Spain - Group B
Of the 11 men that started the 2010 World Cup Final for Spain, 7 of them played for FC Barcelona. And just as Barcelona’s star has begun to fade a bit, so too has Spain’s. Though it still has some of the most impressive midfielders in the world, this team also still relies on David Villa and Fernando Torres…two strikers that were already a bit past their primes in 2010.
Players to watch: This is almost certainly Xavi’s last World Cup as a player, and hopefully he can still turn it on one more time. After the season he’s just had, Diego Costa may be the answer to Spain’s aging striker problem.
Prediction: A quarterfinal exit seems likely, but you just never know.
