Serbia kept their dream of escaping the group a real shot in the arm with their surprise victory over Germany, whilst Australia’s brave draw with Ghana has given them a chance – albeit a slight one – of making an appearance in a second consecutive World Cup last-16.

The most intriguing game tomorrow will be the clash between current group leaders Ghana and the pre-tournament group favourites Germany.

The Germans shock loss to Serbia has put their progression in the tournament in real jeopardy and they must now beat the Ghanaians to guarantee their place in the knock out stages. On flip-side a draw for Ghana would see them through, although that may mean they would finish the group as runners-up and possible date with England (some would say that would be a good thing!).

Germany will be without veteran goalscorer Miroslav Klose following his sending off in the Serbia game, and coach Joachim Loew will be nervously hoping that his probable replacement Cacau will be able to add to his account following his strike against Australia in their opening fixture. Other changes are possible as the Germans look to recapture the form that saw them so comprehensively defeat the Aussies.

The Ghanaians have problems of their own, with rebel midfielder Sulley Muntari having yet another bust-up with coach Milovan Rajevac, and although the talented Inter Milan man has apologised to his national manager, he looks likely to remain on the bench. Star defender John Mensah has recovered from a calf problem and looks likely to come back in to the side who will no doubt be looking for a stronger performance from ‘keeper Richard Kingston following his mistake in their last game which gifted Australia’s Brett Holman with a tap-in.

With South Africa, Nigeria and Cameroon already out of the competition, the Ghanaians will be desperate to ensure there is an African representative in the knock out stages. Whether they will be get anything out of the Germans remains to be seen, and you somewhat feel that they may have missed their chance with the stalemate in the previous game.

Should Ghana fail to get a satisfactory result from their clash with Germany the door will be left wide open for Serbia to earn a place in the last-16.

The win against the Germans was perhaps somewhat fortunate, with the foolish and ridiculous handball from Nemanja Vidic going unpunished following Lukas Podolski’s poor penalty, as well as the Germans having to play with ten men for nearly an hour.

What couldn’t be questioned however was their defensive solidarity, and once they had got the opening goal, it was very difficult for the Germans to break the Serbs down. A similar performance at the back against the Socceroos tomorrow should be enough to keep a clean sheet, but they will probably be looking for more from giant forward Nikola Zigic, who has flattered to deceive in front of goal so far in South Africa.

Hoping to end the Serbians knock-out chances will be the Australians who have a very slight chance of making it through themselves, although they will have to do so without the aid of Harry Kewell following his red in the Ghana draw, and will also be missing veteran centre half Craig Moore who has also picked up two yellows in the tournament’s first two games.

The Aussies will be boosted by the return of Tim Cahill from suspension, although how much impact he can have leading the line is questionable – particularly against such a strong and experienced defence, and coach Verbeek may chose to utilise Cahill in a familiar attacking midfield role and opt for the more physical presence of Josh Kennedy.

The Socceroos need to win tomorrow and rack up the goals to stand any chance of qualification, with at least a three goal swing required, with their humbling defeat to Germany coming back round to punish them.

The odds on the Aussies are slim, and Serbia look likely to progress, however it’s always perilous to right them off in any sport and only a fool would say they had no chance.

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Germany impressed the pundits in their opener against Australia

The first round of Group D fixtures gave us two winners, and those two sides will be looking to secure their progression to the knock out stages in their fixtures this Friday and Saturday afternoons. Group favourites Germany impressed many ‘expert’ pundits, and arguably gave the best performance of any side in the tournament’s first group games, whilst Ghana edged past Serbia thanks to a penalty in a tight and cautious game. Australia have a lot of work to do following their poor display against the Germans all of which must be done without star man Tim Cahill following his harsh sending off.

Looking at the Germany and Serbia clash on Friday, and it has to be said that the Germans again look likely to take the win – although perhaps not in quite the easy manner that saw them breeze past the Australians. Serbia proved against Ghana that they are strong and resolute at the back, but seemed to lack much finesse in the final third, and that would be there undoing over the 90 minutes, as the superior ‘Black Stars’ dominated the game, something they were aided in doing by the mindless red card received by Aleksandar Lukovic with quarter of an hour to go.

Serbia must be careful not to open up to much against the ruthless Germans, but will surely have to win the game to stand any realistic chance of getting out of the group.

Germany on the other hand will feel under less pressure to secure the win, but should be confident that their superior attacking outfit will prevail against the stoic Serbians. Memut Oezil – as predicted on Offthepost – made a telling impact on the game and will hope to turn in another top performance to secure a knock-out berth for the 15^th consecutive World Cup. Although they may be without important midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger, they shouldn’t be too worried

about not getting anything from the game. With three of s

trikers scoring goals, coach Loew should be full of confidence

that his forwards have shaken off their poor domestic showing and have found there blistering international form quickly.

