Quarter-final 4: Spain 1-0 Paraguay

In readiness for a game in which both sides were bidding to go further than they had ever gone before Paraguay made a massive six changes, probably a record number of changes between a second-round match and a quarter-final. Most changes were made in the attacking third with Cruz, Benitez and Barrios being consigned to the bench.

Spain were not themselves in this game though this could be at least partially attributed to Paraguay forcing them to play poorly. Spain's fluid passing game appeared to have been replaced by disjointed passing and a team that couldn't get a proper stranglehold on the game. Not that Paraguay could either in what was a tense, difficult battle for both sides in which, if anything Paraguay were slightly better on the overall balance of play.

Paraguay were indeed unlucky not to be ahead at half-time after Valdez scored on the 40 minute mark, only for it to be ruled offside. The decision was touch and go. Valdez appeared to be just onside but Cardozo (who the ball drifted over on it's way to Valdez) appeared to be offside. The question of course is whether Cardozo was interfering with play, and with the lack of clarity of the law as it stands both interpretations are legitimate. Paraguay could so easily have been ahead.

The match had a bizarre turn of events during the second half. Pique wrestled Cardozo to the ground in the box, conceding a penalty. Cardozo's penalty was a reasonable effort but Casillas pulled off an excellent save, and he did very well to hold onto the ball in the process. Second's later it was Spain's turn to be awarded a penalty, Alcarez adjudged to have bundled Villa over in the box in what was an incredibly harsh decision. Alonso duly converted only for Batres to order a retake for encroachment. It was technically correct with one or two players feet a couple of inches into the box. It was almost as if Batres realised he had made the wrong call initially to award the penalty and was trying to prevent them from scoring it. Villar saved the penalty and scrambled the ball away to safety. In the process he made a clear trip on a Spaniard with his arms but no penalty was given.

The game was finally decided with around 7 minutes to go. It was a lovely move by Spain. Iniesta skilfully set up Pedro after a classic delightful Xavi flick. Pedro's excellent shot was thwarted by the post but Villa scored the rebound, albeit this also coming off the post. They deserved a goal for the move but they barely deserved the win. Paraguay had done a great job of preventing Spain from playing in the manner they are accustomed and for that deserve a lot of credit. It really could have gone either way. The Guatemalan ref left a fair bit to be desired also, it has to be said.

WORLD CUP FINAL Preview. Netherlands v Spain

This is it. The biggest game in World Football bar none. 32 teams started the tournament and now there are only two left to fight it out to the death. And it is being competed by two countries who have never won the World Cup. Whoever wins will be only the eighth winner of the trophy.

The Dutch have the most historical baggage to contend with. They are (in my opinion and the court of public opinion) the best side never to have won a world cup. They lost consecutive finals in '74 and '78 to Germany and Argentina. Their team might not be as good as the Neeskens inspired Dutch side of the seventies but they have the chance to go one better. Holland have regularly had brilliant players - the likes of van Basten, Gullit, Bergkamp, Kluivert etc. But they have always failed somewhere along the line at the World Cup. Whether it be through in-fighting, penalty shoot-out failure or something else, the Dutch have become synonymous with World Cup stuff ups.

Spain are the perennial underachievers of world football. Considering the talent they have had at their disposal in many world cups, it is shocking that this is the first World Cup for which they have made the semis. Thus whatever happens this Spanish side has gone further than any other. Spain are bidding to become only the third country to hold both the World Cup and European Championships simultaneously (West Germany were the first and France the second).

Strangely enough Spain and the Netherlands have never faced each other at a World Cup or European Championships. They were in the same qualifying group for Euro '84 and that is the sum total of their World Cup and European Championship history.

Two players go into this game in first equal place for the Golden Boot. Sneijder and Villa have five goals each (alongside Mueller and Forlan). Sneijder has already won the Coppa Italia, the Seria A and the Champions League this season. He has the opportunity to add the World Cup and/or the Golden Boot to these achievements. And if he did, he would surely be a shoe-in for the Ballon d'Or and the Golden Ball.

Both sides have well organised defensive shapes to complement some very exciting attack minded players. If Spain manage to dominate the possession like they did against Germany they will be very difficult to beat. This game has the potential to be quite open but with such a big prize at stake it also has the potential to be very cagey, tentative and tense.

No-one is suspended for this game. No-one it seems is injured either after Dutch keeper Stekelenburg appears to be fit. The Dutch have a fairly obvious starting eleven but there are still question marks over Spain: will Torres start or stay on the bench as he was for the semi? The midfield is one area in which Spain are burgeoning with talent. The four regular starters Xavi, Iniesta, Alonso and Busquets also have Pedro, Fabregas and Navas breathing down their necks.

