Group C: The Group of Death

Argentina

Most pundits have dubbed group C the group of death, making it the toughest group in the tournament. The presence of a powerful Argentina side is a big reason for this.

Looks like Crespo is holding the team emblem or some sort of trophy on the lower right. Could be the award for worst hairstyles in world football.

World Cup Pedigree: Excellent. Won in 78 and 86, were runners up in 30 and 90. This marks their 14th finals appearance.

Country's Historical Contributions: Most notably their football, to be honest, as legend Diego Maradona is considered by many as the greatest player ever.

Star Man: This is practically an all-star team but midfielder Juan Roman Riquelme is the main catalyst for much of their play going forward.

Strengths: Where to begin? Supremely talented all over the pitch. Will be especially lethal in attack with the likes of Crespo, Tevez, Riquelme, Aimar, and boy wonder Lionel Messi.

Weaknesses: So much talent can sometimes act as a hindrance, with team selection and strategy always heavily scrutinized by players and press alike.

Entertainment Factor: 9. Tune in to watch some of the best players on the planet.

Fun Fact: I bought an Argentina jersey in Australia for the purpose of annoying English people(Argies knocked England out of the tournament in 1998). When I walked into a cabin in the Tasmanian wilderness an Englishman looked at me drily and uttered, "Bloody Argentinians!" Mission accomplished.

Expectations: Normally sky high, though somewhat tempered this time thanks to their disappointing(and that's an understatement) 2002 campaign.

The Prognosis: Outside of Brazil, Argentina are the most talented team on earth. Like Brazil, the country is a football factory that turns out players for leagues throughout the world. Have a real good shot to win the whole thing as long as the superstar egos can be blended into a sense of team unity. In 2002 they were a consensus favorite to win, but didn't even make it out of the group stage and worst of all fell to hated rivals England. This time they have a coach(Jose Pekerman) who has a record of winning at youth level and a real eye for talent. He's gotten rid of some former regulars such as Juan Veron and Javier Zanetti, the latter's exclusion causing quite a stir because he is considered one of the best defenders of his generation. Teenage sensation Lionel Messi also inspires hope, although he is battling injury and is not slated to play in their opening match. Argentina should feature at the latter stages of the tournament.

Serbia & Montenegro

This team is another reason for the "group of death" tag, but not for footballing reasons. Sorry, I promised myself there would be no ethnic cleansing jokes on my world cup blog but there you go. These guys are the remnants of the former Yugoslavia and no slouches when it comes to football.

World Cup Pedigree: None since the breakup of the former Yugoslavia.

Strengths: An absolute wall in defense. Conceded only one goal in their entire qualification campaign. Remarkable.

Weaknesses: Not known for their flair. May have difficulty feeding their forward line.

Star Player: 6'8" striker Nikola Zigic is on the wishlist of some major clubs and will kill you if you tell him he has a girl's name.

Entertainment Value: 6. Not known for their offense but play an aggressive, up-tempo style.

Expectations: Are something of a wildcard. Qualified impressively, even beating out Spain, but must feel unfortunate to have been drawn with the likes of Argentina and Holland.

Fun Fact: Montenegro recently voted to secede from Serbia. Apparently Serbia was cheating on Montenegro with another country. Seriously, these guys need to quit breaking up their countries or there'll be nothing left. The world clearly doesn't need the phrase "the former Serbia & Montenegro."

The Prognosis: As I mentioned before, Yugoslavia was something of a football power and this squad will be no joke. May even upset Holland or Argentina. Despite this, the smart money says they will not progress to the second round. Such is "The Group of Death."(cue dramatic instrument sounds..)