World Cup Group Review

Alright, the greatest event to ever grace this planet is back after 4 damn years. Last night the draw took place to determine teams for the group stages.

My Group of Death would go to Group C which consists of Argentina, Ivory Coast, Serbia & Montenegro and Netherlands. Crespo, Drogba, Kezman and Robben. All excellent Chelsea forwards fighting it out. All strong countries with great players. I personally for hope the Serbs and Ivory Coast to triumph. All the matches for this group must be fantastic to watch.

All the talk is of how England managed to get an easy group. And they would probably go through. Paraguay's power era of the great Chilavert had long gone. I'm not sure if Dwight Yorke still plays Trinidad & Tobago. The main challenger would be Sweden. But as most Swedes play in the EPL, their experience would not be enough to clear the England hurdle. This group is too easy.

Representing Asia is Iran, Japan, South Korea, Saudi Arabia and Australia. No one expects much but I would love to see some upsets and maybe a quarter final place for an Asian country if we're lucky. Japan vs Brazil could be a good match as I'm sure the legendary Zico have some tricks to stop Brazil. And maybe Australia or Japan can covet the 2nd spot to progress. Iran can bank on the fact that Angola is a first time participant and try and to qualify for the next stage. Saudi is up against Spain and Ukraine so it is a lost cause there. South Korea has a rather easy group as well so. And as Togo is another 1st time African country so a 2nd placing is also possible.

The rest of the groups should not see any major upsets. Except maybe Ghana with Essien who could cause some damage in Group E. Germany, Costa Rica, Italy, Czech Republic, Portugal, Mexico, Spain and Ukraine should progress easily. The dark horse would be USA and Ghana.

Come on all Chelsea players!

P.S. Don't get injured

Bet Smart: Week 14 - 16

My betting situation is now equivalent to a car crash. A whirlwind of crazy bets leave me with nearly 50% of the original pot. The exact amount is not known as my refusal to face up to reality might change my luck somwhat. Ok it is around $50. Enough. Let's analyze this weekend's games.

With hardly much cash to spare, $5 bets are the way to go. $5 on a Chelsea 3-0 win (6.70) over Wigan may seem ridiculous. But given Chelsea's clean sheets recently and Wigan's poor form, 3 goals shouldn't be a problem. Some might point to the fact that Wigan has only conceded 5-7 goals away all season. But this is Stamford Bridge and Wigan will be spanked. And Dave Whelan should stop calling for salary caps for players. Who cares about your rugby crap. Who cares what you think. Sucka.

My other bet would be on a Bolton 2-1 win against Aston Villa. Villa should have the strikers back for this game. Philips and Baros are excellent goal poachers. But Villa has a lack of squad depth, and with Bolton on a high after beating Wenger's Arsenal last weekend, Allardyce should have no problems against Aston Villa.