FIFA World Cup 2014 Analysis & Predictions: Group G – Germany, Portugal, Ghana & U.S.A
Teams Qualified: Germany (1) & U.S.A (2)
Here is the seventh instalment of the "Analysis & Predictions" series of the FIFA World Cup 2014. There are only 7 days before the gala event takes place. Today we are going to analyse Group G and showcase our predictions for the group. Let's look at the possibilities of Group G.
Teams in the group
Germany, Portugal, Ghana & USA are in Group G. Germany comes to the tournament as one of the favourites. Portugal, on the other hand, has the FIFA Ballon d'Or Cristiano Ronaldo. Interestingly, German football icon Jurgen Klinsmann is the manager of the U.S. team which has shown promise by defeating Germany in a friendly in June. Ghana has always been a strong competitor. The African nation's best performance was in 2010 when it reached the quarter finals where it lost to Uruguay in a tie-breaker.
Morale of the teams
Germany reached at least the semi-finals in the last four major tournaments, the FIFA world cups in 2006 & 2010 as well as the UEFA European Championships in 2008 & 2012. Germany's history at the world cups has been phenomenal as it reached the finals in 7 occasions, 3 of which it won. There are always questions about how Portugal may fare without Ronaldo as the team is strongly depended on him. According to past records, Portugal tends to struggle in the group stages but is expected to be stronger in the eliminators. Ghana has a strong midfield and enough speed to unsettle any opposition. The U.S. team has recently lost to minnows like Honduras, Costa Rica and Jamaica. However, its strength will lie in playing like a team.
Players on the spotlight
Germany: Mesut Ozil, Mario Goetze & Philipp Lahm
Portugal: Cristiano Ronaldo, Pepe & William Carvalho
Ghana: Asamoah Gyan & Kevin-Prince Boateng
U.S.A: Clint Dempsey
Turning Point
The match between Portugal and the U.S.A will be a turning point because of the fact that it will decide Portugal's future in the tournament. Over-dependence on Ronaldo will eat up Portugal. He won't be able show much of his skill as three U.S. players will constantly block him. The U.S.A will perform better as a team and draw the match 1-1.
Predictions
Germany will storm through the group stages, winning all three matches. Ghana will go to the next round after finishing at the second position. It will win against the U.S.A. It will be another unfortunate performance for Portugal which will suffer a draw against Ghana and, consequently, an unceremonious exit.
Group A - Analysis & Predictions
Group B - Analysis & Predictions
Group C - Analysis & Predictions
Group D - Analysis & Predictions
Group E - Analysis & Predictions
Group F - Analysis & Predictions
Group H - Analysis & Predictions
What's your prediction? Use the comment section to tell us about it.
Reference: FIFA
Contact the writer: s.mukhopadhyay@ibtimes.com.au