There will be much talent on show from both sides in the final. Who will be the hero? Will it be the likes of a Robben or a van Persie, or will it be an Iniesta or Puyol, or will it be a super sub that no-one even expects to get on the pitch?

It's not long to go until we find out.

Round of 16. Match 8: Spain 1-0 Portugal

This match was a mouth watering prospect that didn't quite live up to the hype. That's not to say it wasn't a good game - it was. It just wasn't a brilliant game, which with the players on offer it really could have been.

Torres and Villa both tested Eduardo in the early stages and Eduardo started as he meant to go on. In other words throughout the game his quality shone through. He made some excellent saves and underlined his reputation as one of the goalkeepers of the tournament. Casillas on the other hand appeared shaky, punching weakly and behind him from Tiago's shot, although doing very well to recover under pressure from Almeida. Casillas also spilled a free kick from Ronaldo but he spilled it with enough force that it still managed to escape from danger.

Portugal had a few other chances throughout the game. Simao sent in a couple of good balls that no-one managed to get properly on the end of and Puyol almost diverted an Almeida pass into his own goal. But in truth they lacked incisiveness and only threatened sporadically. Ronaldo for one had a very disappointing game.

Spain dominated proceedings through their typical domination of possession as they played pretty passing football around the edge of the box as they patiently sought the breakthrough. Llorente came on for Torres and almost opened the scoring - his header was very well saved by Eduardo at point blank range.

Villa was a constant menace, and it was he who scored the winning goal around the hour mark. Xavi, who had made a good run, lightly flicked on a ball from the mesmerising Iniesta into the path of Villa who scored at the second attempt. It was a well worked goal and fitting that it was Villa who scored it.

I do have to point out that the goal was offside. I did a frame by frame analysis and although Villa was clearly onside when Iniesta played the ball, at the moment when Xavi flicked the ball on he was offside. Not by much granted, but a few inches is still offside. It would have been hard for the assistant referee to pick up that Xavi had flicked the ball on, let alone that it was definitely offside even if he had. So I will forgive the decision. And Spain did deserve to win. Indeed instead of Portugal almost coming back into it both Ramos and Villa had opportunities to extend the lead.

Right at the death Costa was sent off for elbowing Capdevilla. This was a poor decision and showed Capdevilla off in a bad light. Yes there was a hint of an elbow, but that went into his side and nowhere near his face which he went down clutching.

Preview of semi-final 2: Spain v Germany

This is a repeat of the Euro 2008 final which Spain won 1-0. The Germans will no doubt be wanting revenge for this on an arguably bigger stage! From my calculations these two countries have only faced each other seven times in either World Cup or European Championship history. The 3 world cup clashes have resulted in two German wins and a draw, the four European Championships have seen two wins each. Germany have won the World Cup 3 times which is the third best record of all countries - they hope to win this one and join Italy on four titles. Spain have never even made the semi-finals. They did finish fourth once (in 1950) but that was the World Cup that was decided by a final group stage.

In this edition of the FIFA World Cup both Germany and Spain had two wins and one loss in the Group stage. However both teams opening games couldn't have been more different. Germany opened with a scintillating 4-0 win over Australia, Spain suffered a shock 1-0 defeat at the hands of Switzerland. Germany's defeat came at the hands of Serbia in their second game. Interestingly both sides who beat Germany and Spain did not manage to take the second qualifying spot in their group.

In the second round and the quarter-final Germany prospered with two big wins: 4-1 over England and 4-0 over Argentina. They produced some breathtaking football. Spain on the other hand had a narrow 1-0 victory over Spain in a tight affair, and spluttered 1-0 past a Paraguay side who were not only hard to break down but were unlucky not to be ahead at half-time. Spain shouldn't be worried by the differences in their wins though. Past results count for nothing and no-one will be taking anything for granted for tomorrow morning's game.

Both countries have exceptional sides. Spain, the pre-tournament favourite boast an excellent goalkeeper in Casillas, a very good defence (particularly Ramos and Pique) and a mesmerising midfield with the likes of Xavi, Iniesta, Alonso and Busquets. The brilliant Fabregas may get a chance to start ahead of Torres who has been looking rusty on his injury comeback trail. Villa has five World Cup goals this tournament and will be looking to add to his tally as the race for the Golden Boot hots up. Spain have scored 6 this tournament and Villa has 5 of them - which shows how important he is for the side. They have conceded two.

