World Cup draw thread

[grimsbymariner]

World Cup finals draw in full
GROUP A
Germany
Costa Rica
Poland
Ecuador


GROUP B
England
Paraguay
Trinidad & Tobago
Sweden


GROUP C
Argentina
Ivory Coast
Serbia & Montenegro
Holland


GROUP D
Mexico
Iran
Angola
Portugal


GROUP E
Italy
Ghana
USA
Czech Republic


GROUP F
Brazil
Croatia
Australia
Japan


GROUP G
France
Switzerland
South Korea
Togo


GROUP H
Spain
Ukraine
Tunisia
Saudi Arabia




I have to say i'm pretty pleased with our group!

There's normally one group of death but i can't decide so i'm gonna say there's 2 this time. Groups E and F (yours!)

The least exciting groups on paper are D, G and H- and it has to be said that Germany, France and Spain have got pretty easy groups.

Reaction and comments please!

[Yellowbeard]

grrrrrrrrrrrrrr

[Yellowbeard]

I think we've definately got the short straw. Such is life, we can still get through if we're lucky. It will be good to watch us play brazil in a world cup game

[grimsbymariner]

You can get 6 points against Croatia and Japan- have some belief.

Japan and Croatia will be feeling the exact same way, and im sure Brazil aren't that pleased about it either!

[kevrenor]

GROUP F
Brazil
Croatia
Australia
Japan

We play Japan on Jun 12 in Kaiserslautern, Brasil on Jun 18 in Munich, and Croatia on Jun 22 in Stuttgart.

Shame we don't play Brasil first. We will need to be at our best. Our friends in Japan will be worried also.

A group of death!
It will also be a very good group to watch football-wise.

Second round we could face Italy, Ghana, Czechs or USA. I'd rate our chances but we have to get there first.

It will be interesting to see what the 'Croatian-Australians' do when we play!

As for England - who cares! ;D You have been given another 'leg-up' - it will all be in England's own hands now! No excuses.

[Keith Saffron]

I'm confident we can get at least a win and a draw, which should be pretty close to enough to get through to the second round. Japan aren't playing at home this time around, and croatia are close to the easiest non-seeded euro team we could have hoped for, and with Guus in charge, anything will be possible (except maybe a win over Brazil, faint chance we could scrape a point though). The Aussies will be pumped for the croatia game, with dukes and co. being of croatian heritage, plus with the couple of aussie-croats in the croatian team. I'm quietly confident we can progress.

[Pete]

Well here's my spin about Australia's group:
Brazil play Croatia first up, we play Japan.
Who goes thru to the second Round will be Brazil and someone else. Cannot see Brazil failing to get enough points to get thru.
I think Australia could rattle both Croatia and Japan, but we are going to have to be at our best. Our coach, Guus Hiddink, knows the style of games both those teams play.
As our last game is against Croatia, that match could shape up as who goes thru to the Second Round.
That all said, we could could get flogged at each match and bow out after the first round. But I'm hopeful that the team can lift like they did against Uruguay, and get into 'em!
On a more positive side, these matches will receive some decent coverage worldwide, and it will be a good chance for Australia to let the world know that we also play football.
Also, should we make it into the Second Round, no one will be able to offer the excuse that we had it easy.

[brett]

No way YB, I'm stoked with our group!

I've been hoping that we pull Brazil. It will mean so much to football here to play the world champs;

It will capture the imagine of kids everywhere to watch their aussie heroes battle against ronaldo and roberto carlos, and think that one day they can play against the best team in the world too.

It'll break down the barriers that exist between 'Australian Football' and the REAL football that comes beaming in from Europe where the serious players play. Brazil, with England, are perhaps the only other team that has household names, but for different reasons to the Aussies. And so long as we dont lose 5-0 it will bring us a lot of credibility.

If we DO get a result the effects will be much greater here than beating say, Spain. We matched the world's best, in the best sport. No longer will the public only turn to cricket and rugby because we're good at them.

It doesn't necessarily make the group harder, just a different make up. Assuming Brazil win 3 games, it just makes our other games more important. Rather than a top nation like Italy who, on their day, could destroy us, but with their struggles of late, could give up points to the other teams that would cost us. And maybe with Hiddink, we are perhaps one of the more likely to scrounge a draw against them.

