Group B: Spain, The Netherlands, Chile, Australia
As the winner of the World Cup in South Africa, Spain's intention will be to repeat their success. Spain has a lot of world class players, so when it comes to individual skills, they are one of the best teams in the World Cup. The midfielders of "La Furia Roja" are excellent; Andrés Iniesta, Xavi Hernandez, Xabi Alonso, Sergio Busquets, David Silva and Cesc Fabregas are the players that have to lead Spain to the victory with the world-famous tiqui-taca style. However, this tactic doesn't always work. That's why the actual Brazilian Diego Costa is the new hope when tiqui-taca isn't enough. The Atletico Madrid forward will receive his new Spanish passport within a few months and can make the team more aggressive when necessary. I think Spain has a 20% chance to win this World Cup.
The first match in this group is the final of the World Cup 2010. The Netherlands can finally avenge the lost final, although the Dutch team isn't as good as they were four years ago. Now, we have only two world class players: Robin van Persie and Arjen Robben. "Oranje" is currently in a gap between two generations of top players. Wesley Sneijder played fantastically in 2010, but is getting old. Maarten Stekelenburg and Dirk Kuijt are no longer what they used to be and Giovanni van Bronckhorst and Mark van Bommel are retired now. Overall, I think the Dutch will finish second in the group, behind Spain.
Chile is the third team in group B. "La Roja" are one of the outsiders in this World Cup, as many "experts" say. The key players are Juventus midfielder Arturo Vidal and FC Barcelona winger Alexis Sanchez. Especially Sanchez knows the feeling of success. He was part of the FC Barcelona team in 2009 that won all six prices: Primera Division, Spanish Cup, Spanish Super Cup, Champions League, World Cup for clubs and European Super Cup. Chile is has to compete with Holland for the second place in the group.
Australia is presented at the World Cup for the third time in a row. The "Socceroos" usually don't have a lot of trouble qualifying for the World Cup, because of the lack of powerful opponents in Asia. Australia has no great players, but a physically good team. Their hope is that their opponent underestimate them, because then, the Aussies are lethal. However, Australia seems to have no chance to get to the round of sixteen.
My expectation:
1. Spain (winning chance 20%)
2. The Netherlands
3. Chile
4. Australia
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