Germany's strength comes particularly from their young guns in midfield/attack. Bastian Schweinsteiger has had a superb tournament in the defensive midfield role, Özil has been a revelation, Khedira has looked quality and Müller has complemented an all-round game with a few goals. Klose has profited from the midfield service to score some good goals. In contrast to Spain they have scored 13 (seven more) and conceded two. The thirteen goals have been spread nicely around: Klose and Müller have four, Podolski has two, Cacau 1, Özil 1 and Friedrich 1. Klose has 14 World Cup goals in total, he is tied on second equal with German great Gerd Müller. He needs just one more to draw level with Ronaldo (ex Brazilian superstar) and two more to have the record for himself. With two games to achieve this milestone it is a distinct possibility.

Müller is the only player in the match who is suspended after picking up two yellow cards. There is no doubt he will be missed but Germany certainly have enough quality to cope without him.

I expect this to be a close game. I can't see Germany over-running Spain as they did England and Argentina. England and Argentina were weak both in personnel and tactically, Spain shouldn't make the same mistake. Spain will need to impose their passing game as they have done so well on many occasions. They didn't manage to do so against Paraguay which is a cause of concern for them. Germany will have studied this game and with an excellent tactician like Löw in charge will surely have a good game plan sussed.

There is a real possibility of an epic on the cards!

Preview of Quarter-final 4: Spain v Paraguay

Neither Spain nor Paraguay have ever won the World Cup or ever really come close. For Spain this is very surprising considering the quality they have often had at their disposal. But for this generation there is the suggestion that these players have what it takes, particularly after finally breaking their major tournament duck by winning Euro 2008. If they do manage to get past Paraguay they will face a repeat of the Euro 2008 final against Germany. Paraguay have a worse world cup record than Spain having just reached the quarter-finals for the first time ever. They will be hoping that in this game they can write another wonderful chapter in their history. This Paraguay side are considered the best they have ever produced and progressing to the semi-finals would not be as far-fetched as it sounds.

The Spanish game is based on possession and lots of it. They pass the ball around beautifully, mesmerically and with sublime ease. There is not a team in the world better at keeping possession. They have a midfield to die for in Alonso, Xavi, Iniesta and Busquets - a midfield that doesn't even have enough room for the brilliant Cesc Fabregas. They are very used to working together and they all have their own specific qualities that complement each other well. Villa up front is in top form having scored four out of Spain's five World Cup 2010 goals. Pique and Puyol are an experienced centre-back pairing and Ramos provides a good attacking option from right-back as well as being solid in defence. Capdevila is probably the weakest player in the team at left-back. Casillas is one of the world's best keepers. The man likely to partner Villa in attack is Torres but he has looked rusty all tournament. Llorente impressed in his cameo against Portugal but I don't expect him to start in this game.

Paraguay are a defensive unit. They have only conceded one goal all tournament (in the first game against Italy). Centre-back Alcarez looks particularly strong and he even scored a goal against Italy. They also play with deep central midfielders who break up the play effectively. Vera, Riveros and Caceras are more than just extra defenders however - Vera and Riveros both scored excellently finished goals against Slovakia. Paraguay have had some problems keeping possession so (especially given my comments re Spain) I would expect Spain to dominate this area of the game. But with Santa Cruz and Barrios up front Spain must still be wary. They may not be Cabanas but they are very capable. I expect Paraguay to adopt a defensive approach to this game though not as badly as Switzerland did against Spain. They would be more than happy with penalties I imagine.

It's hard to see Spain not progressing but a Paraguay win wouldn't be as big a shock as some would contend. They finished second in South American qualifying and I expect La Albirroja may not be as easy for La Roja to get past as it might appear on paper.

Preview of Round of 16. Match 8: Spain v Portugal

This is La Furia Roja versus Selecção das Quinas. It's the clash of the Iberian neighbours - one of the biggest rivalries in world football. This is two teams who can play sumptuous football, love to attack and have a number of household names in their teams.

The most recent chapter of their rivalry was Euro 2004 in which they were drawn together in the Group stage. Going into the final game against Portugal Spain were level with Greece on top of the group, on four points and needed just a draw against Portugal to progress. Instead they lost 1-0 and Portugal ultimately made the final.

Spain came into World Cup 2010 as favourites but are yet to really live up to their billing. They were stunned 1-0 by Switzerland in the opening group game in which despite looking good lacked the penetration to break them down. They have since bounced back from this to defeat Honduras 2-0 and Chile 2-1 to take top spot in Group H.

