Feature

Group F is, from the point of view of FIFA world rankings, the weakest of all of the groups, but one of the more predictable. Current holders Italy will be expected to comfortably top the group with New Zealand to be firmly routed to the bottom of the table. The pivotal fixture between Slovakia and Paraguay will almost certainly decide second place with most experts expecting Paraguay to prevail. The South Americans have the benefit of previous experience of football’s top competition and it’s not outside the realm of possibility that they even grab the top spot with the firepower at their disposal...

Based on FIFA rankings Group E is the most hazardous in the tournament but in reality it’s surely set to hand Holland an easy passage to the knockout phase. The Dutch go into the Finals off the back of a 100% record in qualifying (admittedly from an easy group) and in superb form at both ends of the pitch. The recent hamstring injury that appears to have sidelined Arjen Robben for at least the group stage is a major blow but even the loss of such a talent shouldn’t put expectations of winning this group at a canter in danger...

Group D is the only one that includes four teams who won their respective qualifying stage, while the combined FIFA rankings of the four teams involved show it to be one of the toughest to call in the tournament and therefore a gamble in Fantasy terms...

It would seem that any reservations concerning Diego Maradona’s managerial abilities can be shelved until the knockout stages in light of this draw; in lining them up against three rank outsiders, Group B has been undoubtedly kind to Argentina. With the other teams- Greece, Nigeria and South Korea - not the most prolific of scorers, Argentina should not only be in the position to bang home a full goals, but repel any opposition efforts. To his credit, recent games have seen Maradona illustrating a certain sense of tactical nous, as he looks to build a firm foundation around which Lionel Messi and the likes of Gonzalo Higuian and Angel di Maria can flourish...

Group A is possibly the trickiest one of all to call; South Africa are the outsiders of the four even though up until now, every single World Cup host nation has qualified for the knockout stages. One look at the bookies odds reflect how close this group is in comparison to the others...

The early symptoms of World Cup fever are setting in and that means us Fantasy Managers need to up our search for a fix this Summer. While there have already been a few early entries, perhaps the most significant game launch so far has spawned from the marriage of Ronald McDonald and Sepp Blatter (I can't tell you how hard it was to resist the obvious clown joke), with the official FIFA game, presented by McDonalds, opening up for registration at the weekend...

Mark looks for the nearest blunt object as Granville rubs salt into his open wounds. It's seems like there's still no love lost in the rivalry and the heat is on for the final couple of games of the season. Granville is already practicing his 'rock the babies' celebration…

What a week it’s been for Granville, he's literally the daddy now. Daddy to newly born twins and daddy to Mark, who now really does look up to me. Yes listeners, for the first time this year against all the odds the mini-league rivalry has flipped and Mark is demanding a paternity test. PaddyPower were laying 66/1 on that unlikely event...

Frazier Campbell is currently the top-scoring forward for this gameweek. Two of the three top-scoring midfielders this week are from relegation-threatened clubs; Matt Taylor and Charles N’Zogbia. Both players played pivotal roles in their respective team’s wins as Bolton and Wigan climbed closer to safety. Bottom line is there’s clearly some decent Fantasy Premier League (FPL) points hauls available at the bottom of the table, as certain teams and players step up to the mark…

The last few gameweeks have turned into something of a source of frustration for many a Fantasy Premier League (FPL) manager, with the newly-heralded “Holy Trinity” of Wayne Rooney, Didier Drogba and -once again- Fernando Torres all spending time on the sidelines as injuries play their part at the tail-end of the season. Given how cagey their respective managers have become regarding selection, perhaps it’s worth running the rule over some alternatives...

With clean sheets at a minimum and difficult to predict, a look at the returns of specific attack-minded full-backs over the past few weeks suggests there are certain players worth investing in who have, for one reason or another, have increased their returns in recent weeks...

The gap is closed as a Lampard armband and Mark's spending habit in the transfer market narrows things up. Get a taste for our revived rivalry in this brand new podcast, along with our rant on the nonsensical auto-armband that saw thousands frankly get out of jail with their captain selection.