Let’s take a look at the final and complete 23-man roster for Greece’s World Cup team.

Goalkeepers include Kostas Chalkias from PAOK Salonika, Alexandros Tzorvas from Panathinaikos, and Michalis Sifakis from Aris Salonika.

Defenders include Stelios Malezas from PAOK Salonika, Nikos Spiropoulos from Panathinaikos, Vasilis Torosidis from Olympiakos, Avraam Papadopoulos from Olympiakos, Sotiris Kyrgiakos from Liverpool, Socrates Papastathopoulos from Genoa, Evangelos Moras from Bologna, Loukas Vintra from Panathinaikos, and Giorgos Seitaridis from Panathinaikos.

Midfielders include Sakis Prittas from Aris Salonika, Christos Patsatzoglou from Omonia, Sotiris Ninis from Panathinaikos, Giorgos Karagounis from Panathinaikos, Alexandros Tziolis from Siena, and Kostas Katsouranis from Panathinaikos.

Strikers include Giorgos Samaras from Celtic, Theofanis Gekas from Hertha Berlin, Pantelis Kapetanos from Steaua Bucharest, Dimitris Salpigidis from Panathinaikos, and Angelos Charisteas from Nuremberg.

My first ever World Cup was Argentina in 1978 and the reigning world champions West Germany along with Brazil were clear favourites in that tournament and neither of them reached the final. In fact Brazil were even bigger favourites in 1982 along with holders Argentina with Maradona in his prime and both countries failed to get past the second stage.

Brazil were firm favourites in 1998 after winning it in 1994 but they at least did reach the final despite never playing to their potential in that final and losing 3-0 to France. But in recent times, it is hard to see a more dramatic case of a huge favourite biting the dust than in 2002 when France went into that tournament as reigning World and European Champions. Not only did they not win the tournament or even reach the semi-finals but they were eliminated in the World Cup group stages finishing bottom of the group without even scoring a single goal.

Brazil were firm favourites again in 2006 as defending champions but lost to the French along the way. So the lessons from history then are clear and that favourites don’t really stand that much more of a chance than the rest of the field combined. This is a serious factor because if you blindly believe that a nation like Spain will automatically win the World Cup just because they are a great side then you are failing to take into account not only the chaotic nature of sporting events but also the other really great sides in the tournament as well.

Teams like Argentina, Italy, France, Holland, Germany, Portugal, England to name just a few. In the latter stages of any cup competition then luck will play a vital role. But this applies to the group stages as well. Take Germany for example, they will be firm favourites to progress from their group that includes Ghana, Australia and Serbia but yet every one of those teams is a potential banana skin for the Germans.

It would not fall beyond the realms of probability for the Germans to miss out on qualification. Serbia came top of their qualifying group that included France so that will be very difficult and Australia put in some fine performances in the last World Cup and now can clearly beat any side on their day. The fact is that there are a lot of nations who are dangerous and who can beat anyone on their day and there are three such teams in Germany’s group.

Carl “The Dean” Sampson

Each football bet that we place will rely on England having a good squad of players to back to glory so Capello must choose carefully. The provisional squad is as follows, with my predictions for those seven players who will miss out on the final squad in bold.

Goalkeepers: Joe Hart, David James, Robert Green.

Defenders: Leighton Baines, Jamie Carragher, Ashley Cole, Michael Dawson, Rio Ferdinand, Glen Johnson, Ledley King, John Terry, Matthew Upson, Stephen Warnock.

Midfielders: Gareth Barry, Michael Carrick, Joe Cole, Steven Gerrard, Tom Huddlestone, Adam Johnson, Frank Lampard, Aaron Lennon, James Milner, Scott Parker, Theo Walcott, Shaun Wright-Phillips.

Forwards: Darren Bent, Peter Crouch, Jermain Defoe, Emile Heskey, Wayne Rooney.

I think Capello will take all three goalkeepers, but if one is to be sacrificed it will probably be Joe Hart. In defence Jamie Carragher will provide cover at left-back and therefore Stephen Warnock will probably miss out. In central defence the two peripheral players are Dawson and Upson. As Dawson has never won a cap despite being involved in various squads I think he will be the play who is sent home.

In the midfield positions I think that it is too early for Adam Johnson and because Lampard and Gerrard are completely established in the centre Huddlestone and Parker will miss out. With Gareth Barry being injured, I expect him to be sent home as well. I believe Capello should take all four of the forwards but there is a possibility if Barry stays with the squad then it may be Carrick or Bent that is sacrificed.

The World Cup groups have been set for some time and Capello may risk taking Gareth Barry because the passage through to the knock-out stage is not nearly as difficult as it might have been and even the peripheral squad players should have enough talent to step in and still win through with something to spare. Looking at the squad I think the outcome of whether Barry can have a chance of being fit for the knock-out stages of the competition is key in regards to who gets sent home.

It is an exciting time for a sports betting fan to research into the world cup squads and how the selections will impact the odds. With a record amount of money likely to be wagered on the World Cup this summer you should sign up with an account with bwin.com and prepare for the action. Hopefully England can do it, but regardless of the eventual outcome this will be a fantastic summer of amazing football that only comes around once every four years so make sure you enjoy it!