Ghana look well-placed to progress to the knockout stages

Looking ahead to Saturday’s clash between Australia and Ghana, and it must be said that like the Serbians, it really is the last chance saloon for the Socceroos to get through to a second consecutive knock-out stages. The Ghanaians on the other hand are well placed to progress following their impressive performance against Serbia. With the pace and power of Gyan as well as he craft of Boatang they should have enough firepower to get goals against the Aussies, but should be careful at the back as they will doubtless come up against a more positive attacking performance than in their opening group game.

The Australians on the other hand will have to up their game to challenge the athletic Ghana side, and will have to defend with more organisation and class than they showed against Germany. Looking every bit the ageing side that they are, this tournament will be the swansong for many of this side, and they will surely want to go out with a bang. Starting the game with just Cahill up front was a mistake from Verbeek, as it negated the Everton midfielder’s greatest strength of arriving in the box late, but he will not have to make a decision on that front for this game, as Cahill is suspended following his red in the first game.

With no sides yet through to the knock-out stages, Germany will want to be the first side to qualify and a comprehensive win against Serbia would give them a good chance of going on and winning the group. Ghana will also fancy their chances against what look likes a poor Australian side, who themselves will be looking to regain some pride and give themselves a faint chance of getting out of the group.

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Qualified: Winners of Group 5 (in second round), Winners of Group D (in third round)

Best World Cup finish: Last 16: 2006

FIFA Ranking: 32

Odds for 2010: 100/1

Ghana successfully negotiated two rounds of qualifying to secure their place in the first ever African based World Cup and also a place at their second consecutive tournament following their run to the last-16 of the 2006 tournament before being eliminated by five time winners Brazil.

Like Germany, Ghana have been robbed of their star player, the versatile Chelsea midfielder Michael Essien, who will miss the tournament having sustained a knee injury during ‘the Black Stars’ African Cup of Nations campaign in January 2010, an injury that ruled him out of the rest of his club’s domestic campaign and which ultimately ended his World Cup chances, with a recovery estimated for late in July.

In his absence, the responsibility of his role in the side will be spread across the rest of the side, with Essien’s all-round midfield contribution regarded as almost impossible to replace.

However, the burden will perhaps fall more heavily on experienced midfielders Sulley Muntari and Stephen Appiah.

Muntari, who claimed a Champions League winners medal with Inter Milan last season, is regarded as one of Ghana’s best midfielders, and his creativity and versatility – he can play either on the left or central midfield – make him a useful asset to the side. He does have a turbulent history with the national team however, and was left out of 2010 Cup of Nations squad after a falling out with Serbian born Ghana manager Milovan Rajevac, before an apology opened the door to a recall.

Alongside Muntari in midfield will in all likelihood be Appiah, another Italian based midfielder who currently stars for Bologna, but has had spells with top European sides such as Juventus and Fenerbache earlier in his career. Perhaps seen as a similar player to Essien, albeit not as talented, he will be captaining the side for the second consecutive World Cup, having worn the armband in 2006.

Leading the attack will be Asamoah Gyan, who plays for French side Rennes, and was arguably the Ghanaians top player at the 2010 Nations Cup, scoring three of the four goals that the Black Stars managed in the tournament. An impressive tally of 19 goals in 38 games is promising, although he lacks a quality partner to play alongside, and may find it tough against the strong and physical defenders in Group D.

Speaking of defenders, much like Serbia, Ghana will be depending on two Premier League defenders to keep things together at the back for them.

Sunderland loan star John Mensah and Fulham right-back John Pantsil will start at the back for Ghana and with over 100 caps between them, they have enough experience to marshal a defence at a World Cup finals.

Another player who will be looking to shine include is the afore-mentioned Kevin-Prince Boatang, who only very recently changed his citizenship to Ghana, having represented group rivals Germany at all youth levels up to under-21. He will doubtless have lots of people to impress, none less than his brother who will be up against him, as well as the German manager who chose not to call him up. Not forgetting that following Portsmouth’s relegation from the Premier League and severe financial problems, he will be looking for a move to a major European league, and with the world watching, what better arena to showcase your talents?

Ghana are touted as the third favourites to escape Group D, and following the news that Michael Essien will miss the tournament through that knee injury, their chances took an even greater hit. With skilful midfielders like Boatang and Muntari as well as the strength and power of Mensah and Appiah, they look to have a good mix of skill and solidarity, although perhaps they may fail to score enough goals to give them a chance of making the knock-out stages.