ABOUT THE OTHER TWO

At least Croatia and Japan are pretty evenly matched. There's a chance they could draw against each other. If we had a really weak team in there like TNT then it really would all come down to the one match between us and Croatia.

A few of the players stated they wanted Croatia because a lot of our guys have a double nationality there, and some of Croatia's best players went there when they couldnt crack the socceroos.

Positives or negatives can be taken from whatever way you look at it though. Fact is it's the World Cup and there's no way it could have been easy. We've got a group that should provide a real even test and if we want to get past it we're going to have to beat teams around the same level as us, which is how it should be.

The other groups? Thank f*** we didn't get drawn where Ivory Coast is. Or Ghana. It could have been good night Guus.

But generally the groups are pretty spread, there's no obvious interest points. Some teams look to have an easy path through. In group H one of three teams could ghost into the 16 and go for a dream run. Remember Greece won Euro, player burnout decided a major tournament for perhaps the first time ever. I expect to see at least some of the same here!

BRETTY'S FINAL THOUGHT

Forget who we got and how we'll go. How good does it feel to be talking about this! Getting up today to watch it, I just thought, Australia is there, with all the best nations, it feels so good to be at the party. So right as well. Whatever happens, this is the start of a long and happy journey. And now we wait.

[Auburn Mariner]

Mmmm, Brazil. If we get through, we will have EARNED it. Get ready for some big parties that week on the Coast!! Imagine 5 million Aussies watching us play Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, etc. What a rush!!

The Poms have drawn well. Yorkie will be tickled pink about playing the English.

Bring on June.

[Rubbernose]

It could have been easier for us, at each pool, but I think it is an absolutely aweseome group for us, and it will be very competitive. A fantastic welcome to the World Cup. No-one will tell us we took advantage of a weak group if we make it out of that.

We know Japan well and have a good record against them, they are definitely beatable, and Croatia will be tough, but we beat them in midfield and up front for fire power, IMHO. They are nothing on their '98 side.

Brazil, well...nuff said.

Fantastic! Bring it on!

[Yellowbeard]

remember the french in the last world cup. maybe brazil wont be there for round 2???

[Farthing]

Yea we got a tough draw but we can take them, i think the team will be going in and leaving nothing in the bank. They might not be here agian for another 32 years they need to make it more memerable than 1974. I thought getting England and USA would have been good for Australia but insted we got Brazil, Japan and Croatia

[omni]

It's not that tough, for crying out loud - look past Brazil (who will get 9 points) and it really isn't THAT bad, Japan & Croatia are do-able, it won't be easy but it's hardly impossible.

As for group of death, I'd rather be in Group F than Group E.

[Dan]

I agree omni. Hardly a group of death.
Cant over emphasize just how big a match the first game against Japan is. Will be a good taste for future qualifying.
Personally pretty happy with Englands group to, but you never know what those Paraquayan strikers will be like. Very hot/very cold.

[Farthing]

Did anyone see that cocky smirk on the face of some Japan guy when he saw they were playing Australia first. He looked like he thought it would be a easy match

[omni]

I was more interested in the 'ooooo' when they pulled out Australia to face Brazil.
England will have no excuse when they f*** up this time.

[Dan]

We never have any excuses
Particularly not in the group stages.

We have got a better group than Oz, but thats cause we are seeds, have never been perenial under-achievers at the truly world game, a-la Aussie.

Gutted we didnt draw you.

[omni]

We'll have to wait til 2010!

[DJ]

danthefan said:

I agree omni. Hardly a group of death.
Cant over emphasize just how big a match the first game against Japan is. Will be a good taste for future qualifying.
Personally pretty happy with Englands group to, but you never know what those Paraquayan strikers will be like. Very hot/very cold.

England have an ok group - should have no worries getting out of it! But yet again we have our bogey side Sweden! We have not beaten them in something like 37 years! You can never underestimate the South Americans either! Pretty happy thou!

When I first saw the Australian group I thought it was tough, but then thought to myself it's definitely do-able! Croatia aned Japan are tough teams but if the team can dominate someone like Uruguay why can't they get 6 points?

Germany have a shit group too!

[DJ]

omni said:

England will have no excuse when they f*** up this time.

England never f*** up in 90 minutes they usually dominate most the game and lose on penalties!