2010 World Cup Bracket Prediction Thread

[Louis VI the Fat]

  Groups       RoundOf16    Quarters    Semis    Finals    Semis     Quarters     RoundOf16      Groups
1A__France__________                                                                              ___Argentina_________1B
              |____France________                                                    __Argentina__________|
2B__Nigeria__________|            |                                                  |            |_South Africa___________2A
                           |_____Serbia_______                          ___Germany_________|
1C__England__________             |            |                        |            |             ___Germany_________1D
              |___Serbia_________|            |______Spain______            |            |_Germany___________|
2D___Serbia_________|                         |                        |                         |__USA__________2C
                                        |      ____Brazil________      |
1E_Netherlands___________                          |                        |                          __Italy__________1F
              |_____Netherlands_______             |            ___Spain_________|             Italy____________|
2F_Slovakia___________|            |            |                        |            |            |__Denmark__________2E
                           |__Brazil_________|                        |__Spain__________|
1G_____Brazil_______             |                                                  |             _Spain___________1H
              |___Brazil_________|                                                  |_____Spain_______|
2H__Chile__________|                                                                            |__Portugal__________2G

I picked very conservatively. Mostly relying on reputation more than form.

Some groups are quite easy to predict, others are impossible. I think goup A is the least predictable, it really could go any way. Group F - now that Drogba is out - I think is the most predictable.

I am relying on Serbia not to succumb to infighting, and on the Americans to take out Algeria for me.

1. France , Mexico , South Africa , Uruguay
2. Argentina , Greece , Nigeria , South Korea
3. Algeria , England , Slovenia , USA
4. Australia , Germany , Ghana , Serbia
5. Cameroon , Denmark , Japan , Netherlands
6. Italy , New Zealand , Paraguay , Slovakia
7. Brazil , Ivory Coast , North Korea , Portugal
8. Chile , Honduras , Spain , Switzerland

[johnhughthom]

Some groups are quite easy to predict, others are impossible. I think goup A is the least predictable, it really could go any way.

I thought Group D was the most difficult, I could imagine picking the other two teams on another day.

[Louis VI the Fat]

I thought Group D was the most difficult, I could imagine picking the other two teams on another day.

I think Serbia has far better players than Oz and Ghana.

Then again, maybe I'm still recovering from Serbia pwning France in the qualification round.

Which, come to think of it, perhaps isn't all that much of an achievement. And I hear Serbia has a lot of internal strife. Maybe I overestimate their prowess.

[Sarmatian]

I think Serbia has far better players than Oz and Ghana.

Then again, maybe I'm still recovering from Serbia pwning France in the qualification round.

Which, come to think of it, perhaps isn't all that much of an achievement. And I hear Serbia has a lot of internal strife. Maybe I overestimate their prowess.

Where did you hear about internal strife? The atmosphere within the squad (and among the nation and the press, too) is the best I've seen in the last 15-20 years...

EDIT: And what's a "wooden spoon" award?

[Louis VI the Fat]

Where did you hear about internal strife? The atmosphere within the squad (and among the nation and the press, too) is the best I've seen in the last 15-20 years...

EDIT: And what's a "wooden spoon" award?

I dunno, Sarmatian. I thought I remembered reading about volatile internal peace in the Serbian camp somewhere. Don't know where again.

A google reveals that Antic has the authority to be above strife, that the traditionally unruly and fractious players accept his authority. I guess I misread the point of some article then. Whereas Serbia, which always draws from a tremendous pool of talent, has always been prone to internal strife, it is not at this moment.

(Which remains to be seen - will the peaceful atmosphere hold in the face of possible adversity?)



The 'Wooden Spoon' is the Scotland Lifetime Rugby Award.

[drone]

@Louis: I'll need your tiebreaker answers, and I take it you have Spain beating Brazil in the final?

@Sasaki: I know soccer has a bad reputation in the US, but 54 goals total? There are 64 total games in the tournament.

[Louis VI the Fat]

Tiebreakers
1: Total Goals Scored in Tournament (not including shootout PKs): 142___
2: Total Number of Red Cards in Tournament: _21_
3: Golden Boot winner: ____Villa______
4: Wooden Spoon "winner": ___New Zealand_______
5: Number of shanked PKs by England (missed, not saved, in game and in shootouts): _2_

Do red cards include two yellow, or only direct red cards?

[Sasaki Kojiro]

@Sasaki: I know soccer has a bad reputation in the US, but 54 goals total? There are 64 total games in the tournament.

Yeah and USA plays 8 games of the 64...8X4=32...54-32= 22, so that's only 34 0-0 ties in the tournemant, not that extreme.

[drone]

Do red cards include two yellow, or only direct red cards?

Any sending off, straight red or 2 yellows.

Yeah and USA plays 8 games of the 64...8X4=32...54-32= 22, so that's only 34 0-0 ties in the tournemant, not that extreme.

[AggonyDuck]

Here are my predictions:

  Groups       RoundOf16    Quarters    Semis    Finals    Semis     Quarters     RoundOf16      Groups
1A Mexico____                                                                                  _____Argentina_ 1B
              |____Mexico____                                                    ___Argentina_________|
2B___Nigeria___|            |                                                  |            |_____Uruguay 2A
                           |    ____England_____                       __Germany___|
1C___England______             |            |                        |            |                ____Germany__1D
              |_____England___|          |__Brazil________                   Germany_|
2D__Ghana______|                         |                                                     |___USA 2C
                                        |                 ____Germany_____      
1E__Netherlands__                          |                        |                          ______Italy 1F
              |______Netherlands             |          ____Germany______| Cameroon___|
2F__Slovakia______|            |            |                        |            |            |______Cameroon 2E
                           |     __Brazil_____|                      |___Spain_______|
1G__Brazil______             |                                                  |             ____Spain 1H
              |______Brazil___|                                                  |____Spain_|
2H__Chile____|                                                                            |_____Portugal 2G

Tiebreakers
1: Total Goals Scored in Tournament (not including shootout PKs): 172 
2: Total Number of Red Cards in Tournament: 15
3: Golden Boot winner: Cacau
4: Wooden Spoon "winner": Sven-Göran Eriksson
5: Number of shanked PKs by England (missed, not saved, in game and in shootouts): 2

[naut]

Grps   Ro16         1/4            1/2                 Final             1/2           1/4           Ro16   Grps
1A___Mexico____                                                                                ___Argentina___1B
               |___Mexico____                                                     __Argentina_|
2B___Nigeria___|             |                                                   |            |______France___2A
                             |___England___                          __Germany___|
1C___England____             |             |                        |            |             _____Germany___1D
                |___England__|             |___Brazil___            |            |__Germany___|
2D___Australia__|                          |                        |                         |_________USA___2C
                                           |      ___Brazil___      |
1E___Netherlands_                          |                        |                          _______Italy___1F
                 |_Netherlands_            |            ____Spain___|             ____Italy___|
2F___Paraguay____|             |           |                        |            |            |_____Denmark___2E
                               |___Brazil__|                        |____Spain___|
1G___Brazil___                 |                                                 |              ______Spain___1H
              |___Brazil_______|                                                 |_____Spain___|
2H___Chile____|                                                                                |___Portugal___2G

Tiebreakers
1: Total Goals Scored in Tournament (not including shootout PKs): 157
2: Total Number of Red Cards (straight up or 2 yellows) in Tournament: 18
3: Golden Boot winner: Luís Fabiano
4: Wooden Spoon "winner": South Africa
5: Number of shanked PKs by England (missed, not saved, in game and in shootouts): 1

Surprising how you've all gone for such conservative red card counts and goals scored. The last 5 world cups have an average red card count of 19.6. The average goals scored over the last 5 world cups is 147. Plus if you look at trends based on host nation (recent world cups only, for tactical reasons), there seems to be an affect over goals scored, with the defensive minded Italians hosting 1990 where only 115 goals were scored. So a chaotic country like South Africa should foster an attacking tournament.