Netherlands The Dutch – who have been in a pre-World Cup training camp in Austria - will face Mexico this week. There is an injury concern for Bert van Marwijk’s men with Ryan Babel having sustained a hamstring problem whilst in camp. His spot in the final 23-man squad is not assured.
Denmark There’s a debate raging in Denmark that skipper Jon Dahl Tomasson has lost his value up front. The Danish frontman hasn’t scored for the national team in his last 10 appearances and some are arguing he should no longer be first-choice.
Japan The Blue Samurai’s boss Takeshi Okada – who has stated Japan can reach the World Cup semi finals - reportedly offered up his resignation following his side’s 2-0 loss to Korea Republic in Saitama on Sunday. The Japanese were humbled by their rivals in their final game on home soil before the World Cup.
Cameroon Paul Le Guen’s Indomitable Lions failed to impress in a 0-0 draw with European minnows Georgia on Tuesday. The French boss admittedly did experiment with his side in Austria but the result will disappoint.
Group F
Italy Veteran Italian shot-stopper Gianluigi Buffon has insisted his nation can defend its title from 2006. Critics have labelled Italy old, but Buffon wants to be more optimistic and says his team is experienced.
Paraguay The Paraguayans slumped to a 2-1 defeat to the Republic of Ireland in Dublin on Tuesday. It comes less than a week after an unconvincing 1-0 win over North Korea. The good news was Paraguay’s second-half in Ireland, where in-form Dortmund striker Lucas Barrios scored.
New Zealand The All-Whites put up a decent performance against Australia on Monday, losing 2-1 to a last-gasp winner. Chris Killen scored for New Zealand who possessed an aerial threat. Good news is Leo Bertos, who was injured in the game, should be fine for the World Cup.
Slovakia Liverpool’s Slovakian defender Martin Skrtel is hoping to comeback from a metatarsal injury in his nation’s upcoming friendlies against Cameroon and Costa Rica. Skrtel will be an important player for Slovakia and needs to work his way back from the injury which has kept him out since February.
Group G
Brazil Luis Fabiano and Julio Cesar claim the Brazilians can win back the World Cup crown in South Africa. The former has argued this could be the tournament where he arrives and emulates the feats of his great Brazilian striking predecessors Romario and Ronaldo.
Korea DPR The North Koreans recorded an impressive 2-2 draw with Greece on Tuesday. Japan-based frontman Jong Tae-Se – known as ‘the Asian Rooney’ – banged in two quality goals in an impressive sign. The result comes less than a week after they slipped to a 1-0 defeat by Paraguay.
Portugal There’s major worries for Carlos Queiroz after his Portuguese failed to fire in an embarrassing 0-0 draw with Cape Verde. Portugal were at full-strength, with Cristiano Ronaldo, Nani and Deco on the park, against the African minnows ranked 117th in the world, but they lacked cutting edge.
Cote d’Ivoire Ivory Coast boss Sven-Goran Eriksson has revealed he’s happy to be coaching the African team after copping the axe after an indifferent spell in charge of Mexico. Eriksson said his former post was full of politics and believes his new role is better as he’s got a better team at his disposal.
Group H
Spain Spanish coach Vicente del Bosque admits there’s a few injury problems with his squad, but claims he’s only got ‘a slight concern’ about Fernando Torres (knee) and Cesc Fabregas (lower leg) missing the World Cup. Torres has publicly targetted being fit for Spain’s opener against Switzerland on June 16.
Switzerland Successful Swiss boss Ottmar Hitzfeld has high hopes for the World Cup. He revealed: “I am still hungry, I still hate defeats, I still long for wins, there is no substitute for victories. The expectations in Switzerland for the 2010 World Cup are very, very high.”
Honduras Wigan’s Honduras international Maynor Figueroa says his country can make an impact in South Africa. Figueroa said: “We’ve done well to reach this stage and now we all want to make a good account of ourselves in South Africa, we’re not just there to make up the numbers.”
Chile The South Americans slipped to a 1-0 defeat against Mexico last week. Manuel Iturra was sent off in the loss. Since, Iturra has been axed from the Chile squad along by Marcelo Bielsa with Atalanta’s Jaime Valdes.