Group A Analysis

Hosts Brazil are one of the favourites to win the title at home and they are expected to top Group A, with relative ease. However, the opening match against Croatia will have a direct bearing on the how the group shapes up. Rightly, the focus will be on Luiz Felipe Scolari and his boys.

Croatia, known for their flair, can chock the Brazil front-line with their predominantly midfield play under a hugely impressive pair of Luca Modric and Ivan Rakitic. Yes, Croatia are famous for beating Germany and Netherlands in their debut world cup. If at all records speak, like those of Brazil.

The same goes with Cameroon. The African team arrived with a different outlook though. Under the leadership of Samuel Eto`o, they can frustrate any team in the world, as evident in their warm-up against the much fancied Germans.

However, uncertainties will prevail in the Mexican camp. The presence of Javier Hernandez, Giovani dos Santos and Oribe Peralta augurs well for the team. But, Miguel Herrera`s team is still settling and may find it difficult to survive the group stage.

So, the fight will be for the second spot, between Croatia and Cameroon, assuming Brazil are run-away winners.

Favourite: Brazil

Dark Horse: Cameroon

Teams: Brazil, Croatia, Mexico, Cameroon