Portugal have also yet to really light up the tournament but they are a side who are very hard to break down. They are yet to concede a goal at World Cup 2010 having recorded two 0-0 draws with Ivory Coast and Brazil, either side of a 7-0 drubbing of North Korea. They have a very good recent defensive record but they rely too much on their midfield to score goals as they don't really have any notable strikers.

Neither side have players suspended and the only injury of note is that Alonso is struggling to be fit for Spain. If he doesn't make it then Martinez should start. Deco is back from injury for Portugal but with the form Tiago is in it will be surprising if he starts.

Key players

Spain

Villa has scored three of Spain's four goals thus far and is looking in the mood.

Iniesta is one of the best midfielders in the world.

Casillas is captain and one of the best goalkeepers around.

Portugal

Ronaldo has finally broken his international goalscoring duck of around 18 months. Perhaps this will be the impetus he needs to break the shackles. He always looks dangerous and is incredibly skilful. Maybe this is the day he lights up World Cup 2010

Tiago has been in fantastic form in midfield.

Coentrao is a brilliant left-back who performs at a consistently high level.

Expectations: This is a mouth-watering clash that people will hope lives up to expectations. Spain should have more of the possession and more of the early attacks on goal. Portugal will look to keep it tight and counter-attack with pace, poise and penetration. If there is an early goal this match could end up being a classic but the longer it stays 0-0 the more likely people are to be disappointed. Both sides will be hungry to reach the quarter-final - especially as they will both back themselves to beat Paraguay when they get there.

Group H final set of games

Spain 2-1 Chile

Spain went into the match knowing only a win would guarantee qualification. Chile knew they only needed to draw.

The opening exchanges were lively. Torres had a couple of early chances and a lovely move by Chile resulted in Beausejour setting up Gonzalez which he sent wide. Chile started to dominate proceedings and Sanchez attempted an exquisite cheeky lob that Casillas managed to flap away. Then, disaster struck for Chile. Goalkeeper Bravo rushed out of his area to clear Alonso's through ball and take it away from Torres. He won the ball (as he needed to) and cleared it away - but instead of to the sideline it went further up the pitch...and straight to Villa who sensationally kept the ball on target from 30 yards out with a first-time shot. 1-0 Spain.

A second goal for Spain wasn't long in coming. As Chile pressed for an equaliser gaps were appearing - Iniesta won the ball in Chile's half and a few crisp and incisive passes later he was clinically despatching a quality strike. In the process Estrada was given a second yellow card for a trip on Torres and was therefore sent off. Estrada deserved his first yellow but the second yellow was harsh. He barely caught Torres and it appeared accidental. However moments earlier he had not been booked for a cynical foul when he perhaps should have, so overall maybe the decision was inadvertently correct.

In the second half Chile showed what a courageous side they are. With ten men they scored a goal right at the start of the half and didn't concede again. Medel and Ponce were both tigers in defence but both picked up yellow cards and are suspended for the Brazil game - both would surely be missed. Chile's goal was a touch fortuitous: second half substitute Millar had his shot deflected off Pique's knee and it was diverted into the net.

Both teams played an almost farcical last ten minutes of possession football - not interested in tackling or setting up goals. Both knew they had done enough to qualify should the game being played simultaneously (Switzerland v Honduras) remain at 0-0.

Switzerland 0-0 Honduras

Honduras knew only a win could give them even a small chance of qualifying. Switzerland knew a draw or a win may or may not be enough - depending on the result in the Spain v Chile game.

Despite the scoreline this was actually a fairly entertaining game. Honduras showed far more attacking intent than they could muster in their first two games and came very close to scoring on a number of occasions. Unfortunately for them, they didn't, and they would be eliminated without a goal to their name.

Both sides created a number of chances but neither team could trouble the goalscorers. Frei was disappointing for the Swiss as he barely mustered a shot and Nkufo had a couple of glaring misses. The Swiss showed their desire for goals by bringing Hakin Yakin on at half-time but he was unable to conjure up the victory they so desperately sought. Honduras were also guilty of glaring misses but were also denied by some quality keeping from Benaglio.

On the balance of play Honduras would have warranted 3 points, but it was not to be. And both sides were sent packing.