The only thing bigger than the world cup this summer will be the transfer frenzy of signing the top performers.

By Malcolm Clarke

German was the main host of the 2006 world cup which saw Italy walking away with the cup; the event was the usual, filled with excitement and anticipation. While the event itself is always leaving a mark every where, 2010 promises even much better than that, for the first time, the event is being held in the home grounds of the African continent. Apart from the millions and millions of people who are expected to come and enjoy the event, the continent is expected to be left with a shining new look and glory which is probably why everyone is enviously waiting for it.

Organized by the FIFA (Federation Internationale de Football Association), the event sees more than 160 national teams battling it out in the continental rounds while 32 move on to the final. South Africa being the main host has an automatic entry and the burden of doing all it can to walk away with the cup and not remaining with the shame.

Which ones are the qualifying teams for the 2010 World Cup?
The draw for the qualifying teams was held on 25 November 2007 in the city of Durban in South Africa. Thirty two teams in all will be battling for the glory and of course the golden prize, some of the notable national teams that qualified includes German, Italy, Brazil, Cameroon and Cote d’lvoire.

Is South Africa ready for the event?
Moving towards to the event has been somewhat of a nightmare for the hosting nation; South Africa has faced some criticism over it being ready to host the event. However, looking at the progress they have achieved, the nation seems more that ready for a mark in the history of football. In the on set of the preparations, the nation set aside an enormous R8, 4bn for the construction phase with over twelve stadiums being set aside for the event, the biggest one in Johannesburg is expected to accommodate over 90,000 people.

The public transport system is also expected to get a shake with new projects that have since been persuaded that include the Gautrain and the Rea Vaya which is the new bus rapid transit system. The security concerns have also been raised after the Togo incident; however, South Africa has assured the world that all is in place for a smooth and peaceful event. FIFA also added on the weight approving of the readiness of the nation.

For those looking forward to enjoy the event while relaxed in your couch the viewing experience is set to be bliss, the event is set to use the most advanced Sony technology to film the tournament with 3D cameras promising to capture the historical moments.

Manager Fabio Capello was furious enough with the situation to strip John Terry of his captaincy in a short twelve minute meeting. Good for him. Former managers may have given him another chance and took the easy way out citing his suitability to the role. Not Capello. He is sending out a message to Terry and every member of the squad; shape up or you will be booted out of the team next. Players need reminding that an international cap is a privilege and not a right, I think they have got the message loud and clear under Capellos strict regime.

Currently England are amongst the favourites for the World Cup. Their current odds with bwin are 6/1 behind Brazil at 5/1 and the favourites Spain at 17/4. With Spain inconsistent before winning Euro 2008 you can see we have a good chance at the tournament. The incidents between Bridge and Terry are not likely to alter the odds, but consider other things that will be occurring around the squad right now.

The other players in the squad will be unnerved by what is going on and will be discussing the coverage in the papers between themselves and contacting Wayne Bridge and offering their support. Likewise, but perhaps to a lesser extent, the same thing will be happening to Terry. The mere fact they are discussing the debacle is a bad thing for England. Capello does not like to get involved in things like this and is a tough, matter of fact manager. He will be aware, however, that the England team has to deal with media scrutiny a little more than other countries. It demands a different approach.

Ashley Cole’s injury has cast doubt on whether he will be at the World Cup. Bridge is only viable replacement unless Gareth Barry moves into the role where he started his career. Bridge has not publicly stated whether he would accept a call-up to the squad and rumour has it he has so far snubbed efforts by Terry to get in touch and discuss things. The fact that the spotlight is now on Terry and Bridge playing together is cannon fodder for the media and something Capello would have been keen to avoid in the World Cup build up.

Younger players may be disillusioned with their captain and the nature of the incidents involving Terry and Bridge force you to take sides. By nature this splits the squad. It is now vital for Capello to bring the squad together and ensure things are not left lingering. Rio Ferdinand needs to be accepted as Captain and the squad needs to move forward together. Hopefully this can happen at the Egypt friendly.

I would personally like to see Bridge and Terry play together in the friendly and give at least a public sign of a truce, even if that masks their private feelings. This public truce would serve to dampen the media flame that is burning so intensely at the moment. I think that perhaps Capello will want the same thing as he is not the type of manager to view this as anything more than an irritating distraction brought about by silly players not thinking about the repercussions of their actions.

In my opinion the media did gleefully exaggerate the story. The woman involved was not with Bridge and even though she has a child with him the link to Bridge was exaggerated in terms of the reported “Terry has an affair with team mate’s girl” angle. Of course Bridge is embarrassed (we all heard the crowd chants) but Terry is rightly being criticised for his extra marital activities and it is not the first time he has been caught out. He needs to realise the media are watching for him to slip up. Failure to toe the line has cost him his captaincy, he needs to make sure he limits the damage this has caused and it does not upset the England squad anymore than it has done already.

Our World Cup hopes may depend on it.

By Malcolm Clarke