Fantasy World Cup Edition – Group A

Fantasy World Cup Edition Group A

GROUP A: BRAZIL, CROATIA, MEXICO, CAMEROON
Getting bored? Yes we thought so! Fear not though as the World Cup is just around the corner and with it an inevitable and joyous new fantasy game for us all to get our teeth into over the summer. ‘But I’ve never heard of half these players, where do I start?’ we hear you ask. Well we wouldn’t leave you alone in the wilderness now would we, so this is the start of a week long guide to everything you need to know about each team and doubtless many things you probably don’t even want to know. When we got to thinking about this concept we decided that our knowledge of many of these teams was possibly limited also but given that our members are spread worldwide perhaps it would be remiss of us not to tap into some of that expertise. As such the following series of articles are brought to you by eight of our valued community members, based all over the globe in places like America, Japan, the Czech Republic and of course England to name a few. Hopefully they will bring you some great insight into the teams and players involved and their respective prospects from a fantasy football point of view.

Some of you will have registered already but if not the site that we are using for this years game is Mcdonalds Fantasy World Cup, you can register here

As of now all you can do is register your team. You can begin selecting players ahead of the tournament from June 8th and we will let you know the FF247 league code as soon as the site allows leagues to be created. We look forward to being able to crown our inaugural FF247 Fantasy World Cup champion and no doubt we will have a H2H league if that option is available as well as countless member leagues created by you. Until then we hope you enjoy our guides to each each group and without further ado our very own Hannibal Lecter (HL) kicks off the festivities with his take on Group A and the teams involved….

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BRAZIL
Overview
Luiz Felipe Scolari previously led Portugal to the Euro 2004 final, 2006 World Cup semi-finals and last eight at Euro 2008.
Brazil are the only nation to have played at every World Cup, winning the competition a record five times in 1958, 1962, 1970, 1994 & 2002 .
Success at the Confederations Cup last summer has raised hopes of a record sixth World Cup triumph. After the lucky WC draw they sure have a great chance of going all the way.
Brazil should be expected to finish as group winners with ease (as some say), even the statistics say that one in three hosts win the World Cup.

Fantasy Player Perspective
Brazil’s squad looks almost like the “perfect 11” with so many quality players in both defence and attack.
Barcelona paid nearly £50million to sign their golden boy who was only 19 when named South American Footballer of the Year. He’s already got 46 caps and scored 27 goals at 21yrs of age. Yes, his name is Neymar and is a must have for every team I’d say as everyone is counting on him to bring some magic onto the field. Some of their other attacking players would be also worth a look . Fred & Hulk will be a nightmare for every defence – mostly because of their physicality; strength ; shooting powers and presence in the area.
The midfield magician Oscar should be the architect of Brazil’s game having Thiago Silva and his stamina right behind him.
David Luiz, Marcelo & Dani Alves will be the most popular picks from the defence. Brazil will play an attacking , good for the eye game to satisfy the crowds – and there is a lot of attacking potential in the likes of Marcelo & Alves as they both like going forward.
Be careful, though – as this can be a double-edged sword.
Also, please keep an eye on Bernard (a versatile attacking midfielder/winger) and Luiz Gustavo – if you prefer differentials.

Fixtures
Brazil open the tournament on June 12th against Croatia, followed by Mexico and close out their group against Cameroon.
I expect the opener against Croatia to be a massive game as the Croats are a tough team and the only ones to have navigated the World Cup play-offs having kept clean sheets in both matches.
If Brazil manage to find a way to cope with all the pressure, I expect a narrow win with a goal or two, not more.
Their next game is against Mexico & and star man Chicharito. If Brazil are to finish 1st in the group they need a minimum of 7pts which means they need at least 4pts from their biggest games against Croatia & Mexico.
Well – we will find out all about Mexico’s trials and tribulations just to get here later but I expect Brazil to win this one comfortably (many of you will not agree with me, me thinks).
Depending on how the 1st two encounters end, Brazil may be going “all in” – in the last game, knowing Croatia & Mexico play each other to secure the 1st place. The only question that remains is how many goals they will manage to squeeze past the Cameroon defence knowing the “Indomitable Lions” will be looking at damage limitation against the hosts.
Of course the other option is that they may come into this game with 6pts and try to rest some of the players before the next games – having already secured 1st place.

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CROATIA
Overview
Croatia finished an amazing third in their World Cup debut in 1998 but subsequently failed to progress from the group stages in both 2002 and 2006. They do seem to lack the depth of talent associated with their golden generation of the late 1990s. Croatia emerged from the UEFA playoffs but were far from convincing and might find it difficult to play in the tropical climate.
However I strongly believe there is enough quality within the squad considering the talents of Bayern’s Mandzukic ; Real Madrid’s Luka Modric ; Shakhtar’s Darijo Srna and Sevilla’s Ivan Rakitic.

Fantasy Player Perspective
Modric (well, we all know good old Luka’s qualities ? ) & Mandzukic (top scorer for Croatia with four goals in qualifying) should the best picks at 1st glance from the Croatian Team.
Though, Mandzukic’s red card in the play-off win over Iceland could limit his WC involvement – however can be a good differential for (perhaps) the latter fixtures .
Please also keep a close eye on Inter’s wunderkind Mateo Kovacic (attacking midfielder/winger) & especially Ivan Rakitic ( Sevilla’s star man ) if you are looking for differentials !
Dejan Lovren (Southampton) and Darijo Srna (Captain & Right back who takes set pieces ) – are the best defensive picks.