Group H's second set of games

Chile 1-0 Switzerland

The first thing I noted was the return of Behrami and Frei to the team. Frei is the key goalscorer for Switzerland so I saw this as a big boon for them. As was to be expected Chile started off doing more of the attacking while Switzerland were content to defend and hope to catch Chile out on the break. The red card after around 30 mins only allowed this pattern to intensify. Behrami's red was harsh - his high hand connected with Vidal's neck, and Vidal milked it for all it was worth. In fairness the dismissal was soft.

Chile attacked throughout the game but were wasteful with their chances. In fact in two World Cup games they have had over 40 shots and only managed two goals. It is this profligacy which could haunt them in the final reckoning as progression may come down to goal difference.

About five minutes after Switzerland had recorded the record for consecutive minutes played at the World Cup, with around 20 minutes to go, Chile finally broke the deadlock with a close range header from Gonzalez. In injury time Chile's profligacy almost came back to haunt with Derdiyok spawning a brilliant chance to bring things level.

Swiss keeper Benaglio had a quality game as did a number of the outfield Chileans. Unfortunately for Chile Carmona and M Fernandez are now suspended for the Spain game. Two big players to be without. And thanks to a whistle happy ref who wouldn't let the game flow.

Spain 2-0 Honduras

Interestingly Navas came in for Iniesta in midfield and Torres was starting upfront. This match was pretty much all Spanish attack and Honduran defence. Villa smashed the crossbar from 30 yards and managed to open the scoring on 17 minutes with a fantastic goal - lovely turn and precision finish after great build-up play.

The second goal didn't come until the second half - again a nice interchange from the Spanish, this time leading to a well hit, but deflected goal. Villa had the chance for a hat-trick but he missed a penalty (the giving of which was justified), sending the keeper the wrong way but blasting it wide.

Fabregas came on with half an hour to go and impressed in his short time on the field, almost scoring a goal in the process. Navas and Ramos did well down the right all evening and Spain were in general a cut above Honduras.

Honduras did however give Spain the odd nervy moment and worked ultra-hard in defence to keep the damage to a minimum.

Group H opening games

Chile 1-0 Honduras

Chile were worthy winners. They attacked with verve and imposed themselves on the game right from the outset. Honduras were forced to spend most of their time defending although they did have a couple of reasonable opportunities. It was a bit of a surprise that Chile were only able to score one goal, and a slightly fortuitous one at that - a sumptuous move ended with Mendoza inadvertently playing the ball against Beausejour's backside resulting in a goal. Sanchez was particularly impressive throughout the game as were the likes of Vidal and Valdivia. The referee was one of the tournament's worst however including a yellow card for mistaken identity to Palacios, yellow cards for clean tackles, and missing a probable penalty.

Switzerland 1-0 Spain

As the game got underway my first thought, as it probably was always going to be, was...wow - Spain can afford to have Fabregas and Torres on the bench. What a squad they have! Spain employed a five man midfield consisting of Xabi Alonso, Busquets, Xavi, Silva and Iniesta with Villa leading the line, Pique, Puyol, Ramos and Capdevilla in defence, and Casillas in goal. In other words, a five star line-up with the quality of Navas, Fabregas, Torres and Pedro on the bench.

As the game got into its swing I marvelled at the beautiful passing of the Spanish team. They kept possession so effortlessly, their short and long range passing so precise and their build up play patient and composed, they were an absolute delight to watch. Spain dominated proceedings and created some decent opportunities but not as many as they should have given their dominance. Switzerland defended very well and Grichting in particular was impressive at the back.

The winning goal came as a result of a break away, ricochets galore, confusion in the box and ultimately a ball stabbed home from close range by Fernandes. The Swiss goal was put under intense pressure for the rest of the match but they held firm for their first ever victory against Spain, putting the favourites into trouble in the early stages of Group H. Surprisingly Fabregas wasn't even given the opportunity off the substitutes bench, Torres was but was unable to provide the goal that Spain were so desperately crying out for.

Group H preview

Chile

Strengths: Chile love to attack and do so very well. They attack in numbers and are not a team who sit back. They also put lots of pressure on the opposing players making their attack sometimes seem a form of defence. They have an excellent striker in Huazo who was top scorer in the South American qualifiers. Sanchez is a winger with a lot of promise and M Fernandez is the key in the midfield - he was Best South American Player in 2006.

Weaknesses: With so much attacking prowess it is almost inevitable that their weakest area is their defence - they can put themselves under pressure too readily and find it difficult dealing with the aerial demands, particularly as they are a team prominently short in stature. Suazo suffered an injury on May 30th in a game against Israel, he is struggling to be fit. Chile will need their talisman at World Cup 2010.

