Group D Preview

Group D has been struck by some serious injuries in the lead-up to the World Cup. Michael Ballack did not seem pleased when he was tackled by Portsmouth (and Ghana) midfielder Kevin Prince-Boateng in the FA Cup. The studs-up tackle left Ballack with ligament damage and has made him unavailable for the entire tournament. Ballack thought it was a dirty tackle, and perhaps there will be payback when Germany meets Ghana on June 23rd. Boateng better watch his back.

But Ghana has its own injury problems. Their best player (and another Ballack's Chelsea teammate) Michael Essien has been ruled out of the tournament with a knee injury. So this leaves Group D without their two biggest stars. No matter-it's still a strong group and should be competitive in every game. Ghana, Serbia, and to a lesser extent, Australia have realistic shots at the second spot.

Predicted Finish:
1. Germany
2. Ghana
3. Serbia
4. Australia

Germany (14 to 1):
Even without Ballack, the Buffet remembers the Euro 2008 squad that featured most of the same characters: Bastian Schweinsteiger in the midfield, Phillip Lahm at right back but leaking forward on occasion, and the strike partnership of the ageless Miroslav Klose and the inconsistent Lukas Podolski. Germany doesn't lose in the first round, and there's no reason to think that they won't advance out of their group.

Ghana (66 to 1):
Despite the hugh loss of Michael Essien, Ghana still has significant talent and look to at least equal their 2006 World Cup run. Returning from that 2006 squad is striker Asamoah Gyan and midfielder Stephen Appiah. Readers may recall Gyan's 76th second goal against the Czech Republic, the fastest goal in WC history. Although ranking Ghana and Serbia is tough, I give Ghana the slight edge in this African World Cup.

Serbia (66 to 1):
After Serbia qualified ahead of France in their European group, Serbia became a sleeper pick to do well. That love for the Serbs has gone down considerably since they lost a World Cup warm-up to an AWFUL New Zealand squad. The friendly was played in front of a heavily Serb crowd in Austriia and led to the angry Serbs booing their own squad after the game. In fact, Nemanja Vidic, their fullback (and Manchester United star) had to take the microphone and calm down the masses.

Serbia is known for a solid defense and well-organized midfield. Although a loss to New Zealand could normally be forgiven, they are playing in a tough group and their lack of offense will lead to an early exit.

Australia (125 to 1):
This is a team that has quite a few players that play in England and will be recognizable to Buffet readers. Their only real scoring threat is Tim Cahill, the Everton midfielder who will likely play a striker for the Aussies since they don't have very many options up front. Normally this wouldn't be the problem with former Liverpool and current Galatasaray striker Harry Kewell in the mix, but Kewell has played a total of 5 minutes of competetive soccer in 2010. He claims he will be ready for the opener against Germany, but it's going to be hard for the coach to start a player who has been out for so long. At least the defense is good with Fulham goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer.