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SWC preview: Group G

Cape Town - Sport24's Wade Pretorius previews Group G at the 2014 Soccer World Cup and predicts fireworks in this strong group.

If the draw was kind to Argentina then it was cruel to Ghana. In the second toughest group of the tournament, the Black Stars find themselves up against pre-tournament favourites Germany and Portugal.

I don’t think this year will see Ghana challenging in the knock out rounds. Likewise the Americans, who despite their lofty FIFA ranking, will surely not have enough in them to defeat either of the Europeans in the group.

Germany go into the tournament with only one striker, Miroslav Klose, but make up for this with the best midfield in the tournament. I would bet that Philipp Lahm will be pulling the strings all the way to the semi-finals.

FIFA rankings:

Germany: 2nd

Portugal: 4th

USA: 13th

Ghana: 37th

Players to watch:

Thomas Muller, Mesut Ozil, Philipp Lahm (all Germany), Cristiano Ronaldo,William Carvalho, Pepe (all Portugal), Kevin-Prince Boateng  Jordan Ayew, Kwadwo Asamoah (all Ghana) and Tim Howard(USA).

Two to go through:

Germany, Portugal

Team to create a stir:

Ghana. The Black Stars will not be going to Brazil for a haircut. The African giants will be hoping to avenge the demons of the 2010 SWC when a certain South American went from striker to goalkeeper. Ghana certainly has the squad capable of beating any team in this group. Let’s hope luck is on their side this time as it’ll be tough out there.

Match not to be missed:

Germany v Portugal – Depending on the results in this group, this match has the potential to send the victors into the Round of 16 and the losers to the airport. I’m backing the Germans to be clinical but don’t quote me on that. If CR7 is fit and in the right mood then anything is possible. I’m going 2-1 to Germany, they are a big tournament team despite the perceived lack of fire-power up front.

Don’t forget to join our Superbru pool for the 2014 SWC and test yourself against the Sport24 team.

Will Ghana be able to upset the European giants? Will Jürgen Klinsmann derail his home nation’s chances?

Look out for our Group A, Group B, Group C, Group D, Group E and Group F previews.

Follow Sport24's Wade Pretorius on twitter: @wadepretorius

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