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All four teams in Group D could, theoretically, advance to the knockout round. This group is probably the most well-rounded in the World Cup. Ghana have the lowest FIFA ranking, at 32, but are one of the best African nations and they are playing on their home continent, which should work to their advantage. Australia were one goal away from knocking out Italy at the 2006 World Cup and Serbia were brilliant in qualifying. Then we have Germany. The Mannschaft. The favourites. The probable winner of Group D.
Australia
Nickname: Socceroos
FIFA Ranking: 20th
Appearances at Finals: 1974 – First round, 2006 – Second round
Record at Finals: 1W-2D-4L
Qualifying: Pim Verbeek’s Australian side made smooth progress through their debut Asian qualification competition after the decision to leave the Oceania group. Australia didn’t lose a game in their final qualification group. They won six and drew two. The Australians, playing a very defensive oriented style, only conceded one goal in their final eight qualifiers. That lone goal came against Japan in their final qualification match, after they had already secured a World Cup finals berth.
Outlook: Australia’s combative style almost saw them through to the quarter-finals in 2006. They made it past a a difficult group that included Brazil, Croatia and Japan. Only a controversial penalty took eventual champions Italy past them in the first knockout round. Australia will once again play a defensive and physical game. They will try to frustrate their opponents and counter when necessary. The Socceroos will be solid in net with Fulham keeper Mark Schwarzer and on defense with Luke Wilkshire and David Carney. Australia lack a true striker and will rely on their midfield of Mark Bresciano, Everton star Tim Cahill and Harry Kewell (if healthy) to provide the offense. Australia have some key injuries and have an older squad than they did in 2006. This team will not play well from behind and with an opening match against Germany, they will be playing from behind from the start.
Odds to win the World Cup: 120.00
Germany
Nickname: The Mannschaft
FIFA Ranking: 6th
Appearances at Finals: (As East Germany) 1974 – Second round (As West Germany)1954 – Winners, 1958 – Fourth place, 1962 – Quarter-finals, 1966 – Runners-up, 1970 – Third place, 1974 – Winners, 1978 – Second round, 1982 – Runners-up, 1986 – Runners-up, 1990 – Winners (As Germany) 1934 – Third place, 1938 – First round, 1994 – Quarter-finals, 1998 – Quarter-finals, 2002 – Runners-up, 2006 – Third place
Record at Finals: 37W-9D-12L
Qualifying: Germany had a great qualifying campaign under coach Joachim Low. They surrendered five goals and scored 26, while winning eight and drawing two. They were able to beat Guus Hiddink’s Russia both home and away, the reason they, not Russia, received the automatic bid. Coach Low has shown he is one of the best motivators and tacticians in the game today.
Outlook: You can never count out the Germans. They are constant overachievers. This team is no different. They feature a nice balance of young and old. Werder Bremen’s pair of 21-year-olds Mesut Ozil and Marko Marin and Bayern Munich’s Holger Badstuber and Thomas Muller will provide Germany with skill and talent for years to come. As for veteran leadership, the Germans have plenty of it. Philipp Lahm is a rock on defense for Germany. Bastian Schweinsteiger has had a great season for Bayern Munich and has them on the brink of winning the treble. Mesut Ozil, Thomas Muller and Lukas Podolski will join Schweinsteiger in the midfield and will support Miroslav Klose up front. Klose and Podolski have had disappointing seasons in the Bundesliga this season. The two have combined for just three goals and will need to step up for Germany if they are to make a run to the final. The one question mark for this team is the keeper position. No Oliver Kahn and Jens Lehmann. Robert Enke tragically committed suicide and Rene Adler is out with a rib injury. The four keepers on the preliminary squad have seven caps combined. But, I can’t see the keeper, no matter who it is, being tested too often in group play.
Odds to win the World Cup: 14.00
Ghana
Nickname: The Black Stars
FIFA Ranking: 32nd
Appearances at Finals: 2006 – Second round
Record at Finals: 2W-0D-2L
Qualifying: Ghana were the first African side to qualify for the World Cup, besides the host country, after winning their first four matches of the final round of qualification. Their lone loss to Benin came after qualification was secured. Ghana also made it to the final of the African Cup of Nations, but lost 1-0 Egypt.
Outlook: Milovan Rajevic took over as coach of the Black Stars in 2008 and has this team playing with a more conservative, defensive approach. He has helped eliminate Ghana from giving up bad goals, which troubled them in the past, but has taken away some of their creativity and flair in the process. Ghana need to get healthy fast, though. Their two main players, Michael Essien and Stephen Appiah, have not played much competitive football in some time. Essien has been out since injuring his knee in January in the African Nations Cup. Appiah suffered blood clots in his leg after knee surgery and has not played since 2007, missing more than two seasons. He did see some action for Bologna earlier in the month. Ghana also have injury concerns on defense. John Pantsil missed four months this season with a knee injury and John Mensah is having back problems. One of Ghana’s youngsters will need to step up at some point. Samuel Inkoom had a tremendous season for FC Basel and could fit in beside Sulley Muntari. Matthew Amoah and Asamoah Gyan will be counted on up front for Ghana, but neither are prolific scorers. This team, when healthy, can compete with anyone, but injuries could slow them down. This team will go as far as Michael Essien will take them.
Odds to win the World Cup: 65.00
Serbia
Nickname: Beli Orlovi (White Eagles)
FIFA Ranking: 16th
Appearances at Finals: (As Yugoslavia) 1930 – Semi-finals, 1950 – Fourth place, 1954 – Quarter-finals, 1958 – Quarter-finals, 1962 – Fourth place, 1974 – Second round, 1982 – First round, 1990 – Quarter-finals, 1998 – Second round (As Serbia & Montenegro) 2006 – First round
Record at Finals: 16W-8D-16L
Qualifying: Serbia surprised everyone by finishing atop of their qualification group and ahead of France. Serbia finished one point clear of Les Blues even though they weren’t able to score a victory against them. Serbia booked their ticket to South Africa by destroying Romania 5-0 at the Stadion Crvena Zvezda.
Outlook: The Serbs are well organized and have a lot of talent. They also boast a squad with a lot of height and size that will help them on set-pieces and against physical teams. On defense they will be solid. Ivanovic and Vidic are world class talents. The midfield will be anchored by Inter Milan’s Dejan Stankovic who can do it all. He’s an excellent passer, he’s aware of his position on the pitch, he can defend and he can finish. Milan Jovanovic was Serbia’s leading goal scorer in qualifying and will play on the left. On the right will be CSKA’s Milos Krasic. Serbia, though, are inexperienced in goal. Vladimir Stojkovic has only made 18 league appearances in the last three seasons and is a cause for concern. Luckily, he’ll have a lot of size in front of him. The key match for Serbia is their opener against Ghana. If they can get a result against a much more athletic and faster side, they could advance from the group.
Odds to win the World Cup: 65.00
Group D Prediction: How They’ll Finish
1. Germany – These guys are winners.
2. Ghana – Playing in Africa will help. A lot.
3. Serbia – Can they carry their momentum from qualifying into the finals? Probably not.
4. Australia – Not getting out of the group this time.
All the World Cup betting odds are here.
Here are my top World Cup betting odds for Group D:
Germany over Serbia, Ghana over Australia, Serbia over Australia, Germany and Ghana draw
If you put $10 on this multi-bet, you will win $296.40. Take it to the bank!
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- World Cup Betting Odds: Group F Preview
- World Cup Betting Odds: Group E Preview
- World Cup Betting Odds: Group C Preview
- World Cup Betting Odds: Group B Preview
- World Cup Betting Odds: Group A Preview
