Tournament predictions...

A few regular contributors give us their tips (mainly submitted before the big kick-off) for the competition...

Winner
If Spain or Brazil play to their capabilities then they should both make the final, but those two aside i don't think there are any standout teams at all. England, France, Italy and Portugal are all vulnerable, and Argentina impossible to predict. Perhaps Holland or Germany could be strong, but i really can't see past the big two. (WC)

Brazil. (JR)

Brazil. (TG)

Two teams who've never won the World Cup before will content the final. The match between Spain and the Netherlands will determine the first European team to ever win the Wold Cup outside of Europe. Spain will ultimately triumph. (PH)

Being the boring sort that I am, favourites Spain are my pick to lift the trophy on July 11th. Their strength in depth around all corners of the field and their ability to unlock even the tightest defences like master jewel thieves means that it is very hard to make any other prediction. (SL)

Brazil. Can't look past them. More defensively sound than Spain, with still enough attacking talent to break apart most nations. The only problem could be Dunga cracking under the pressure. (MH)

Last Four
Brazil, Spain, one of Argentina or Germany, plus, assuming they get through the group, England. I think we'd have enough to get through the second round and quarters, assuming we avoid the Germans. (WC)

Brazil, Spain, Germany, Serbia. (JR)

Brazil, Spain, England, Germany. (TG)

The losing semi-finalists will be England (who'll beat Germany and Mexico but lose to the Netherlands) and Argentina (who'll beat South Africa and Ghana but lose to Spain). (PH)

Runners up for me will be Brazil, with England and Serbia left to battle for third place as losing semi-finalists. (SL)

Brazil, England, Spain and Korea. (MH)

I cannot lie: I was expecting relatively little excitement from Germany. After their performance against Australia, they proved themselves as an exciting prospect, and interestingly the first nation to throw down the gauntlet by playing with unrestricted, impressive attacking aplomb. For me, considering their potentially tame knockout path, I see them making at least the semi-finals. I predict they will be joined by Argentina, Spain and Brazil. (EG)

Dark Horses
Paraguay or Korea. Neither have any hope of winning it, of course, but i think they'll progress from their groups. Also wouldn't be surprised to see at least one African side in the last eight. (WC)

Serbia, Ivory Coast. (JR)

Serbia may be a surprise choice, but a decent draw and emerging talent mean the Balkan nation can repeat the feats of Croatia in '98. Much of this will depend on them winning the group, however, and the group game versus Germany in Port Elizabeth on July 18 could be the acid test to determine whether Serbia can cut it against the establishment of world football. (SL)

Serbia seem to be the neutrals favourites for a surprise shot at success. (MH)

Surprise Flops
Portugal. France, Italy and England could all potentially balls up their chances. France are particularly terrible. (WC)

Italy, Portugal. (JR)

Argentina. (TG)

Brazil will go out at the quarter final. France will be the big name (but not altogether surprising) first round casualties whilst widely tipped 'shocks' Serbia, the Ivory Coast and the US will all fail to have the predicted impact and crash out at the group stage. Perhaps more of a surprise would be the Ivory Coast being the only African team not to make Round Two. (PH)

Spain. It's been a very, very long season for them, and they seem like a couple of injuries from breaking down completely. They ghosted through Euro 2008 very well, but this could be a step too far. (MH)

I think Italy and France will flop, which will bring rapturous delight to many. (EG)

Players of the Tournament
Hardly a leftfield answer but it'd be nice if the world's best footballer had a storming tournament. Higuain, too, Sneijder, or pretty much anyone in the Spain or Brazil squad. (WC)

Iniesta. (JR)

Khedira, Lucio, David Villa. (TG)

In the few clips shown on TV, Lionel Messi has looked at his imperious best in training. However, more so than gawping at the talents of the most gifted player of a generation, I expect we will be more inclined to stand and applaud the measured play of the Spanish engine room; Xavi and Iniesta. If they fire on all cylinders, which one suspects they will, Torres and Villa will have a field day; the Barca-bound man being my pick for top scorer in the tournament.

The World Cup can also prove a springboard for emerging talents, and there is no shortage in South Africa this summer. At 29, Chile’s Humberto Suarez may not exactly be a spring chicken, but if he can replicate his recent international form on the biggest stage of them all, I’d expect the inbox of his current club, Monterrey, will be bursting with offers for the powerful striker. (SL)

The sturdiness of the Brazilian defence will surprise those neutrals expecting free flowing, clichéd samba style attacking nouse. Fullback Maicon, and centre-back Lucio, in particular, should shine from the back. (EG)

Top Scorer
Can't look past David Villa. He's the best finisher in world football by some distance. Some shit German will probably bang in about nine, but someone like Robinho might be a good bet. (WC)

Luis Fabiano. (JR)

David Villa. (TG)

Wouldn't be surprised if Ronaldo scored about ten goals in the tournament before Portugal's inevitable quarter final exit. He is due some goals, and was in lovely form for Real Madrid last season. It's time he proved himself to be one of the greatest of all time, and not just a fantastic player in this generation. (MH)

Despite the Brazilian emphasis on defence, Luis Fabiano has a respectable possibility of winning the Golden Boot, and should rival such players as the agile David Villa, the ever-reliable Miroslav Klose and the fragile Robin Van Persie. (EG)

