With hosts Brazil, Croatia, Mexico, and Cameroon, Group A appears to be one of the most difficult groups in the tournament. Brazil is heavily favored to move on to the knock out round, but the second spot in the group is largely up for grabs.
Team Breakdown:
Brazil: The hosts have won the World Cup a record five times and are the odds on favorite to win it in front of their home fans this year. Many experts are concerned that the pressure may be too much for Brazil to actually come out victorious in this year's World Cup. With attacking talents like Neymar, Oscar, Willian, and, my personal favorite, Hulk, A Seleção definitely have the firepower to make it to the final. Defenders Thiago Silva and David Luiz will be under a lot of pressure to provide cover for goalie Julio Cesar who has not seen a lot of action with his club teams, Queens Park Rangers and Toronto FC, this year.
Croatia: Croatia's main strength is their midfield pairing of Luka Modric and Ivan Rakitic who both have the capacity to control the pace of games with their passing and skill on the ball. Both midfielders also have the ability to score goals from distance and by making runs into the box. The Vatreni will be forced to take on Brazil in the opener without their best striker, Mario Mandzukic, who is suspended from the first game after receiving a red card in qualifying. Croatia were plagued with inconsistency through out qualifying and struggled to win their playoff against Iceland to get in. If Modric and Rakitic are able to stabilize their team, Croatia should be able to move on to the knockout stages.
Mexico: El Tri were barely able to qualify for the 2014 World Cup, needing a play-off round victory over New Zealand to secure their place. Mexico are lead in attack by Oribe Peralta, who scored five goals in two games against New Zealand and two goals in the 2012 Olympic Final, where Mexico took home the gold. Javier Hernández and Giovani dos Santos provide additional attacking quality, but Hernández has struggled to find playing time for club and country and dos Santos is inconsistent. The aging defense is lead by Rafa Márquez, making his forth and final World Cup appearance. Mexico's attack will need to function on all cylinders and the defense will need to play well enough to hold Brazil and Croatia in check for El Tri to advance.
Cameroon: The Indomitable Lions may have the best nickname of any team in the tournament, but their chances of moving on to the last 16 are pretty slim. Samuel Eto'o has been a star for his club teams over the years, but the 33 year-old captain has started to slip. Eto'o has also failed to show the same form when playing for his country that we see at the club level. Cameroon are a pretty young team everywhere else and will rely on the likes of Joël Matip and Vincent Aboubakar to find their form to advance. If Eto'o can find the fountain of youth and mesh with the young lions, Cameroon might have a chance to sneak out of the group.
Players to watch:
The Star: Neymar
Neymar is the best players on one of the best teams and the favorite to win it all. How well Brazil does will largely depend on how influential Neymar can be. Neymar can score great goals and create them as well. If Neymar is able to exert his will during the World Cup, Brazil have a very good chance of taking home their sixth title.
The One to Watch: Luka Modric and Ivan Rakitic (tie)
The Croatian duo has the power to control any game because, they can dictate the pace of play with their passing skills and goal scoring ability. They will be especially important against Brazil when Croatia will be without Mandzukic. If Modric and Rakitic are able to stymie other team's possession Croatia will be a formidable team.
The Question Mark: Giovani dos Santos and Samuel Eto'o (tie)
Both players hold the key to their teams' attacking options. However, both players are also inconsistent. Dos Santos has long been seen as a player who failed to live up to his potential while Eto'o is past his prime. At this point it doesn't look like Mexico or Cameroon will advance to the Round of 16 but dos Santos or Eto'o could take their team to the next round if they're able to find their form and the back of the net.
Projected Finish:
1. Brazil
2. Croatia
3. Cameroon
4. Mexico
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