Algeria Group C dark horses

| Friday May 7, 2010 00:00

AlgeriaThey qualified through the play-offs after a stalemate with blood rivals, Egypt in the group stages. Algeria triumphed 1-0 at a neutral venue to make their third appearance after they qualified in 1982 and 1986. Although the Desert Foxes have not progressed beyond the first round, they have not performed badly.

In 1982, they managed to beat the then West Germany and Chile before losing to Austria. Four years later, they fared badly, managing only a 1-1 draw against Northern Ireland.

They narrowly lost to Brazil 1-0, before they were thumped 3-0 by Spain. This year, there is an air of optimism in the Algerian camp as the current crop of players seems hungry.

Their performance in the qualifying stages was gratifying with the victory over old enemy, Egypt, remarkable. A lot will rest on the shoulders of defender Les Fennecs who scored the goal that took the Algerians to the World Cup in the defeat of Egypt in Khartoum, Sudan.

The Algerians play a neat, quick and short passing game, which is built mostly around the midfield, typical of most North African countries.

Algeria might surprise one of the two big guns in the group, England and USA.

Prediction: Third place finish

Country ProfileNickname: Desert FoxesPopulation: 34 millionPrevious appearances: 1982, 1986World ranking: 31Best performance: Group stagesKey players: Les Fennecs, Yazid MansouriCoach: Rabah Sadaane

EnglandThe Three Lions are not only favourites to proceed from this group but are also among the tournament's principal contenders. Winners in 1966, England have not made much headway since then, and in their 13th appearance and first World Cup in Africa, the English would want to stand up and be counted. They have Italian coach Fabio Capello who will lead the team after Swede, Sven Goran Erikson was in charge in Germany four years ago.

England will rely mostly on the exploits of the Premiership's standout player, Wayne Rooney. There is always ample support from the middle in the form of Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard, although the Liverpool talisman has not performed to his best. England were impressive in the qualifying rounds and in the process demolished a Croatia side that denied them a place in the Euro 2008 finals.

Capello has a maturing squad with youngster, Theo Walcott, gangly and underrated forward, Peter Crouch and Jermaine Defoe ready to raise their hands at the world soccer showpiece.

England's downfall could be due to their over-reliance on Rooney for goals. Rooney has recently been limping, which might affect his sharpness.

But if England fire on all cylinders, expect them to go all the way to the final, and even win it. But there should be worries as England have in the past flattered to deceive, with their best performance outside winning the title being a semi final spot in Italy 1990.

Prediction: Group winners

Nickname: Three LionsPopulation: 50 millionPrevious appearances: 1950, 1966, 1970, 1974, 1978, 1982, 1986, 1990, 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006World ranking: 8Best performance: Winners 1966Key players: Wayne Rooney, Frank LampardCoach: Fabio Capello

SloveniaNot much is known about the Europeans. This is only their second appearance at the World Cup and on paper, should be easy prey for England and USA, but they should be at par with Algeria as the FIFA rankings suggest.

Slovenia shocked Russia, Poland and fading European powerhouse, Czech Republic in the qualifying stages. Their qualification was hailed as a huge achievement and the side will not be under pressure when the tournament kicks off. The fact that they are mostly a closed book to most opponents in the group should work in their favour. It will be more of team than individual effort for Slovenia who lack an outstanding player. Cologne striker Milivoje Novakovic is probably their best-known player. He scored five times during the qualifying stages and should be key once again in South Africa. Captain Robert Koren should be prominent in their campaign as well.In their previous appearance in Korea and Japan, the Dragons failed to win a single game.

Prediction: Fourth place

Nickname: Dragons Population: Two millionPrevious appearances: 2002World ranking: 23Best performance: Group stagesKey players: Mivoje Novakovic, Robert KorenCoach: Matjaz Kek

USAThe presence of both the US and England sets an intriguing clash between the world's economic powerhouses.England are favoured to beat the US, but the Americans are known for their resilience and fans who watched the 2009 Confederations Cup could testify. The Americans reached the finals through defiant displays against the World's top ranked team, Spain and World champions, Italy. In fact it was the US who brought to a halt Spain's 35-match unbeaten run and England, and other opponents in Group C should be wary.

If Landon Donnavan and Clint Dempsey display the form that they did at the Confederations Cup, then the US might spring a surprise and finish in pole position in Group C.

Their match against England in Rustenburg, which many Batswana are expected to attend, should be the highlight of the group, renewing a 60-year-old rivalry. The two last met at the World Cup in 1950 when the US caused a big upset, defeating the English 1-0. But England has dominated subsequent international friendly matches.

This will be the 10th time that the US will be featuring at the World Cup finals with their best performance being a semi-final exit way back in 1930.

Prediction: Second

Nickname: Stars and Stripes Population: 307 millionPrevious appearances: 1930, 1934, 1950, 1990, 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006World ranking: 14Best performance: Semi finalsKey players: Landon Donnavan, Clint DempseyCoach: Bob Bradley