GROUP D PREVIEW: GET ON THE MEXICAN WAVE
Dave Tindall

MEXICO

Often dismissed as middleweights at this level, the Mexicans, at the group phase at least, are a force to be reckoned with. In 2002 they topped a group featuring Italy by three points and in 1994 they again edged out the Italians, along with the Republic of Ireland and Norway, to go through in first. As one of the superpowers in the CONCACAF region, their straightforward qualification was no surprise but more eyecatching was their performance in last year's Confederations Cup where they beat Brazil 1-0 and only lost to Argentina on penalties in the semi-finals. With Iran and Angola their first two opponents, their final game with Portugal should decide who tops the group.

IRAN

With several of their squad at top German clubs, that extra familiarity will certainly boost Iran's cause. But whether they have the firepower to make an impression is doubtful. Ali Daei, once of Bayern Munich, has over 100 international goals to his name but is long in the tooth now at 37 and in the final Asian qualifying group they managed just seven goals in six games. If they were playing Angola first instead of last they might have been able to build up some momentum but their poor record against better quality teams suggests a repeat of their third place group finish in France '98.

ANGOLA

Angola were surprise qualifiers after edging out one of Africa's superpowers, Nigeria, but it's unlikely they'll produce any more shocks in Germany. The lowest rated finalists in the FIFA World rankings, Angola's weaknesses were revealed in the recent African Nations where they went out at the group phase and left many neutrals wondering how on earth they had made it to Germany. The showdown with former colonial masters Portugal in their opening game is their most eagerly-awaited clash although the two past meetings between the pair - 0-6 in 1989 and 1-5 in 2001 - doesn't bode well for the African side.

PORTUGAL

On paper, qualifying should be a formality for Portugal but a tendency to lose their concentration against weaker opposition means they may just throw in a shocker at some point. Their inconsistency was highlighted in qualifying when they followed a 2-2 draw with lowly Liechtenstein with a 7-1 hammering of Russia. Still, 9 wins out of 12 in qualifying with 35 goals scored was impressive and having won the World Cup with Brazil and finished runners-up with Portugal at Euro 2004 it's no surprise that boss Phil Scolari was being touted by England. Take Portugal to banish the memories of 2002 when they failed to make it out of another easyish group by coasting through this one.

VERDICT:

1) Mexico
2) Portugal
3) Iran
4) Angola

Perhaps the easiest of the eight groups to call with the only debate being who finishes top out of Mexico and Portugal. Mexico's poor record against European opposition could be the deciding factor although Portugal, with their Brazilian coach, will perhaps be more to their liking. Rather than just backing Mexico to top the group at 6/4, more profits can be bagged by taking Portugal to follow them through. The Mexico-Portugal forecast pays 5/2. The other end of the table looks a match bet between Iran and Angola. Iran look a much stronger outfit so snap up the odds against quote on Angola finishing bottom.

Best bets: Mexico-Portugal forecast at 5/2; Angola to finish bottom at 11/10.

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