Group D:
Germany
Australia
Serbia
Ghana
Group D has become quite the mystery with the mounting injuries to various players from all teams, but that seems to be common theme as we near closer and closer to the 2010 world cup. The folks over at BetED have given Germany the heavy odds that they will win this group. Australia comes in dead last according to their betting lines, which can be seen below.
Germany - -150
Ghana - +500
Serbia - +275
Australia - +800
It seems no matter where the world cup is played, the German football team is usually going to advance through their group no matter what. Losing captain Michael Ballack to injury is a huge blow, especially to Germany’s chances to win the entire world cup itself. Still, this team has enough talent too win this group. Their physical style of play is sure to overwhelm every team they play in this group. Their opening match against the Australians will speak volumes about how the rest of their 2010 world cup campaign will go.
Serbia is fresh off telling Montenegro that they are taking their soccer ball and going elsewhere to play. Through qualifying it appears they are reaping the benefits of going independent. Most people would say they are a deep sleeper in the world cup, and I'd agree with those thoughts. Now that both Germany and Ghana are battling major injuries, Serbia’s chances of advancing though this group have climbed significantly. In Nikola Zigic, Dejan Stankovic and Nemanja Vidic, Serbia has a dynamic core and should score plenty. Watch out for this particular team.
Just when the nation of Ghana could rise up and get stoked for the world cup being close to home, their national hero Michael Essein has to go and mess up his knee. Way to go Michael. These guys have the potential to be the Cinderella of their group, but the loss of Essein greatly decreases those chances. Along with that blow, top scorer Kevin Prince-Boateng was the man who injured Germany’s Michael Ballack on a questionable tackle. That means Germany is likely to give Ghana a few low blows if you know what I mean.
Lastly, I will briefly comment on the Australians who are coming off a 3-1 loss to the United States. From watching their most recent game, one could not tell whether the U.S. was just that good, or was the Australian national team just plain sloppy? Regardless, few people expect much from this team in group play and the overall world cup. They play okay defense but I’m not sure they have the depth or offensive prowess to penetrate the other tough defenses in this group.
Game Predictions:
Serbia 2, Ghana 1
Germany 2, Australia 0
Germany 1, Serbia 1
Ghana 1, Australia 0
Ghana 1, Germany 3
Australia 1, Serbia 2
1. Germany....7 Points....+4
2. Serbia....7 Points....+2
3. Ghana....3 Points....-2
4. Australia....0 Points....-4
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