In recent decades, Brazil has garnered all the attention come World Cup (and rightfully so), but Argentina, currently ranked 7th in the world, deserves a close look this time around. They are coached by one the sport’s best players in history, the legendary Diego Maradona. The problem with this? He’s never had any serious coaching experience. He went through almost 80 players in the run-up to the cup, which could signal uncertainty, panic…or dedication to finding the perfect players for the squad. Whatever his plan, he’s a brash and unpredictable character, and is the primary wild card for the talented Argentine team. Keep your eye on Lionel Messi, the diminutive (5′7″) forward with magical skills on the ball. He’ll pair up front with Carlos Tevez, Sergio Aguero, and Golanzo Higuain. It’s a powerful set of goal scorers.
21-ranked Nigeria is the second-strongest African team in the Cup (behind Ghana) and that should be enough to get them out of the group round with Argentina. The question is whether they can pull off an upset of Argentina and come out of Group B in 1st place. (I don’t think so, and it will screw up my bracket if they do.) There are few international stars on the Nigerian squad, but Obafemi Martins of Germany’s Wolfsburg could stand out at forward, as could Peter Odemwingie of Lokomotiv Moscow. Victor Obinna could choose this Cup as his time to emerge from obscurity.
This should be a lively game, and we may see more goals than in the first three matches of the Cup. Argentina will come out on top.
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