First appearance as an independant nation (FIFA regards Serbia as the successor to Yugoslavia and Serbia & Montenegro)

Best Performance: 1930, 1962 – Fourth Place as Yugoslavia

Qualification: UEFA (Europe) 1st in Group containing France (W 7 D 1 L 2)

Players to watch:

Dejan Stankovic (MF – Inter Milan, Italian Serie A)

Stankovic is perhaps the most well known of all the Serbian players. Having experienced something of a revitalisation under Jose Mourinho in a UEFA Champions League winning season, Stankovic will be key to Serbia’s chances in South Africa.

Nemanja Vidic (DF – Manchester United, English Premier League)

Vidic is a strong, aggressive defender who can be unpredictable. If he’s at his best teams will struggle to get past him, however he can be prone to get red cards. In such a short tournament they need Vidic to stay at his best and on the park to win games for Serbia.

Prediction: Serbia have a good young side and had an amazing qualification campaign, having said that it’s a hard group & South Africa is very different to Europe (Group Stage)

Ghana

Location: West Africa, bordered by Cote d’Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east & the Gulf of Guinea to the south. (5.33 N, 0.15W)

Prior Appearances: One (2006)

Best Performance: 2006 – Second Round – eliminated by Brazil

Qualification: CAF (Africa) 1st place Group D (W 4 D 1 L 1)

Players to watch:

Michael Essien (MF – Chelsea, English Premier League)

Essien has spent most of this season injured, and while that doesn’t look good for Ghana, it adds to his value as a player to watch. Essien has been a key man for Ghana over the years and his inclusion in the squad could be key to their chances.

John Paintsil (DF – Fulham, English Premier League)

Incorrectly known as Pantsil at Fulham has also spent much of this season injured, however he is a class defender, and his return to fitness & form must surely encourage the Ghanaians as they head to a tournament where defence will be key.

Prediction: As much as Ghana have a good side, there are a number of players under an injury cloud, add to that a loss to Australia in recent memory and it looks tough for them. They could do well, with the conditions playing into their hands but it will be tough. (Group Stage)

Tags: Austrailia, Germany, Ghana, Group D, Serbia, World Cup 2010