Every World Cup series always features a "Group of Death." It is a group unique from the rest because of its particularly intense level of competition, where strong teams are competing for very limited spots to advance in the next stage of the tournament. In the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, Group G has been hailed as the group of death because of the presence of Germany, Portugal, USA, and Ghana. The four teams are ranked 2, 3, 14, and 24, respectively, in the FIFA world rankings.
Group G quickly grabbed the football world's attention when the balls were picked and the draw was made public back in December. All four teams in the group have World Cup experience and the talent and roster to make a deep run in the tournament. Germany boasts a formidable line-up and is one of the top favorites to win it all. Portugal on the other hand, has Christiano Ronaldo, one of the best if not the best player in Football today, who can single-handedly change the coarse of a game. Put in the mix the presence of a rising football power in United States and the most lethal African squad in recent World Cups, and it's a group stage matches that any football fan wouldn't want to miss.
The group G stage matches also feature a battle between master and apprentice when Jurgen and his American squad faces Jogi and Germany on June 26 at Arena Pernambuco Recife, Brazil. Jurgen Klinsman, the current manager of team USA, was the former manager of Germany while Joachim "Jogi" Leow was his long time assistant and now successor. It will surely be an emotional encounter when the two meet. Klinsman won the battle of wits when his team beat Germany 4-3 in an exciting frienldy game back in June. This time, however, Germany won't be holding back.
Aside from chess match battles between famed coaches, there are also plenty of high-profile individual battles between players that can give fans a nice treat. A duel between the Boateng brothers, Kevin-Prince of Ghana against Jerome of Germany should give fans more than what they have asked for. But the best duel in this group is between Ozil against his former Real Madrid teammate, Cristiano Ronaldo. They are not only the best players in their teams but are also very close pals. Ozil's superb play making skills made life easier for Ronaldo back in their Real Madrid days but now they will try to out-duel each other to carry their teams to the top.
What's very intriguing about Group G is its top-to-bottom competitiveness. Simply pick any game from the group and you sure won't regret it. Germany and Portugal are expected to advance in the next round but United States and Ghana will look to surprise fans and upset the two European powerhouses. Whatever the outcome, Group G should leave plenty of action and drama.
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