Group H Preview

Overview:

Here we are with the final group left to be previewed with Group H. Group H contains one of this year's World Cup favorites, Spain. La Furia Rioja will be a treat to watch in South Africa especially considering the offensive firepower that is at their disposal. Led by their midfield, Spain will rely on Xavi, Andres Iniesta and Cesc Fabregas to pull the strings in the middle with David Villa and Fernando Torres asked to score the goals. Spain is led by their captain Iker Casillas who has constantly been rated as one of the top keepers in the world. Switzerland, Chile and Honduras will be expected to battle for the second spot behind Spain. The Swiss are led by the former FC Bayern gaffer Omar Hitzfield. Hitzfield has instilled a sense of discipline within the squad yet with such a young squad perhaps the time for the Swiss success will come in four years. The Chileans are an interesting story. Their coach is ex-Argentina supremo Marcelo Bielsa and he has led the team to second place in COMMEBOL qualifying. However, the Chileans have yet to remedy a leaky defense and this could potentially lead to their downfall. Chile will also look to Humberto Suazo for the goals and I fully expect a strong tournament from this forward. Honduras have qualified for the World Cup only once before in 1982 and thanks to a 92nd minute goal from the US against Costa Rica they were able to punch their ticket to South Africa. Honduras are led by Wilson Palacios, Amado Guevara and Maynor Figueroa. Guevara is an ex-TFC player who asked for his release from the MLS club in order to prepare for the World Cup and this would undoubtedly be his greatest highlight in professional football.

Players To Watch:

Spain - Xavi - Quite simply the best creative midfielder in the world, Xavi will be responsible for pulling the strings for the Spanish. The Barcelona star will have free reign from the coaches of Spain and much is expected from his at this tournament.

Switzerland - Gokhan Inler - Inler currently plays for Udinese in the Italian Serie A and with a strong World Cup he will not be playing their anymore as one of the big teams will surely snatch him up. Inler is of Turkish decent and is a creative playmaker who is not hesitant to get stuck in with a hard tackle.

Chile - Humberto Suazo - Suazo is a striker who plays in Spain with Real Zaragoza.  This 29 year-old is the key front man for the Chileans and although he is carrying a knock into the tournament he should be ready to go for the first game against Honduras.

Honduras - Wilson Palacios - Palacios might be more well known for his personal life and the numerous kidnappings that have occurred to his family. Palacios plays for Tottenham Hotspur in the EPL and this creative winger represents one of Honduras' greatest talents.

Projected Order Of Finish:

Spain

Chile

Switzerland

Honduras