Australia

Qualified: Winners of Group 1 (in third round), Winners of Group A (in fourth round)

Best World Cup finish: Last 16: 2006

FIFA Ranking: 20

Odds for 2010: 150/1

Australia booked a place in their third World Cup finals, and second in succession, with a successful first attempt at qualifying through the Asian Football Confederation, following their switch from the Oceania region.

Knowing that coming in the top two of their group in the Asian zone would mean automatic entry to South Africa 2010 – rather than to the lottery of a play-off as is the case in Oceania – the Socceroos got of to a flying start winning their first three games, and remained unbeaten throughout including taking four points off main group rivals Japan.

After a successful campaign in 2006, in which the Aussies reached the last-16 before controversially being eliminated by eventual winners Italy, the Socceroos will be confident of progressing to the knock-out stages for a second-time, with a squad that features several current or ex-British based players.

For the second consecutive major tournament, the spearhead of the Australian attack will be led by former Leeds United and Liverpool star Harry Kewell who currently plies his trade in Turkey for Galatasaray.

The injury-prone forward had notched 13 goals in 45 caps, making him the highest scoring striker in the squad in the absence of Mark Viduka, and there will be a lot of responsibility on the shoulders of Kewell to lead the attack and pose some problems for the somewhat physical defences in their group.

Aside from Kewell, the other attacking options in the side come from midfield, particularly in the shape of Everton star Tim Cahill. With his customary attacking midfield role he is a danger to most sides and his team-mates will be looking for him to add to his record of 20 goals in 40 games.

Other attacking stimulus should be provided by Blackburn Rovers wideman Brett Emerton – a veteran of over 70 caps – and former Palermo man Mark Bresciano.

The socceroos will be led by captain Lucas Neill who plays alongside Kewell at Galatasaray and he will be aided at the back by vice-Captain and former Rangers and Newcastle United centre back Craig Moore. And although Moore and Neill are the wrong side of thirty, their vast experience of the international arena may help to counter their lack of pace and mobility.

Behind them will be the vastly experienced Fulham goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer, who will wear the number one shirt with 75 caps to his name, and on the back of a brilliant season with Europa League finalists Fulham.

With plenty of experience through the whole of the Australian side, from Schwarzer in between the sticks through Neill, Emerton, Cahill and Kewell, the Australians stand a good chance of making it through to a second consecutive last-16 appearance, where as discussed above, they face the prospect of a potentially mouthwatering encounter with rivals England.

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Qualified: Winners of European Qualification Group 4

Best World Cup finish: Winners: 1954, 1974 (as West Germany), 1990.

FIFA Ranking: 6

Odds for 2010: 14/1

Germany cruised into their 15^th consecutive World Cup finals with an unbeaten qualification campaign that was clinched with an impressive one-nil victory over Russia in Moscow.

Dropping just two points in the whole campaign, the Germans had the two highest scorers in their group with Miroslav Klose’s seven goals just edging him ahead of frontline partner Lukas Podolski who notched six.

So the Germans, perhaps inspired by Bayern Munich’s impressive run to the Champions League final, marched into South Africa with a spring in their step, confident of at least a semi-final finish.

However, their optimism was surely rocked with the news that Captain Michael Ballack will miss the tournament courtesy of an injury picked up in the FA Cup final thanks to a tackle from Ghana midfielder Kevin-Prince Boatang – suffice to say it didn’t take long for the conspiracy theorists to clear their throats.

With the inspirational former-Chelsea star Ballack robbed of a chance to appear in a third World Cup finals, the captaincy was passed to Bayern fullback Phillip Lahm, whose quality is obvious to all not least by the fact that he was named in the All-star team at the 2006 World Cup.

The question for the Germans is who will step up and fill that void left by the absence of Ballack, and it looks like coach Joachim Loew will be looking to Werder Bremen youngster Mesut Ozil to step-up and prove his worth on the highest stage of all.

Ozil, who turned down the opportunity to represent Turkey for a shot with the three times winners, began his career with Schalke before being snapped up for about €4million by Bremen. He quickly became a key figure in the German youth teams and was a pivotal part of the team that dismantled England in their 4-0 win at the 2009 European under-21 championships.

With ten caps to his name so far, and just one goal, his team mates will be looking to him for some creative inspiration, although the fact that Germany are relying on such a precocious and relatively unproven talent is surely a concern for them.

So who is going to score the goals required to get them through to the knock-out stages?

