World Cup 2014 Preview, Predictions: Belgium, Russia, South Korea, Algeria: Which Teams Get Out of Group H? [Watch]
As the 2014 World Cup looms on the horizon, Groups E and F have already been mentioned as Groups of Opportunity.
Meanwhile, Group H is yet another big Group of Opportunity, featuring four wild cards in the tournament. Here is a look at how the teams stack up against one another:
Belgium
Belgium is considered one of the top contenders favored to lift the trophy due to its crop of young stars. Eden Hazard will be the team's most important offensive force, but the Belgians also have the likes of Romelu Lukaku, Christian Benteke, Kevin Mirallas, Adnan Januzaj, Marouane Fellaini, Kevin De Bruyne, and Axel Witsel. This team is loaded and showed its tremendous quality during the qualifiers. One of the big question marks for the team is the lack of experience. Belgium has not competed in a World Cup since 2002 and many wonder whether this young team is ready for the limelight. Expectations are as high as ever, but one has to figure that if 2014 is not the year that Belgium wins it all, then 2018 is certainly a more plausible possibility. However, the question here is not whether Belgium wins the Cup in 2014, but whether the team wins the group or makes it to the knockout rounds. Considering the competition, this should not be an issue.
Russia
This is a team that could also hope to finish atop the group. The team, led by Fabio Capello, finished first during qualifiers in a group that included Portugal and Israel. The team looked inspired at times, but also struggled against Northern Ireland in a 1-0 defeat. Russia has not been particularly great in recent tournaments and will need a big performance from a relatively young generation that likely has its eyes set on winning the whole thing in four years at home. Expect the Russians to be motivated to put up a big run.
South Korea
Even if the European nations are the favorites in this group it is hard to count out South Korea. Ever since its historic run in 2002 at home, the Asian nation has managed to find ways to make its mark on the tournament. Four years ago, the team managed to get out of a group that included Argentina, Nigeria and Greece; it lost to eventual fourth-place side Uruguay in the Round of 16.
Algeria
This is likely the team with the biggest long shot to get to the Round of 16. The African nation struggled four years ago and failed to score a single goal in the competition. Algeria is more than capable of shutting down opposing offenses, but creating offensive chances is not the team's style. Do not expect Algeria to win a game as scoring a goal will continue to be difficult for the nation.
Schedule:
June 17 - Belgium vs. Algeria
Russia vs. South Korea
June 22 - Belgium vs. Russia
South Korea vs. Algeria
June 26 - South Korea vs. Belgium
Algeria vs. Russia
Prediction
Logic dictates that Belgium runs away with this group, but the team lacks the experience of playing on the big stage. They have a strong attacking presence, but could easily implode in tricky matches against Algeria and South Korea. The key match of this group will be Russia vs. Belgium as the winner will likely be the favorite to win the group. Belgium should not buckle and will be led by its young core to win the group. Capello gets Russia to put on a strong performance and gets them to finish second. The Koreans play admirably and finish third while Algeria scores but does not earn a point.
1. Belgium
2. Russia
3. South Korea
4. Algeria
LISTEN HERE FOR OUR TEAM'S WORLD CUP DEBATE ON OUR OFFICIAL PODCAST: