Saturday, we ran through teams that could disappoint. Today, we weigh in on teams that could surprise.
France
France backed into the World Cup with no pretenses of beauty, relying on a blown call by a referee and a boatload of luck. Yet don't be surprised if, like during the last World Cup when it overcame its disarray and made it to the finals, France pulls it all together as the tournament progresses.
This team has an extraordinary amount of talent on board, of all ages and walks of soccer. Thierry Henry, Nicolas Anelka and Karim Benzema are extraordinary strikers; Sidney Govou, Hatem Ben Arfa and Franck Ribery are imaginative wingers; and both Yoann Gourcuff and Samir Nasri can decide games with their distributing skills. There are enough quality central midfielders and sturdy defenders to fill out the rest of the positions, while Hugo Lloris will soon be counted among the world's best goalkeepers.
While France did little to impress during qualifying and is still saddled with Raymond Domenech, a coach good only at keeping his job, France could be the tournament's surprise. The ability is there; all the French have to do is make it sing from the same hymn sheet.
-- Leander Schaerlaeckens
Mexico
What would other coaches give for the luxury afforded Mexico boss Javier Aguirre, who has already opened World Cup camp for the domestically based players who were released by their clubs at the start of this month?
Between now and the start of the tournament, Mexico will play a batch of friendlies in the USA and Europe in preparation for its June 11 showdown with the host nation at Soccer City in Johannesburg. A win there would set up El Tri well for tests against France and Uruguay. Stern challenges they may be, but for a Mexican squad packed with experience as well as precocious young talent, they are far from insurmountable.
Winning Group A would likely see Mexico avoid its 2006 nemesis, Argentina, in the second round and would put Aguirre's men in prime position to emulate their most successful predecessors at the World Cup: the 1970 and 1986 teams that reached the last eight on home soil.
-- Andrew Hush
Paraguay
The likely absence of talismanic striker Salvador Cabanas -- who is still recovering after being shot in the head at a Mexico City nightclub last January -- would lead one to believe that La Albirroja are more likely to disappoint than make a surprise run. But there are some factors tilting in Paraguay's favor. First, they landed in one of the easier groups, with New Zealand, Slovakia, and top-seeded Italy making up the opposition. Paraguay faces the reigning World Cup champions in its opening match, but Italy are notoriously slow starters, which could allow the South Americans to sneak a result, claim top spot, and avoid a second-round clash with the Netherlands. Second, the team has some other attacking options besides Cabanas. Roque Santa Cruz looks to have shaken the injury bug that has plagued him over the years, and Oscar Cardozo has been electric for Benfica this season. Lastly, the team had the second-best defensive record during World Cup qualifying in South America, and the collective spirit instilled by head coach Gerardo Martino should serve them well come June.
If Paraguay safely navigates its way into the quarterfinals, one possible scenario has them playing Brazil. But the two sides each triumphed on home soil when they squared off during qualifying, meaning an upset isn't out of the question.
Serbia
No one expected Serbia to win its qualifying group, but the Serbs, under the experienced Raddy Antic, did just that, outdoing France. Serbia is armed with some truly world-class players, none more so than Manchester United's hard-nosed defender Nemanja Vidic. Branislav Ivanovic has done such a good job as Chelsea's right back that the team has hardly missed the more offensive, but less reliable, Jose Bosingwa. Ivanovic will hope to recover from a knee injury.
The midfield is anchored by Inter stalwart Dejan Stankovic, with Milos Krasic the offensive spark. Not too shabby. Krasic probably won't be at CSKA Moscow much longer; he's been linked with United as well as a few other big clubs. Valencia's Nikola Zigic (probably still looking for the rest of his jersey after Thursday's mugging at Atletico Madrid) is the target man up front.
Yes, it's a tough group, but expect Serbia and Germany to advance from Group D, ahead of Ghana and Australia. The Serbs have something extra to play for, since Serbia and Montenegro was outclassed in 2006, going 0-3 (with a goal difference of minus-8).
-- Ravi Ubha
