Mexico and South Africa will Progress from Group A

Al Dannity has drawn the ire of Uruguay fans once this week already and he’s at it again with his predictions for Group A in the World Cup.

A different game
Passive soccer fans and even the more active followers of European leagues often fall into the trap of thinking the club form of players will automatically translate on the international stage. The international game is an entirely different animal to competitions like the Champions League. The World Cup is suited to teams that play disciplined, mistake-free soccer. That’s why the likes of Denmark and Greece tend to cause a few surprises in major international tournaments.

This means the big name talent of France does not guarantee Les Bleus will dominate Group A. In 2002 France learned that the hard way when a superstar line-up fell at the first hurdle. By contrast the 2006 team France brought to Germany lacked the star power of earlier years but managed to go all the way to the final. While an abundance of talent is by no means a help, a lack of stars is not a fatal flaw. South Africa are short on big names but the deck is stacked in their favor for other reasons.

What really matters
When assessing World Cup betting you need to assess who has the edge and in this case the cards fall nicely for South Africa. The hosts will be brimming with confidence against Mexico in the opening game and should be able to get a point out of that tie.

El Tri are far from shabby and their experience of consistent success away from home in the qualifiers, will stand to them against group rivals Uruguay and France who both endured poor road records on the way to South Africa. There’s no doubting that Uruguay and France have individual talent that will be the envy of many teams in this tournament but talent is not enough. Neither team has shown an ability to blend all their competing egos into a  dominant force that can control a game.

The final shake up
In order for South Africa to go through the Bafana Bafana need to jump right into the land of make-believe. With the crowd on their side and the referees too, a win in their second game irrespective of the opening round result is likely. The unlucky victims will be Uruguay. After that anything other than a loss against France should be enough to take second behind Mexico. El Tri’s organisation and discipline will reap dividends in the opening phase and they will top the group much to the shock of France.

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