Predictions please people

I've got a £100 bet that England will win it this year....

As if!!

However I have made a bet that they will make it out the group stages

Spain to win

I'm going for a lesser known South American team to win... (Ala Greece in the Euros a while ago)
So Uruguay / Columbia or the like
Spain out in the quarters or semis..

I drew Chile in our company sweepstake, so probably them.

Yeah Uruguay is a good bet, providing suarez is fit

Belgium will do well

Uruguay is definitely worth a punt. 28/1!

My money's on Germany though.

England,

Yes, England

Well I can't loose our opening game! Being half Sicilian half English the first game I'm going to win!
I would love England to do well but I generally support Italy as they tend to get further than England hopefully England will do better this year!! Fingers crossed!!!

If England play boldly and freely, demonstrating the joy of feeling that playing for your country in a World Cup is AN INCREDIBLE, AMAZING THING!!, then I'd love to see them do well. By which I mean a semi-final place. If they look dour, frightened and cowed by the ridiculous, unrealistic pressure heaped on them by a media desperate to cut down the "tall poppies", then they will fail early on and this younger generation of players will be scarred like all the others in my lifetime (bar one, but I won't mention that!).
Seriously, we all know that England as a national side are not very good. There are a few decent players, but no really outstanding ones. Some - with the freedom and encouragement mentioned above - might make it to be very good, but otherwise, it will always be a case of "well, we might make it to the semi-finals..."

To win? Spain are still very good (look at their domination of the Champions League - with largely Spanish players), I think Brazil will feel the pressure of the unrest in their country. I think Argentina could do it. Messi's swansong at this level.

I didn't say which World Cup thou, but I am lucky enough to say that I have seen England win a football world cup, granted I was only 8 months.

The one alarming thought is that I realistically have only 5 or 6 world cups to go to see England win again so I am always optimistic and I always support my national team no matter what.

And yes, I still wear an England shirt.

I always want England to do well and usually have some misplaced optimism. There seems to be less pressure from the media this year, so who knows? (see, there I go) Anyway, I just put 20 quid on Rooney not to score, if he does, great! if he doesn't, hello 60 quid. Win win.

This is England's main problem.

I can't think of a single England player who would make a "World XI", I doubt many of them would even get on the bench.

There are some decent potentials for the future, but right now I'd be happily surprised if England make it out of the group stage.

Spain v netherlands was a great game . I am so happy the current world champions got a pasting . Robben and Van persie were fantastic

Glad we decided not to go and watch in a bar in town... Awkward...!

Brilliant to see Spain thrashed so much for cassias being one of the best goal keepers in the world, don't think that's the case any more

Come on Australia!

Oh dear! Countless gin and tonics and glasses of wine later I have just a woken to see Australia losing 2-0! Well I some how missed the goals
I think the England Italy match may prove entertaining especially all the dribbling that May be going on, just not sure if it will be on the TV or down my top!! Lol. Night all

I watched the game in Amsterdam with a Spaniard and obviously plenty of Dutch. Party night - free beer being dished out at the bars. I was due to get up earlier but my bike ride has been postponed ;-)

My closest friend is Dutch and we have spent many times in the Netherlands. All this led to my son having a HUGE love of the HOLLAND football team but also England. Every time we visit he adds to his Oranje collection.

Yesterday for work he wore a bright orange tie and other orange bits and bobs to show his support. After work out came his Holland Shirt, big top hat garlands and flags. At 1 - 0 his mates were giving him a lot of stick as he sat there dressed in his Oranje gear. I guess you can imagine his delight by the end of the night...

Tonight he is watching the England game with an Italian.

Well to say it's been quiet on here considering there's 20 mins to go is an understatement

I'm staying up even if I am north of the border where it has to be said many will be supporting Italy on principle. That's sad IMO and I'd like to see Scotland being cheered on by every Englishman if they were participating.

In my recollection this year's campaign has been the most hype-free from an England perspective since 1966. To see them quietly go about some winning business, and playing some decent football while they're at it, would be the dog's.

Now to quietly sabotage that Pirlo.....

England

Try and get your money back and the same for spain after last nights thrashing

The difficult route as usual from England

Positives...at least there was attacking intent but shots on target although numerous and more than the opposition's not deadly enough.

Watching Pirlo, he always has room around him and his passing accuracy was 100% - England's passing around the box is tentative and seemingly dis-communicative, if there is such a word.

Fantastic contribution from Sterling and Welbeck; apart from one stunning cross by Rooney he wasn't impressive.

Thursday's game - "in" or "out".........

Poor second half and our final ball was hopeless......
We can still probably go through but losing a game already to me means we're not worthy enough still yet. One Rooney cross for the goal but my twelve year old takes a better corner.

England did better than I was expecting, however I must admit I have never seen half of these players play, so they were unknown to me.
Italy played well definitely showed a bit more class and pirlo still shows he's a classy player

But we should take some comfort knowing Costa Rica beat Uruguay, as I think everybody has been fearing Uruguay and not Costa Rica so hopefully we shall reserve second place and then the second stage group c should be ok for us fingers crossed!! Touch wood!! Etc. etc.

England have 2 games left...
Spain will bounce back, not one pundit has written them off yet...
But I stand by my earlier prediction that they will be out 1/4 or semi

Unfortunately not this time

Watching their ragged half-hearted performance toward the end of the game, missing passes (Spain????!), feet tied together, no bombardment of the opposition's goal....Casillas' performance in goal

you'd almost think ......nah, surely not

Looks like you were wrong about spain . The hopeless four (lineker,rio ,ceedorf and henry )on the BBC said before the game for Spain to win . Thrashing number 2 and now it just a matter of who get to sit upfront on the plane back home . Chile played great .

Chile must be a great bet. Spain were pants man.

Spain's problem is failing to adapt.

Teams all over the world have watched Spain, Barcelona and, more recently, Bayern Munich dominate their opposition by keeping possession at all costs and waiting for an opening.

Chelsea showed us a few years ago (when they beat the unbeatable Barcelona in the UCL) that coubtering this gameplan requires discipline, hard work and a few quick players. Get men behind the ball, let them pass it around in front of you if they want and then break quickly when you do win possession.

I'm still backing Germany to lift the trophy.

Lucky I'm not a betting man... How wrong could I be