Reviewing Group H

Here we are, the last group on the list. Due to the cruelty of the alphabet, these are teams 29 through 32 in the list. Don't let that get you down though, they are still number one in the hearts of their fans. In fact, their undying love is what will keep the fans going during those long, hot hours in the German sun. It's not the cocaine, and the free hookers, and the endless comps they receive, or the hours of partying deep into the moonless night... No, it's thoughts of you, sitting at home on your couch or with your mates in a bar, hanging breathlessly on every kick of the ball in the hope that they can bring home that golden tin foil ball of a trophy.

Well, that and the prayer to the gods of commerce that you'll pay the licensing fee for their specific kit, and that maybe a good performance will help them land an enormous contract with the likes of Chelski, ManYoo, or Real. But at least you are in the equation somewhere, right? And that's what matters.

Spain

If all goes well, this man will be Spain's new baby-faced assassin.

Spain is so deep that they could field an entirely separate starting 11 and still expect to get out of the group stage. In fact, the problem with Spain is never that they don't have the talent to win - it's always there, and often present in much greater helpings than their opponents. No, the problem for Spain lies elsewhere, wherever the gossamer substance can be found that distinguishes the champions from also-rans. To wit, Spain has never finished higher than fourth in World Cup competition, in spite of sporting one of the best leagues in the world, and masses of young talent coming up through the ranks. The pedigree says they should be challenging Brazil and Italy for footballing supremacy, so it must all be in their heads... for fifty-sic years.

Whatever the case, Spain are the team that should cause even slightly-over-the-hill folks to hate them immediately, because they are young, brilliant, and beautiful. Starlets Cesc Fabregas and Sergio Ramos are likely to feature prominently in the center of the pitch, while Jose Reyes can be found galloping up and down the left wing, and Fernando Torres will partner the classic Raul in the striking lineup, giving them an extremely youthful core group that should feature prominently in the years to come. The question is not whether the kids can play, but whether they can succeed with the spotlight of the World Cup burning tan lines around the red and gold of their jerseys. Considering the fact that most of them play prominently for clubs in the Champions League on a weekly basis during the fall and spring, I'd say they are likely ready. With Iker Casillas, Carlos Puyol, and Marco Senna providing experience and iron to what has in the past been a slightly flopsy side, I think this might finally be the year Spain makes it back to the semifinals or better.

Ukraine
Former AC Milan and new Chelski (signed for something like 30M pounds - someone must stop them soon...) star Andriy Shevchenko is no longer a spruce goose (he'll turn 30 later this year), but he is realizing his dream of captaining his side in a World Cup, something viewed as practically impossible as little as four years ago. Ukraine have very little footballing history, but none of that mattered when they managed to finish at the top of their extremely difficult UEFA qualifying group, beating out Turkey, Denmark, and Euro 2004 champs Greece in the process. Over the years, Shevchenko has proven himself to be a star at the highest levels of the game, and it will be exciting to see what he can do for his National team at the World Cup.

Though Ukraine aren't a very deep squad, their starting lineup is very strong, so their advancement out of the group stage will likely depend on the health of their stars. Unfortunately both Sheva and defender Serhiy Fyodorov are nursing at least moderate injuries, meaning they could be in some trouble. Midfielder Sergei Rebrov looks to be back in form after returning to the Ukraine from a series of disastrous transfers around Europe, and Sheva understudy Voronin is pretty solid himself, so even without the great man, they should still be dangerous. If this group were a little deeper, I'm not sure I'd pick them to advance, but Tunisia and Saudi Arabia are nearly as weak as Iran and Angola in Group D, meaning Ukraine still have a good shot at causing trouble during the elimination rounds.

Tunisia
Manager Roger Lemerre (he of the soul-crushing French Cup performance of 2002) said that Tunisia's dream is to reach the final 16 teams. This seems like a solid assessment of potential reality. He is setting a difficult, but potentially obtainable goal for his squad while admitting that it is still likely out of their grasp.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm not completely writing off Tunisia here. If Ukraine can't keep their stars healthy, the 2nd spot will be ripe for the plucking. This is especially true since Tunisia are actually pretty decent, beating the best Africa has to offer at home, and often pushing stronger teams like Argentina in tough matches on neutral pitches like in the Confederations Cup in 2005. They even managed to beat Australia at that same tournament, which isn't amazing, but can't really be sniffed at. Dutch prognosticator Thomas Rongen, who has nearly identical to me in his picks for advancement, sees Tunisia actually making it out of this group, but I'm not feeling it. Do, however, expect them to put up a good fight.

Saudi Arabia
Let's face facts here. Asia is the weakest of the FIFA Federations by far, and Saudi Arabia are perhaps the worst of the teams to qualify from there. This team is simply not in the same league as the rest of the teams that made it to the World Cup finals and a draw or two would be about the best they can hope for.

Who Advances
1. Spain
2. Ukraine