Uruguay: Luis Suarez, the Mad Dog of Liverpool, he of the impeccable flash and conscienceless charisma, strikes fear into the hearts of all Englishmen, and on June 14th, it will be Suarez v. the Three Lions at the Arena Amazonia in Manaus. That said, he is not the kind of player who can win alone (few are), and there is some creakage at the back amongst the (albeit very tall and experienced) defense, as evidenced in this week's 1-1 draw with Austria. The goalkeeper, Fernando Muslera, however, currently at Galatasaray, is indisputably formidable. In the 2010 quarterfinal penalty shootout against Ghana, Muslera jumped in the correct direction EVERY TIME. He will be up, of course, against two of the best keepers in the world (Buffon and Hart) in this round, but can absolutely hold his own.
Diego Forlan, 2010's Unstoppable Force of Nature, will be back but surely is old enough that he cannot run the whole shebang like he did four years ago. (Can he? He'll be 35 by then.) That said, Edinson Cavani, the PSG striker up front opposite Suarez, ought to give pause to any footballer with the temerity to disrespect Suarez.
If the relative lack of experience in the midfield and the possible age factor at the back don't hinder this unabashed team of superheroes up front, everything might be coming up La Celeste.
Italy: Never a side to be ruled out lightly, always a contender, they've still got Gianluigi Buffon, still one of the best keepers in the world, at the back. This week brings the news (worth the raise of an eyebrow, but certainly not an audible intake of breath) the old veteran holding midfielder Daniele de Rossi has earned himself a three-game ban at Roma for punching ("deliberately punching", read the headline I saw. Was anyone even considering it might have been an accident?) Inter forward Mauro Icardi. He was left out of the Italian squad for this week's friendly against Spain (Spain wins, 1-nil), and will no doubt recur, but it brings up shades of the 2006 red card, for bloodying Yank Brian McBride's face with the full force of his Italian elbow.
The Dynamic Attacking Duo of the unpredictable Balotelli and Fiorentina's (born in New Jersey!) Giuseppe Rossi may be Italy's best hope for goals, and, providing the opportunities, the always-magnificent albeit 34-year-old Andrea Pirlo. But the question on eveyone's mind is: which Italy will show up? the World Conquerors, or the world-weary, blase, and slightly hungover?
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