Group G: Ivory Coast

Just days before the World Cup, Ivory Coast was dealt a serious blow. Their main man, the flare that would give The Elephants a chance, their leading scorer, yes, you all know who I'm talking about, Didier Drogba [pictured] shattered his elbow.  There are reports he may be able to play, but so far the Ivory Coast team has been very quiet, and the citizens of the nation are not sure when he will be ready.

Dubbed the "African Brazil", Ivory Coast was one of Africa's few teams that had a realistic shot at hoisting the trophy, but with the loss of Drogba the team will find themselves struggling in the group stage.  In his place, it will be up to Salomon Kalou of Chelsea to score the goals.  Young and speedy, he has the ability to go toe to toe with the best defenders in the world, but it will be interesting to see how he does without his usual strike partner, or he might even take up the lone striker role.

In the past Ivory Coast has been very shaky on defense. There are a few big names, such as Eboue and Kolo Toure, but they have not worked too well together, allowing many easy goals to slip past them. As a result, Brazil (a notorious goal scoring machine) will probably have their way with the Elephants, while Portugal is likely to sneak in a quick surprise goal. Ivory Coast will need to be on their best form in order to get into the knockout rounds.

My Prediction: Group G 3rd Place.