Group D: Serbia

Serbia find themselves in a tricky situation. Playing for the first time as their own nation, the White Eagles are looking to come out of the starting blocks in a tournament that has placed them in a tricky group.  Currently ranked fifteenth in the world, they received that rank by winning their qualification campaign, placing one point higher than France.

But upon closer look, one has to wonder whether that rank is accurate, or if it reflects the strange formula of the FIFA ranking system. France played very poorly in qualification, against all teams, not just against Serbia. The other opposition included Austria, Lithuania, a poor showing Romania, and Faroe Islands, none of these teams being a real threat.

This isn't to say, however, that Serbia isn't without a few surprises. With Nemanja Vidic (pictured) of Manchester United, and American national team turned Serbian Neven Subotic of Borussia Dortmund, the Serbians have an imposing defense. Add on the fact that their line running is incredibly fast, and they are really good at dead balls, it would seem that Serbia has the perfect all around team. The problem is that Germany will have no problem going toe-to-toe with them, and Ghana will have a lot of fan momentum from playing on African soil. Don't misunderstand, their qualification was a success story for such a small nation, I just fear it will end quickly.

My Prediction: Group D 4th Place.