Fixtures
The Croats have the honour of playing the opener against the hosts and must hope to rely on their iron nerves.
Anything but a loss will be celebrated as a victory against Scolari’s ‘magic 11’.
They are for sure capable of upsetting the hosts, though I believe Brazil will win this one narrowly – just because of their enormous attacking power while on the other end the Croats will be missing it in Mandzukic.
Having scored only 12 goals during their 10-game group campaign & with Mandzukic suspended for the Brazil game, Croatia’s coach Niko Kova? will struggle to replace him.
Expect the Croats to play for a draw (goalless draw,  if they are to choose).
Croatia’s biggest game should be against Cameroon before going into the final group game with Mexico.
As goal difference can easily prove to be key to who goes through – they will be going all in for this one.
The last group game is against Mexico. Many things may be already much clearer by then but nevertheless this will be a massive game for both squads. Both teams will need to fight it out for that 2nd place if they are to face the winners from what looks to be a very strong Group B.

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Mexico
Overview
Best World Cup finish: Quarter-finals – 1970 and 1986.
Mexico used 47 players and four coaches in a turbulent qualifying campaign.
If they can somehow recover from their poor qualifying campaign – they can become a very dangerous side for any opponent .
The tropical climate conditions will suit them well – while their main opponents Croatia may find it a bit more difficult to adjust to.
Best known for their quick passing style, however Chicharito’s teammates are also very good at set pieces.
Occassionaly they also love to send a long ball out to Jimenez, as they can transform their style of play very easily.
Believed to be main contenders for the 2nd place in the group together with Croatia.

Fantasy Player Perspective
Javier Hernandez (Chicharito) –  his instinctive finishing skills might be crucial for any Mexican success. Oribe Peralta who was top scorer in qualifying with 10 goals is also a good pick.
If you are looking for a differential – Raul Jimenez should be your man. Giant striker who was one of the stars of London 2012.
Mexico usually plays in a 4-4-2 formation and while all eyes will be on Chicharito, Jimenez may prove to be the surprise package.
If you looking for a defender from this team, then don’t go any further than Rafael Marquez. Top player with a Barcelona pedigree and 116 caps for his team – should say enough.

Fixtures
Mexico will start against Cameroon already knowing the result of the Brazil-Croatia game, played the day before.
They are expected to go out and play a very open game looking for that goal difference which can bring the 2nd place closer to them.
Expect an attacking game with a few goals in it. After this they play Brazil who might or might not come into this encounter with also 3pts in their pocket. This should be a very entertaining game for the neutral spectator knowing the style of football both teams nurture.
Don’t expect too much from Mexico in this game though, as they will be playing Brazil with their minds on the next game against Croatia which by all scenarios should be the decisive one. Not really convinced they can defend so well in general so I expect a narrow Brazil win in this one.
Mexico vs Croatia should give us the last team who will go forward from this group. Regardless of the points tally both teams will have before the game (expect if one of them loses twice) – a win in this game is a must for one of them, if not both!
Expect a gladiator ‘to be or not to be’ game with few goals in it.

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Cameroon
Overview
Best World Cup finish is in the Quarter finals, 1990 .
Cameroon remain a competitive force – however Eto’o’s best days are well behind him.
They have failed to qualify for the last two Africa Cup of Nations & Cameroon’s football federation was briefly suspended by Fifa in July because of government interference.
Brazil will be their seventh World Cup – (an African record) – but Cameroon have only won one match in four editions since reaching the quarter-finals in 1990.
Vital statistic – No Cameroon player managed to register more than two goals throughout the qualifying phases.

Fantasy Player Perspective
Stephane Mbia and veteran striker Eto’o are the best picks from this squad .
Benoit Assou-Ekotto, Alex Song and Sebastien Bassong (Norwich) are also good picks though it will be wise to steer clear of Cameroon’s defenders.
Jean Makoun on the other hand could prove to be the joker in this team – and your main differential, of course.

Fixtures
Well if Cameroon is to do anything in this WC, they won’t find a better chance than their opening game with the Mexican team.
They will face a strong side with only 1 thing on their mind – to put as many goals as they can past the Cameroon defence!
As I mentioned – this could be their chance of upsetting the Mexican’s on counter-attacks and making this game and the whole group more interesting as a result.
Their next opponent Croatia will be going into this game with the same thoughts as the Mexican’s – which is to come out of it with 3pts in their pocket, scoring a goal more than the Mexican’s against Cameroon.
The Croats may prove to be a tougher nut to crack in defence as they are playing an “old-fashioned” 4-4-2 with a holding midfielder and are disciplined in defence. Nevertheless, every goal scored against both Mexico & Croatia – can be a game changer and will definitely make things more complicated.
Their last game is against Brazil and I hope Neymar & friends to already have the 1st spot secured – so this might prove to be an exhibition game for both sides and nothing more.
Cameroon has the look of a team that should prove easy prey as they face the prospect of an early exit in many people’s eyes.
However, nothing is over until the ‘fat lady sings’ – so do not write them off too early.

Hannibal Lecter’s – Projected finish :
1. Brazil
2. Croatia
3. Mexico
4 Cameroon

Thanks for reading Fantasy World Cup Edition Group A this article was written by Hannibal Lecter (HL) (sworn ARGENTINA fan!)