The “Group of Death” gets back underway with their second round of matches this Sunday when African hopefuls Ivory Coast take on Cup favorites, Brazil, at Soccer City Stadium in Johannesburg, South Africa. Brazil looked a bit shaky early on in their 2-1 victory over North Korea but overall, looked like their typical, domineering selves. Ivory Coast, on the other hand, arguably looked like the superior squad against Portugal despite finishing in 0-0 stalemate. Nonetheless, the “Group of Death” is still up for grabs at this point and we are likely in store for one of the more exciting matches of the tournament.
Prediction:
Brazil is clearly the superior club and will be considered favorites in every match they play from here on out. However, that doesn’t mean they are invincible nor does it say that Ivory Coast isn’t capable of causing some trouble. Ivory Coast has a solid defensive unit and enough talent in the midfield and upfront to score against Lucio, Juan, Maicon, Melo, and Cesar. Again, I hate to go back to him, but I think it all lies on the shoulders of Didier Drogba. He doesn’t have to score a hat trick but his presence alone can be enough to open up some opportunities for Gervinho and others. Arm brace or not, expect to see everything Drogba has. The question is will it be enough? Probably not.
