Ballack will miss Germany's first WC game due to injurey

[sarbaz]

He will not play vs. Costa Rica

[Pharaoh]

they'll be fine without him if it's just the first game

[Amir H F]

Yeah Costa Rica wont be a big opponent anyway so its good for him to rest.

[Aryan]

He will be replaced by karimi

[Arashi_Washi]

My prediction still stands firm then,

Ive predicted Germany will be the suprise of the Tournament by going out in the Groupstages

They will go out and Poland and Ecuador falls through

I belive Germany will eliminate themselves from the groupstages by very poor perfomances and i wouldnt be suprised if Costa Rica stole a point from Germany today

[soniq]

lol i read branko instead of ballack

[Your Cash]

Yeah but he got injured and didnt bother to tell anyone until a few days later? His attitude needs some serious adjustments as he thinks he is Alllll That but he really aint that big of a player..he is good but not that good to run his own rules!

[faraz]

My prediction still stands firm then,
Ive predicted Germany will be the suprise of the Tournament by going out in the Groupstages
They will go out and Poland and Ecuador falls through
I belive Germany will eliminate themselves from the groupstages by very poor perfomances and i wouldnt be suprised if Costa Rica stole a point from Germany today

I do believe your young age is blocking your vision on this one, just trust me!

i coudn't disagree more. Germany, in its past, has always had poor results leading up to the world cup. Last WC, they lost to England 4-1 ON GERMAN SOIL...and what happened?...they made the final.

I've seen enough of Germany to say that you can't judge them outside of the tournament itself. I'd say Germany will reach the quarters AT LEAST...don't forget that IT IS, after all, in a football crazed country...that is, GERMANY...with or without Ballack.

even if they scrape for a win ( a lucky 1-0, or 2-1)...it's still a win.

[Arashi_Washi]

I do believe your young age is blocking your vision on this one, just trust me!

i coudn't disagree more. Germany, in its past, has always had poor results leading up to the world cup. Last WC, they lost to England 4-1 ON GERMAN SOIL...and what happened?...they made the final.

I've seen enough of Germany to say that you can't judge them outside of the tournament itself. I'd say Germany will reach the quarters AT LEAST...don't forget that IT IS, after all, in a football crazed country...that is, GERMANY...with or without Ballack.

even if they scrape for a win ( a lucky 1-0, or 2-1)...it's still a win.

Faraz jan ive been pretty good at my predicting ahead of big tournaments

I predicted Greece the championships 2 weeks before it started, I know it sounds Crazy and i even saw Ashgar Agha saying he knew aswell

I predicted Turkey to go very far in 2002, even i got suprised

But why i belive Germany will fail in 2006 and will be the surprise of the tournament is following

I belive Poland and Ecuador are good teams well they are not bad, but i still think IF Germany will go through they will to final 16 and then its good bye for them

I belive they will not reach the quarterfinals at all, they will be a dissepointment this season next to Argentina

I belive Argentina can repeat the same failure they had in 2002,

For me u guys are totally underestimating the power of teams such as Ivory coast and Serbia in that group

I actually think Ivory coast will be finding a way through that group

JUst to mention to u 3 players from their squad

HAVING Emanuel Ebou and Kolo Toure in defence is a coaches dream, these 2 Arsenal stars can keep any defence rock solid

Drogba, Thats only 1 of their strikers or attacking power they have and dont tell me he sucks cause he IS deadly

So know u have my predictions and u will later on see if i was right or wrong

Remember my prediction Faraz and then come back to me

I think Today Germany will win, But I WOULD not be suprised if they actually drew with Costa Rica even tho i belive its highly unlikely

[faraz]

I completely agree with Ivory Coast. They will either knock off the Netherlands or Argentina in a fight for a place in the second round.

But let's just watch and see how the story with Germany unfolds. The beauty of football is in its unpredictability!

[Arashi_Washi]

I completely agree with Ivory Coast. They will either knock off the Netherlands or Argentina in a fight for a place in the second round.
But let's just watch and see how the story with Germany unfolds. The beauty of football is in its unpredictability!

Yes Faraz jan, Thx for agreeing with me on the Ivory coast part,

Germany i will be watching their game today agasint the Costa Ricans who will be hoping to maybe open this tournament with a HUGE Upset,

I still belive they dont have the players to do so, But a draw is maybe the best start they can be hoping for

But i belive Germany will be getting the following results in Their Group

Germany-Costa Rica 3-1
Germany-Poland 1-2
Germany-Ecuador 2-3

[Your Cash]

Opening games are ususally ultra conservative with low scores and at times boring. Germans are very good at playing horribly against weak teams in big tournaments. If CR plays smart today, they could get a point out of it.

[faraz]

Opening games are ususally ultra conservative with low scores and at times boring. Germans are very good at playing horribly against weak teams in big tournaments. If CR plays smart today, they could get a point out of it.

Again, i'd have to disagree. They are the only powerhouse of international football who know how to handle the odd runaways from the group stages. Remember, it is Germany who beat South Korea (if i'm not mistaken)...a team that Spain and Italy could not beat.

The mentality and general psychie of these Germans is extraordinary. They are built like machines, and like their cars, the mentality lasts a lifetime. I remember in the WC in the US i believe, Mexico had to play Germany, and up to the 75th minute, it was 1-0 Mexico. But somehow, Germany clawed back, and at the end of 90 minutes, Germany won the game 2-1. They are resilient, and can handle just about any team. Do not judge by the friendlies.