Group G

How it will end:

1. Germany

2. USA

3. Portugal

4. Ghana

Group G is shaping up to be one of the toughest groups in the World Cup containing Germany, Ghana, Portugal and USA. It is the group with the most traveling between games, and the quality of the teams doesn't make it any easier. Ghana, Portugal, and the U.S. are all arguably the top teams from their pots and many consider Germany a possible World Cup winner.

Lets take a in depth look at group G:

Germany:

Germany must be considered huge favorites to win the group, and Joachim Löw should be able spend his first weeks in Brazil on Copacabana Beach focusing on the knockout stages. With one superstar after the other, he is managing one of the most talented World Cup squads of them all.

Key Players:

Bastian Schweinsteiger — The 29 year old central midfielder’s performance in Brazil will be crucial for Germany’s success. With 101 national team games, two bronze medals from previous world cups, and seven Bundesliga championships with Bayern Munich he is considered to be one of the leading players in the world in his position.

Mario Götze — Only 22 years old, Götze has produced 10 goals in his first 27 games for Bayern Munich. He can play any position up front for the German side, and his high speed and excellent playmaker capabilities will make him a player to watch during the world cup.

Miroslaw Klose — He might be 35 years old, but he still has enough skill to score goals at the World Cup stage. He has scored a total of 14 goals in 3 different World Cups, putting him joint second along with Gerd Müller on the list of top FIFA World Cup goalscorers.

Portugal:

The Iberians traditionally have many gifted players, and this roster is no exception, but it is difficult to examine them without reaching at the same conclusion time and time again. They will need Cristiano Ronaldo to put down a historic performance to stand a chance in the “Group of Death”. What is a bit more promising for the Portuguese side this time around is the fact that 10 out of their 23 players have more than 40 caps. Is 2014 going to be the year where they will unleash their untapped potential?

Key Players:

Cristiano Ronaldo — No further introduction needed. He has scored 375 goals in 569 professional games, including 177 goals in 169 games for Real Madrid. Ronaldo is arguably one of the 3-4 best players to ever play the game.

Pepe — The 31 year old center-back is Ronaldo’s teammate at Real Madrid, and with his 57 national team games he brings experience to the back-line. Has won two Spanish La-Liga titles alongside his Champions Leauge triumph from this season.

William Carvalho — A less known name in international soccer than many of his teammates. Has only played 3 games for Portugal’s first team, but the 22-year-old central midfielder may very well get his big break in Brazil.

Ghana:

Ghana may be one of the best teams in Africa, and experienced quarterfinal action in the 2010 World Cup, but they haven’t been at their best in a while. With injuries on some key players and a lack of form, it will be tough for Ghana to get out of this group. Still, they have stepped up in the last two World Cups and pulled it together when it counts so if they do that, they can definitely make their way out of the group. But it might be to much to ask from James Kwesi Appiah men.

Key players:

Kevin-Prince Boateng — The attacking midfielder had a good season in the Bundesliga and is one of a few offensive minded midfielders for Ghana.

Asamoah Gyan –The undisputed captain plays in the United Arab Emirates, which is not the best league in the world, but 59 goals in 47 games this season is remarkable. Gyan has 39 goals for the national team in 77 appearances.

Michael Essien — The best player in the squad, plenty of experience from the national stage, and his contribution will be crucial for Ghana to get out of the group stages.

USA

The U.S. have been knocked out by Ghana in each of the last two world cups, and kick-off their campaign in Brazil against the Ghanaians. After leaving Landon Donovan out of the squad, the U.S will rely on other players stepping up to the plate when they face Ghana on June 16th. Jürgen Klinsmann is traveling a young and promising roster and with a win in the first game, they could be putting themselves in a good position when the face off against Portugal and Germany later on in the tournament.

Key players:

Tim Howard — The U.S. goalkeeper will bring more than his playing capabilities to the team, with his in 272 games and 1 goal (!) for Everton he has plenty of International experience. The game against Ghana will be the goalkeeper’s 100 game for the national team.

Clint Dempsey — The 31-year-old Seattle Sounders striker will look to replace Landon Donovan in the U.S attack. He has recorded over 50 goals in the English top division.

Michael Bradley — At only 26 years Bradley already has recorded 85 national team games, scoring 12 goals.

Road to the knockout stages for USA:

The recipe for the USA to get out of the group is simple: Beat Ghana, draw Portugal, probably lose to Germany, finish second.

That’s the theory, but is it that black and white in reality? All world cups live their own life. We all remember 2006, the United States’ most likely path to a knockout stage berth looked to be: Draw Czech Republic, lose to Italy and beat Ghana to send them through in second place on four points.

The Czechs pulled the USMNT to pieces and ruined all hopes of getting through. A draw to Italy got the hopes up, but just to get demolished again by Ghana in the last game. A scenario like this could very well play itself out again, because Portugal presents a matchup nightmare for the United States. Even though Ghana looks very beatable yet again, they also have the talent to pull a victory out of absolutely nowhere. So there’s a slight possibility that the United States could leave the World Cup with zero points even though they’re nowhere near the worst team in the tournament.

If the U.S want to get out of the group the group the easiest way is to start with a win against Ghana. That being said, Germany has major problems in midfield leaving a lot of pressure on Sami Khedira, who tore his ACL less than six months ago and a Bastian Schweinsteiger, who hasn’t looked fully fit for about a year now. Also Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo is fighting to get fit for the first game against Germany. There is a possibility that Ronaldo wont be on his best form when the US face-off against Portugal on June 22. If that is the case; Portugal won’t know what to do.

So yes, the clear path to the knockout stages is a win over Ghana followed by a draw over one of the European teams, but Ghana is no pushover and both of those European sides have flaws.

There are lots of different ways the United States can get out of Group G. Don’t assume it’s over if they don’t win on June 16.

Group H:

How it will end:

1. Belgium

2. Russia

3. Korea Republic

4. Algeria

Belgium have the youngest average age (25 years and 241 days) of any team in the 2014 World Cup, and because of this, this tournament is expected to be a “coming out” of the European team’s talent. Young whizz Adnan Januzaj recently committed his international career to Belgium over a host of countries for whom he was eligible for, including Albania, Serbia and Turkey. He will be joining Eden Hazard in the front line, whilst captain Vincent Kompany will be looking to lock down the defensive side of the ball. Belgium could well be a dark horse to go deep in the tournament so expect some exhilarating performances.

Algeria haven’t won a World Cup game since 1982 and haven’t scored a World Cup goal since 1986, and in a relatively competitive group, they may well have to wait another 4 years for the opportunity to rewrite those records. They did, however, win all but 1 of their qualifying games on the back of Madjid Bougherra’s captaincy. No doubt Algeria will be playing for ties with little attacking prowess so predict a negative formation throughout their games.

After topping their qualifying group ahead of a highly talented Portugal team, it would be foolish to overlook Russia as a team to be reckoned with. Manager Fabio Capello hosts a squad comprised of solely domestically based players which will surely be good for team chemistry. A hard working, blue collar type team with quality all over the field, Russia should manage to eek their way through to the knockout stages of the tournament.

After hosting the 2002 World Cup, the Korean Republic (South Korea), soccer has drastically been on the upswing in the nation. After reaching the Semi-Finals in 2002 and the Round of 16 in 2010, they will be looking to further their reputation as a gutsy, prepared team who compete well in major tournaments. 24 year-old Cardiff City midfielder Kim Bo-Kyung should earn his 30th cap for his nation and will want to add to his current goal tally of 3 during the tournament. Although Korea are always a tough team to play against, it would be surprising to see them advance ahead of Belgium and Russia.