Group B - The favorites at the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa
Argentina
The South Americans are the team in Group B with the most chances of progressing to the next round of the tournament, despite their imperfections. Los Albicelestes showed real struggle in their qualification campaign for the 2010 World Cup, but vital wins toward the end of the process sent them to the promise land in South Africa. With their names stamped in the finals, the Argentines now have high hopes of showing their fierce side, which of course they could do through the likes of their world-class players. The group of men appointed to uplift the Argentina team in a heroic manner include reigning FIFA World Player of the Year Lionel Messi, Manchester City star Carlos Tevez, and midfield maestro Juan Veron. With the type of players that Los Albicelestes have, it is understandable that Maradona's side will be tipped as clear favorites to progress from Group B.
Nigeria
One might think that the Super Eagles are not used to extreme football, due to the arguably low standard of African football. Well, reasoning in this manner wouldn’t be profitable for the three other teams in Group B, since Nigeria possess a strong spirit that seems hard to intimidate. The fact that mentality plays a major part in football has been proven over and over again in history, and Nigeria seem to be the country with all the self-esteem to defend their green and white colors in South Africa.
The Super Eagles also count a number of stars. Peter Odemwingie, Obafemi Martins, and Yakubu Aiyegbeni to name a few. History is also on their side as the 1994 World Cup saw them top their table which contained the likes of Argentina and Greece. The 2010 World Cup draw has certainly offered luck to Nigeria. Let's see if they can take advantage of it.
Group B - The underdogs at the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa
Korea Republic
The Tigers of Asia are in the World Cup finals for the 8th time in their history, but they are yet to be considered as a threat in their group. The Red Devils didn’t enjoy a smooth 2010 World Cup qualification campaign as they drew on several occasions. But even apart from that, their frequent unconvincing performances appear to be the signal of a few troubles in their table. The former World Cup co-hosts finished in fourth position when the competition was partly staged in their country in 2002, but this time around in 2010, they might even find it difficult to go past the first round.
Greece
The Euro 2004 winners can somehow be regarded as a rising team due to their development in football. However, they weren’t lucky enough to enter the 2010 World Cup finals as automatic participants. Instead, they could only secure their place in the tournament after beating Ukraine in a two-legged play-off decider. The feeble form in which the Greeks are, surely, does not show much power is behind their troop. Thus, finishing in the top-two places might be a matter of chance and hard-fought miracle, rather than an obvious issue. How will Greece cast out the demons that haunted them during their first ever World Cup finals back in 1994 where they allowed 10 goals and scored none in a group that contained Argentina and Nigeria to complete a miserable adventure?
Group B - The players to watch at the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa
Argentina: Lionel Messi, Carlos Tevez, Sergio Aguero, Juan Veron, Diego Milito, Di Maria.
Nigeria: Yakubu Aiyegbeni, Peter Odemwingie, Obafemi Martins.
Korea Republic: Cho Won-Hee, Park Ji-Sung, Park Chu-Young.
Greece: Sotirios Kyrgiakos, Georgios Sámaras.
Group B - The crunch match at the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa
Argentina vs Nigeria
This will be the hardest, and perhaps the most decisive match in Group B at the 2010 World Cup, as stars from both sides will clash together in the group’s first fight. This game will present an enormous challenge for Coach Diego Armando Maradona who is yet to silence all his critics. This might also determine who will go to the next round of the tournament between Argentina and Nigeria, noting that this encounter involves the two group favorites.
Group B - A look back at some big points
Argentina and Nigeria – the 1994 World Cup
The two giants fought each other at the Foxboro Stadium in Massachusetts, during the 1994 World Cup tournament. In that game, Nigerian striker Samson Siasia – now a legend – offered a flying start to the Super Eagles with an 8th minute opener. However, a double from Caniggia several minutes before half time gave the Argentines a 2-1 lead, which the Nigerians weren’t able to break till the end of the game. In the long run, 2-1 was the final result.
Argentina and Nigeria – the 2002 World Cup
It was the Albicelestes who again won this meeting against the Super Eagles of Nigeria. Both sides faced each other at the Kashima Soccer Stadium in front of 34,050 supporters, but after a goalless first half, Argentina’s Batistuta scored the winning goal for the South Americans, making the final score line 1-0.
Group B - The big question
Will Argentina manage to regain their power and excel at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa despite their poor run in the South American qualifiers?