Big Money Movers
Angel di Maria will move to one of the world's best clubs for a fee in excess of £25m. I'm not entirely convinced about him, and certainly couldn't see him coping well in England. More likely he'll move to Spain, i'd imagine. James Milner will probably do very little but still go for daft money. Mesut Ozil is quite a tidy player and will almost certainly leave Bremen if not this summer then next. Krasic sounds like he's already on his way to Juve. (WC)

Angel di Maria, Andres Guadardo, Luis Suarez. (JR)

When Fabregas finally completes his drawn-out ‘dream’ move to the team that often causes the ITV commentary team to faint from a constant superlative monsoon, Mesut Özil could, and should, shift Wenger’s attention away from Barcelona Under 11 games. (EG)

England Heroes & Villians/predictions
Someone, probably one of our most likeable players, will be unlucky enough to become this tournament's whipping boy. Expect James Milner to receive a vital red card, Gareth Barry to miss a penalty against the Germans, or Peter Crouch to put an absolutely unmissable chance inches wide of the post in injury time.

As for our overall chances, well, you'd expect seven points from the group. Reaching the last four would be an achievement but we might as well take the trophy. Too much about the side is wrong for us to be serious contenders, though - there's no shape, we don't keep the ball well, we're comfortably the most unbalanced of the big sides, key players aren't fit, and questions ('keeper, who should partner Rooney, the midfield, etc) haven't been answered. (WC)

Heroes - Joe Hart, Aaron Lennon. Likely villain - whoever inevitably misses the vital penalty against the Argies - hopefully John Terry. As for how we'll do, well, a second round loss against the Serbs after cruising the group stages. (JR)

Hero - Stevie Gerrard. Villain - well, I can imagine John Terry cocking things up. (TG)

He may have had an indifferent season and he may be without a club but if gets his chance Joe Cole may prove to be England's key player. Rooney aside, he remains the player most likely to add magic and spontaneity to an efficient but unspectacular side. Gareth Barry will be the other key player as, with Carrick out of form, Hargreaves injured and Parker not in the squad, he's the only holding midfielder England have and we desperately need him.

England's biggest weakness will be if King remains injured and England persist with a Terry/Carragher combination at the back as the lack of pace will be exposed by better teams. On the other hand Glen Johnson will prove the doubters wrong, at least for seven games until next season when his defensive frailties appear once again. (PH)

Beckham, 1998; Seaman, 2002; Rooney, 2006; England teams of recent World Cups seem incapable of lasting the tournament without providing the baying media with a pantomime villain, and this year will undoubtedly be no exception. Putting our destined penalty woes aside, the biggest potential for treachery come between the sticks; with uncertainty still surrounding the number one jersey less than a day before kick-off, it wouldn’t surprise me to see James, Green or Hart drop a clanger at a crucial time. Up front, the attention on Rooney’s temperament in recent days has meant his attitude in games will be scrutinised beyond belief. As such, the wise heads of Heskey, Gerrard and Lampard around him will need to keep the Red Devil’s mouth on a tight leash.

Of course, this could be way off. James (or whoever) could become a penalty hero, Rooney might bag a hat-trick against France in the quarter-finals, and pigs might also soar over Pretoria. The biggest surprise however could actually come from Rooney’s potential strike partner, Peter Crouch. He may not be as gifted as those around him, but Crouch has seemingly developed a knack, an essential striker’s instinct, which could prove vital in the latter stages of the competition. Either as a starter or a sub, the sheer presence of The Big Man is enough to confuse defenders, as they try to work out how a man the height of Table Mountain can fail to head a ball cleanly 9 times out of 10. Whatever the hero, whatever the villain, England should have enough to struggle through to the semi finals. (SL)

Half of me is humming 'Three Lions' every thirty seconds, and the other half is looking at a slow squad, relying on Rooney. Can we win it? Sure we can, but so can 31 other nations. The most important player could be Aaron Lennon, as our only true speedster who has a chance of starting a game, it's important he links up well with Glen Johnson, as the right hand side could prove to be a blessing, but equally it could be a disaster. (MH)

Like Paul Robinson and Scott Carson before him, there is a morbid suspicion that Rob Green’s England career will be stalled after his unfortunate yet senseless howler against the USA. Though Green has already become the villain of the English tabloid press, you do feel like another scapegoat will be made, despite the frenzied efforts to blame the ball. If it again falls to the imperious penalty-shout out to confirm England’s exit, James Milner appears like the mild-mannered, likeable man to take the flak. My money would be on John Terry to kick someone hard for no reason at all and enjoy an early bath.

A quarter-final defeat in extra-time to an impressive team that Everyone With Car Window Flags thinks we should definitely beat by at least four goals, followed by much xenophobia in the press and the World Cup lifespan of many of the current squad to end with another disappointment. Much like Tim Henman at Wimbledon, the fact that the ability cannot rival the elite will be glossed over and the unwarranted grandeur will continue to be perpetrated for Euro 2012. (EG)

Winston Chaudry, Paul Hawkins, Martin Hines, Sean Lightbown, John Rogers, Tom Garrard, Eddie Golby.