Italy Paraguay New Zealand Slovakia
* = Seeded Team
[Team Jersey Images © Soccerphile]
World Champions Italy are back with coach Marcello Lippi after a poor (by their high standards) Euro 2008 under the leadership of Roberto Donadoni. Italy also fared badly at the 2009 Confederations Cup, but the Azzurri only ever take the top tournaments in deadly earnest. The core group from 2006 is not getting any younger and at the back Fabio Cannavaro looks past his best while Alessandro Nesta and Paolo Maldini have retired, the latter from playing altogether. Italy lack a player who can turn a game with one incisive moment, Francesco Totti may return to the team to fulfil this role but Sampdoria's maverick Antonio Cassano looks frozen out.
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Italy Kit 1 |
Italy Kit 2 |
Italy v Paraguay 14 June; Cape Town
Italy v New Zealand 20 June; Nelspruit
Italy v Slovakia 24 June; Johannesburg
Marcello Lippi
1950, 1954, 1962, 1966 1974 First Round; 1986, 2002 Second Round; 1998 Quarter Finals; 1978 fourth place; 1990 Third place; 1970, 1994 Runners up; 1934, 1938, 1982, 2006 Champions.
Andrea Pirlo, Mario Balotelli (if selected)
Will make it out of the group and on to the semis.
World Cup Betting
Finished first in European qualifying group 8.
Luigi Riva is Italy's highest goalscorer with 35.
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Paraguay qualified in third place from the South American zone winning ten games and losing five to reach the finals for the fourth successive time. La Albirroja will rely on a powerful midfield of Cristian Riveros (Cruz Azul) and Victor Caceres (Libertad) to supply the ammunition for Borussia Dortmund striker Nelson Valdez and Benfica's Oscar Cardozo. Both Riveros and Caceres will be hoping to impress and move to Europe after the finals.
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Paraguay |
Paraguay |
Paraguay v Italy 14 June; Cape Town
Paraguay v Slovakia 20 June; Bloemfontein
Paraguay v New Zealand 24 June; Polokwane
Gerardo Martino
1930, 1950, 1958, 2006 First Round; 1986, 1998, 2002 Second Round
Nelson Valdez
Second round and then adios.
World Cup Betting
Third place in the South American zone behind Chile and Brazil.
Paraguay's first ever international was a 1-5 thrashing by neighbors
Argentina.
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New Zealand are happy just to be at the party and although coach Ricki Herbert will make the requisite noises about 'not just making up the numbers' in fact the All Whites are doing just that, though the southern hemisphere conditions are in their favor. Blackburn stopper Ryan Nelsen and Celtic's Chris Killen have experience at the higher levels but a first round exit nevertheless still beckons.
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New Zealand |
New Zealand |
New Zealand v Slovakia 15 June; Rustenburg
New Zealand v Italy 20 June; Nelspruit
New Zealand v Paraguay 22 June; Polokwane
Ricki Herbert
1982 First round
Ryan Nelsen
First round exit with pride intact.
World Cup Betting
New Zealand shipped 12 goals in their 3 previous World Cup finals games.
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After surprisingly winning Group 3 in European qualifying ahead of the more fancied Czech Republic and Poland, Slovakia can look forward to their first ever World Cup finals. Winning seven of their ten games and losing only twice, Slovakia scored 22 goals and conceded only 10. Star of the show was the much-tattooed figure of Napoli midfielder and penalty expert Marek Hamsik.
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Slovakia |
Slovakia |
Slovakia v New Zealand 15 June; Rustenburg
Slovakia v Paraguay 20 June; Bloemfontein
Slovakia v Italy 24 June; Johannesburg
Vladimir Weiss
First appearance
Marek Hamsik, Martin Skrtel
Early flight home for Vladimir and the boys.
World Cup Betting
Won European qualifying group 3 ahead of Slovenia, the Czech Republic and Poland.
Hamsik was a victim of recent car-jacking in Napoli.
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