Group B Preview

 

Group B	FIFA	ELO	Best Finish	WC 2010
Spain	1	2	1st	1st
Netherlands	15	5	2nd(3 times)	2nd
Chile	13	10	3rd	10th
Australia	59	32	2nd Round	21st

Spain are the reigning World Cup Champions. Neither Chile nor Australia should provide much trouble to the Red Fury. The only threat to Spain here is their 2010 co-finalists Netherlands. In a rematch of the Championship game from four years ago we'll see how these teams have changed. Spain need to win this group after a shaky finish to the 2013 Confederations Cup where Brazil obliterated them. To quench the critics' doubts, and any they might have themselves, an opening game victory will be huge. Either way, this team should coast into the next round giving them a chance to win their 4th major tournament in as many tries.

Netherlands were bettered by just one goal, leaving them the 2nd best team in 2010. A bad taste in Oranje's mouth can be cleansed with a win on the first day of group play. Surely they will be looking for revenge against Spain, but they can't overlook the rest of the competition. They won every game in the group stage in 2010 but the opposition wasn't as strong. Winning a group outright can give you the kind of momentum that takes you to the final. Besides Spain, Chile is the major threat. By FIFA rankings, Chile is the better team, but don't follow that ranking too closely. The bigger problem here is that for Chile this will be as close to a home game as they can get. A good result against Spain, and Netherlands should hold off Chile. Minnows Australia always play tough as well, but in honesty, a focused Netherlands should be going through to round 2.

For Chile, this can be a statement year. Failing to get out of the group stage shouldn't be seen as a disappointment for this team, but playing with nothing to lose can improve performances. Two of the best teams in the world sit ahead of them, but the Australia game should be a huge win to give them something to celebrate. They qualified for the round of 16 in 2010 finishing second only to Spain. They're meeting four years ago was a tough one, trailing 0-2 at the half they came out swinging and scored a goal in the 47'. That would be all for that game, and a 0-3 walking over by Brazil in the Round of 16 sent La Roja home. An experienced team will be looking to get out of the group, but sometimes your luck is only as good as your draw.

Australia's decision to get out of the OFC and join Asia hasn't hurt them. Facing tougher competition, they continue to qualify for the World Cup reaching their third straight. Four years ago they beat Serbia, and held a strong Ghana team to a 1-1 draw, showing that the Socceroos are capable of playing against the world. A 0-4 loss to Germany was enough to send them home, and that happened on day one. Opening this year with Chile, Australia hopes for a better performance, because their games don't get any better after that. If nothing else, they'll gain some great experience from this tournament, but it'll be a shock to see them advance.

Key Match:

Spain and Netherlands will be a big game because it opens the tournament for both. The best result would be a draw for them so that they could keep a point moving forward. Bigger games for me will be Spain and Netherlands against Chile. The only team to threaten the big two for a spot to the play-offs, Chile will try to use the South American atmosphere to their advantage. Of course, the importance of these matches could be quelled quickly should Chile go down to Australia.