On paper, the Germans have a strong assortment of forwards, although if you look a little further there is defiantly cause for concern.

The attack is likely to be spearheaded by Podolski and Klose, and despite their respectable goal returns in qualification, their domestic form throughout the last season has been poor, with the former scoring just twice since he moved back to FC Koln, and the latter – who needs just six goals to equal the all-time record of World Cup finals goals – notching just six times for Bayern Munich all season.

The back-up to these two, the €30million man Mario Gomez managed just ten goals for the European Cup finalists last season following his high profile move from Stuttgart.

As we all know, international football is different to club football, but if the leading German forwards continue with their poor domestic form, then the chance of a major upset occurring in this group will increase massively.

The responsibility for keeping the ball out of the net will be led by new captain Lahm, who will most probably line-up in a back four including new Manchester City signing Jerome Boatang – the brother of Kevin-Prince, who was involved in the injury to Ballack – and Per Mertesacker who was a regular at the 2006 tournament.

Behind the defence, the gloves will be given to Schalke goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, who has just five caps to his name. The alternative, Werder Bremen’s Tim Wiese also has a low amount of caps – just two – but is four years older than his rival.

This group looks like being one that the Germans should progress from, but is littered with banana skins in every game, and certainly will be harder to navigate than other groups such as those involving England and Spain.

In terms of the latter stages of the tournament, well that will be covered when we come to it, but as discussed above, if Germany’s forward line performs like it has in the domestic season then they may not get to reach those knock-out stages.

Serbia

Qualified: Winners of European Qualification Group 7

Best World Cup finish: Group stages: 2006 (as Serbia and Montenegro), 4^th Place: 1930, 1962 (as Yugoslavia)

FIFA Ranking: 15

Odds for 2010: 60/1

Serbia qualified for their first World Cup finals as an independent nation with an impressive campaign that saw them pip top seeds, and 2006 World Cup finalists France for the automatic qualification spot by just one point.

Despite lacking hoards of household names, the Serbian squad is made up of players at many of Europe’s top clubs, as well as several Premier League stars like Nemanja Vidic,Branislav Ivanovic and Nemad Milijas.

The captain, and holder of 81 caps spanning the three incarnations of the Serbian national team, is Inter Milan midfielder Dejan Stankovic.

A versatile player who can play in almost every position across the park, Stankovic became the captain of the newly formed Serbia following the disappointing 2006 World Cup campaign where placed in ‘the group of death’ Serbia and Montenegro returned home without a single point from their three group games.

Led by former Luton Town defender Radomir ‘Raddy’ Antic, who took over the coaching role in 2008, Serbia embarked on their successful bid to qualify for South Africa 2010 as the third seeded team in their group, behind Romania and favourites France. Yet they quickly established themselves as group leaders and didn’t surrender that throughout the campaign, which ended with a 5-0 thumping of Romania.

Their midfield linchpin and creative maestro will be captain Stankovic, however they will be looking to two prospective Premier League players to score the goals to give them a chance of doing anything spectacular at this Summer’s tournament.

Their top-scorer in qualification was Milan Jovanovic, who finished last season with Belgian champions Standard Liege, and who will be joining Liverpool later in the summer. His five goals helped to keep Serbia at the head of the group although he was aided by fellow English football new boy Nikola Zigic, whose three goals and considerable six foot, seven inches frame posed several problems for defenders. He will be joining Birmingham City for next season following an estimated £6million move from Valencia.

Although they did score a fair few goals in qualifying, their success was built on their solid defence, which features two of the best players currently in the game.

Manchester United centre-back Vidic, and Chelsea ‘utility’ defender Ivanovic have both included in the PFA team of the season, Vidic was in from 2006 to 2009 (spanning three seasons), whilst Ivanovic was included for the first time in 2010.

Another player that may be worth keeping an eye on is Manchester United reject Zoran Tosic who following a loan spell at FC Koln has managed to score five times in just 14 games for the German side and will be looking  to showcase his talent to boss Sir Alex Ferguson and prove his worth as a long term successor to Ryan Giggs on United’s left side.

With the two top class defenders mentioned above in their back line, Serbia can be confident of having a strong defensive base to build from, and can be confident that these two experienced and highly regarded players will be perform to a standard that will be among the very best at the entire tournament.

Rated by the bookmakers as the second most likely side to progress from the group, Serbia look set to do better than at the 2006 tournament, and will be looking to their forwards to score enough goals to keep them active in the tournament, whether they have enough skill and finesse to see off sides in what looks likely to be a physical group remains to be seen, but they are certainly in with a good shout of progressing, albeit in second place, which may set up a last 16 tie with England.

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