Group F - 2010 World Cup - South Africa Car Rentals

South Africa Car Hire Option 1: Book your 2010 / 2011 South Africa Car Hire with First Car Rental here.

South Africa Car Hire Option 2: Book your 2010 / 2011 South Africa Car Rental with Europcar South Africa here.

South Africa Car Rental Option 3: Book your 2010 / 2011 South Africa Car Hire with Tempest South Africa here.

Group F - 2010 Football World cup - Italy, Paraguay, New Zealand, Slovakia

Italy will be going head-to-head against some of the World Cup’s lesser known teams in Group F. The current FIFA World Rankings have Italy ranked 4th while Paraguay are ranked 29th, Slovakia 33rd and New Zealand 77th. If this is anything to go by, Italy should not be too concerned about progressing to the knockout stages.

Italy

Italy could not have asked for an easier group in which to begin the defence of their 2006 World Cup title. Complacency can often leave teams facing embarrassment, but the Italians should have enough experience to get through Group F without any major upsets.

The Italians qualified for South Africa 2010 without much difficulty, finishing on top of Group Eight a clear 6 points ahead of second-placed Ireland. Coach Marcello Lippi has brought some good young talent into what was an ageing squad. The Italian team now looks fresher and more vibrant and ready to challenge for the World Cup.

The squad itself is packed full of talent. Gianluigi Buffon is one of the best goalkeepers in the world right now and organises his defence well. Defenders such as Gianluca Zambrotta, Giorgio Chiellini and Fabio Cannavaro make for a strong back line. Battling defensive midfielder Gennaro Ivan Gattuso is a mighty force in midfield, allowing the flair players around him to concentrate on attack. Striker Alberto Gilardino will be looking to add to his international goal tally, as will Antonio Di Natale and Giuseppe Rossi.

Paraguay

South Africa 2010 will be Paraguay’s eighth World Cup outing. The team had an impressive World Cup qualifying campaign, finishing in third place and only one point behind group winners Brazil (and 5 points clear of Argentina). Paraguay beat both Brazil and Argentina on the road to qualification.

The Paraguayans will be looking at securing second place in Group F. Italy will be a tough test but they will be confident going into the games against both New Zealand and Slovakia.

Coach Gerardo Martino has built up a strong and reliable defence with players such as Julio César Cáceres and Paulo da Silva. At the opposite end of the pitch, striker Salvador Cabañas is a player to look out for. Paraguay was without star striker Roque Santa Cruz for much of the qualifying campaign. If he can fully recover from his recent injury then Paraguay will go in to Group F even stronger.

New Zealand

New Zealand will be the South Africa 2010 underdog. If the New Zealanders can pick up one point in Group F they will quite possibly have done better than many expected. They qualified for South Africa after finishing first in their Oceania group (containing New Caledonia, Fiji and Vanuatu) before winning a play-off match 1-0 on aggregate against Bahrain. World Cup Group F will be a different prospect altogether.

With very few squad members playing for top-flight European clubs, New Zealand will struggle to make the step up to World Cup standard football. Team captain Ryan Nelsen plays for English Premier League side Blackburn Rovers. He will need to use his experience of playing against world-class opposition to help guide his teammates through the group.

Slovakia

Slovakia will be playing in their first World Cup since the dissolution of Czechoslovakia and the formation of the national team in 1993. The Slovakians surprised quite a few people by finishing first in their World Cup qualifying group ahead of Slovenia, the Czech Republic and Poland.

Coach Vladimir Weiss has built his squad upon discipline and organisation. In truth, he had few other options. The Slovakian team lacks enough star talent to pose a great attacking threat against the world’s top teams. Liverpool’s Martin Skrtel will be vital in defence, while Lille’s Robert Vittek will be the main goal threat. Talented midfielder Marek Hamsik will be a player to watch out for as he tries to enhance his reputation with some good performances.

Slovakia will likely see Paraguay as their main rivals in Group F. Italy could be too strong for both Paraguay and Slovakia, leaving these two teams to battle it out for second place.

Likely Outcome

It is hard to look beyond Italy as the winner of Group F. The Italian squad has more depth, experience and star quality than all of their group rivals. The opening game between Italy and Paraguay will be interesting. If Paraguay can hold the Italians to a draw then they could potentially top the group.

If Italy wins, however, it will leave Paraguay and Slovakia to fight it out for second place. Paraguay perhaps has more creative and goal scoring ability than Slovakia, giving the Paraguayans a slight advantage. The New Zealanders will fight hard to claim some points but, realistically, they could go home with nothing.

© This special 2010 World Cup Review is brought to you by Cape Spirit - bringing you cheap unlimited mileage South Africa Car Hire over the 2010 South Africa World Cup through First Car Rental / Sixt Car Hire and Europcar South Africa Book your 2010 World Cup car right now, as cars are almost fully booked. Read our satisfied Customer feedback here.