World Cup 2010 - Group H

Okay this might be the easiest group for a seeded nation...

Team v • d • e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
Spain	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Switzerland	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Honduras	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Chile	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Clearly the favorite is the defending European Champion - Espana. I cannot imagine any of the other group nations challenging Spain, maybe Chile if they play the perfect game and catch the Spanish on an off day. But since that game is on the last day it might not matter for the Iberian squad. Hosting a midfield that contains the likes of Alonso, Xavi, Iniesta and Cesc. Torres and Villa will be very hard to contain by any of these nations. Spain also have one of the best keepers in the world in Cassilas and a strong defense anchored by Puyol (who is a bit long in the tooth but should be fine). So who will challenge for the second spot? The Swiss surprised some by finishing top of their group...granted it was a fairly weak group and only beating the Greeks by a point. The Swiss will be relying on the old reliables such as Frei and Yakin. The Swiss were able to get to the knock out stages in the Germany World Cup and might have a chance to do the same this tournament. Or will they? Honduras finished 3rd in the CONCACAF region. Honduras do have some strong talent on their side such as Suazo who plays for Inter as well as the veteran Pavon to head line the attack. The Hondurans will have to hope to get a result from their first match against Chile, since the second game will be against the European Champions. Depending on how well the strike force will play will determine how far the Central American nation can go. Finally Chile is the one side that some are looking to as a surprise nation. They finished 1 point behind the leaders Brazil. They did score a famous 1-0 victory versus Argentina during the qualifiers. Unlike the squad that went to France 1998, they do not have stars such as Salas and Zamorano to lead the squad. However they clearly have a good system in place and are buying into the their Argentine manager - Bielsa - system. They could surprise and have a legitimate chance to get to the knock out stages. Of course the second place team from this group will most likely face Brazil in the next round...ouch.

Predictions: Spain, Chile, Honduras, Switzerland. Spain are head and shoulders above all the nations in their group. I think that Chile will carry their great qualifier form into the World Cup, they will most likely face Brazil in the first round of the knock out stages, while I do not expect they will beat the Samba Boys, they could give them a more difficult match.
Player to watch: David Villa for Spain. The Valencia star is over shadowed by his Spanish teammates - Torres, Xavi and Iniesta - however he is clearly a consistent scoring threat for Spain, winning the Golden Boot. If he has a similar tournament as he did during the Euros the Spanish will be a heavy favorite to win their first World Cup...