(Please feel free to comment or provide your own opinions/analysis.)
Group G
-France (FIFA - 8th)
-South Korea (FIFA - T29th)
-Switzerland (FIFA - 35th)
-Togo (FIFA - 61st)
Game to Watch: France vs. Switzerland. June 13th in Stuttgart. A derby between "Alpine neighbors." These two sides played to two draws during their qualifying campaign (although France got the upper hand with a 2-0 win in Euro 2004).
David vs. Goliath: Togo vs. France. June 23rd in Cologne. A world champion (France) against a nation's first WC appearance (Togo). However, one only need to think back to Senegal...
-Switzerland, although favored 3rd behind both France and South Korea, finished undefeated in its qualifying campaign. The squad has two stars, Frei and Vogel, who play in Ligue 1 and will know their fellow Frenchmen inside and out. Switzerland failed to qualify for 1998 and 2002. However, this year is a different story. This team is hot after beating Turkey in a playoff to get to Germany. Young talent (Barnetta and Senderos) and experience (Zuberbuhler and Wicky) are a good combination for this squad.
-Although South Korea reached the semi-finals in 2002, this squad lost two and drew three (particularly a 0-0 draw against Maldives) of its 12 qualifying matches. However, this squad retains much of that 2002 magic. Ji-Sung, now at Man U., provides a good attack from the midfield, while Young-Pyo leads the D in front of the experienced GK Woon-Jae. Jung-Hwan (his golden goal defeated Italy in 2002), Du-Ri and Dong-Gook also provide talent up front. Chu-Young is a coach favorite and will provide a young spark to the frontline as well.
-France finished ahead of Switzerland in its qualifying campaign, thanks in large part to Zidane, Thuram and Makelele. Although placed in a qualifying group that seemed theirs for the taking (Switzerland, Israel, Ireland, Faroe Islands and Cyprus), Les Bleus still play at a world-class level.
-Togo has enough talent to pull a first-game shocker against South Korea, especially with Adebayor on their side. Their impressive qualifying run started with a 3-1 defeat of Senegal. 7 wins, 2 draws and 1 defeat in 10 qualifying matches is something to keep in mind. This nation has also reached the African Cup of Nations Finals five times in its history. Adekanmi and Adebayor (the top scorer in African qualifying) were both born in Nigeria, but have opted to play for Togo.
Prediction:
1. France
2. Switzerland
3. South Korea
4. Togo
Cappo
Group G
-France (FIFA - 8th)
-South Korea (FIFA - T29th)
-Switzerland (FIFA - 35th)
-Togo (FIFA - 61st)
Game to Watch: France vs. Switzerland. June 13th in Stuttgart. A derby between "Alpine neighbors." These two sides played to two draws during their qualifying campaign (although France got the upper hand with a 2-0 win in Euro 2004).
David vs. Goliath: Togo vs. France. June 23rd in Cologne. A world champion (France) against a nation's first WC appearance (Togo). However, one only need to think back to Senegal...
-Switzerland, although favored 3rd behind both France and South Korea, finished undefeated in its qualifying campaign. The squad has two stars, Frei and Vogel, who play in Ligue 1 and will know their fellow Frenchmen inside and out. Switzerland failed to qualify for 1998 and 2002. However, this year is a different story. This team is hot after beating Turkey in a playoff to get to Germany. Young talent (Barnetta and Senderos) and experience (Zuberbuhler and Wicky) are a good combination for this squad.
-Although South Korea reached the semi-finals in 2002, this squad lost two and drew three (particularly a 0-0 draw against Maldives) of its 12 qualifying matches. However, this squad retains much of that 2002 magic. Ji-Sung, now at Man U., provides a good attack from the midfield, while Young-Pyo leads the D in front of the experienced GK Woon-Jae. Jung-Hwan (his golden goal defeated Italy in 2002), Du-Ri and Dong-Gook also provide talent up front. Chu-Young is a coach favorite and will provide a young spark to the frontline as well.
-France finished ahead of Switzerland in its qualifying campaign, thanks in large part to Zidane, Thuram and Makelele. Although placed in a qualifying group that seemed theirs for the taking (Switzerland, Israel, Ireland, Faroe Islands and Cyprus), Les Bleus still play at a world-class level.
-Togo has enough talent to pull a first-game shocker against South Korea, especially with Adebayor on their side. Their impressive qualifying run started with a 3-1 defeat of Senegal. 7 wins, 2 draws and 1 defeat in 10 qualifying matches is something to keep in mind. This nation has also reached the African Cup of Nations Finals five times in its history. Adekanmi and Adebayor (the top scorer in African qualifying) were both born in Nigeria, but have opted to play for Togo.
Prediction:
1. France
2. Switzerland
3. South Korea
4. Togo
Cappo