Formation: 3-1-3-3. An exciting and clever system.

Manager: Marcelo Bielsa - his second stint at international management, he also managed Argentina from 1998 - 2004. He has been with Chile since 2007. He is a real football personality, a real tactical innovator and has some crazy coaching methods!

Qualification: Chile finished second in the South American qualifying section - only one point behind Brazil and ahead of Paraguay on goal difference. It was a comfortable qualification.

World Cup pedigree: This is Chile's eighth world cup. They have only twice made it past the Group stages finishing 3rd place in 1962 (when it was held in Chile) and to the second round in 1998 - the year of yet another of my World Cup favourite players Marcelo Salas. 2010 will be their first World Cup since then.

Chance of progression from Group H: 65%, probably in second place.

Honduras

Strengths: Honduras play well, within their limitations. They have a strong defence, a powerful midfield and are good on the counter-attack. They conceded the least number of goals in qualifying. 37 year old Pavon is the highest scorer in Honduran history and he and David Suazo will be expected to be the ones to provide the goals. Wilson Palacios, who plays for Tottenham Hotspurs in the Premier League, is the most well known.

Weaknesses: Honduras lack experience of competitive international football which is a disadvantage. Wilson Palacios also recently suffered a problem with his shin that threatened his tournament but it now appears he should be fit for the first game. Honduras playmaker Julio De Leon has been ruled out of the tournament with an injury with just hours to go until the first match. During the whole qualification phase, goalkeeper Noel Valladares was criticised because of his constant mistakes. It would be interesting to know if the Honduran political situation affects the team psychologically.

Formation: Will either employ the defensive 4-5-1 or a 4-4-2

Manager: Reinaldo Rueda has been manager of Honduras since 2006 and was previously manager of Colombia from 2004-2006

Qualification: Honduras finished in the third and final automatic qualification spot in North/Central America, ahead of Costa Rica on goal difference!

World Cup pedigree: This will be Honduras' second World Cup, their first appearance was in 1982 when they famously drew against Spain in Spain. They also drew with Northern Ireland but lost to Yugoslavia. They didn't make it to the 2nd stage.

Chance of progression from Group H: 25%, should surely miss out.

Spain

Strengths: Spain are the favourites for World Cup 2010 and it is not hard to see why. They have lethal finishers like Torres and Villa up front and probably the best midfield in the tournament with the likes of Xavi, Busquets and Iniesta. It is so good that the brilliant Fabregas is not first choice (and it is also likely Torres will be on the bench). Casillas is a top quality goalkeeper and they even have a quality defence with Puyol, Pique etc. They also have a massive strength in depth.

Weaknesses: A number of their players have injury concerns, including Iniesta - but all are still likely to play. They may also be suffering from fatigue from a gruelling Spanish/English domestic season (20 of their squad play in Spain, 3 in England). Out of all four areas on the pitch defence is their weakest, but that of course is relative.

Formation: Probably a 4-2-3-1.

Manager: Vincent del Bosque is in his first stint in international management which start post Euro 2008 (which Spain won) - he has experience in domestic football with the likes of Real Madrid and Besiktas.

Qualification: Spain finished top of their qualifying group recording a perfect 10/10 wins.

World Cup pedigree: This is Spain's 13th World Cup and their 9th in a row. Shockingly their best ever result was fourth in 1950 and have been knocked out in the quarters four times (1934, 1986, 1994 and 2002)

Chance of progression from Group H: 90%, probably in first place.

Switzerland

Strengths: Switzerland are an excellent defensive side. They have an organised and disciplined game. Senderos will be influential at centre-back and Frei is the main man for goals - at international level he scores more often than one every two games. Barnetta is only 25 but he is the third most capped in the squad and is definitely a talented midfielder.

Weaknesses: They are a limited team - they have a few key players, an effective and cohesive will, but lack the spark, firepower and imagination to be sure of winning games. Frei is carrying an injury and should at least miss the first game. He is crucial to Swiss chances so this could play a large influence on their fortunes.

Formation: Almost certainly will be 4-4-2

Manager: Ottmar Hitzfeld. He has managed Bayern Munich for a number of years previously but this is his first stint at international management. He is considered a great tactician.

Qualification: Switzerland finished top of their qualifying group, 1 point ahead of Greece.

World Cup pedigree: This is Switzerland's 9th World Cup - their best showing is the quarter-finals of 1934, 1938 and 1954. Since 1966 this is only the 3rd World Cup for which they have qualified.

Chance of progression from Group H: 55%, probably miss out.