World Cup 2010 Predictions: Group D

Group D is being called the "Group of Death" by many experts.  It doesn't have the "sexy" teams that other groups have, but every team in Group D can not only advance to the knockout stages, but can finish in first.  Germany is the only "big name" in this group and are looking for an equal or better performance from their third place finish in 2006.  Australia and Ghana are also looking for repeat performances as they both advanced to the round of 16 four years ago.  Add in a dangerous Serbia squad and Group D is destined to be very intriguing.  So who advances out of this "Group of Death"?  Here are my predictions for Group D with each teams record and total points in parentheses.

 1. Germany (3-0-0, 9 points): There is a good chance that as this is being read, someone on Germany's team has just come down with an injury.  The injury bug started in early May when it was determined that probable starting keeper Rene Adler (Bayer Leverkusen) and midfielder Simon Rolfes (Bayer Leverkusen) would miss the World Cup.  Then two weeks later a giant blow was dealt to Die Mannschaft when captain Michael Ballack (Chelsea) was the victim of a dirty play by Kevin Prince-Boateng (Portsmouth) that ended his chances of playing this summer.  Since then, backup midfielder Christian Traesch (Stuttgart) and starting center back Heiko Westermann (Schalke 04) have also been shelved.  But as much talent as Germany has lost, the talent that remains on the roster cannot be ignored.  Germany is heading towards a youth movement as seven players on their roster were on the Under-21 Championship team from last year.  The young stars from four years ago are now wiry veterans as Philipp Lahm (Bayern Munich), Bastian Schweinsteiger (Bayern Munich), and Lukas Podolski (Cologne) will be expected to lead this team.  As unfortunate as the injuries to Ballack and Co. were, it has taken Germany out of the spotlight and removed some of the pressure.  Expect Germany to have something to prove in the group stages and move through an impressive Group D unscathed.  Look for rising star Mesut Ozil (Werder Bremen) to dazzle early and often.

 2. Australia (2-1-0, 6 points): Even though Australia doesn't have many recognizable names, they are a team that nobody wants to see in their draw.  That is because the Socceroos get the most out of their talent every four years and play fundamental football.  They did that in 2006 advancing to the knockout stages and were a questionable call away from going to overtime against eventual champion Italy.  The Aussies are very creative in the midfield with Brett Emerton (Blackburn) and Tim Cahill (Everton), but this team makes it happen with their defense.  Lucas Neill (Galatasaray) leads a solid back four in front of experieinced and big-game goalie Mark Schwarzer (Fulham).  Australia will navigate their way through Group D thanks to their defense and experience.

 3. Serbia (1-2-0, 3 points): Serbia is back in the World Cup again and is expecting grand things after a superb qualification.  The White Eagles won their group in impressive fashion beating out the likes of France, Austria, and Romania.  Their hot streak has run cold as of late though as Serbia lost a stunner 1-0 to New Zealand and played to a scoreless tie against Poland all within the last week.  This could just be a blip in the radar, but concerning nonetheless.  If Serbia is going to advance they will need Dejan Stankovic (Inter Milan) and Nikola Zigic (Birmingham) to be forces offensively.  They are sound defensively but against the likes of Germany and Ghana, they will need to put the ball in the back of the net.  Serbia's fate will come down to their final group game against Australia.  They will come up empty handed.

 4. Ghana (0-3-0, 0 points): As big as the Michael Ballack injury was for Germany, they at least have players who can come in and fill the void.  The same cannot be said for Michael Essien and Ghana. Essien is arguably one of the ten best players in the world when healthy and his loss will be too big to overcome.  The Black Stars will look to Kwadwo Asamoah (Udinese) to pick up the slack in the midfield for Essien and it won't be enough.  The darlings of the last World Cup will have a lot of pressure to reciprocate their success from four years ago and will fall well short.  Even if they have a chance to advance going into their final group game, Germany will be out for revenge for Kevin Prince-Boateng's tackle on Michael Ballack.  There will be no magical run this time around for Ghana.