Neymar, Messi Dream World Cup Final Face Off

GROUP A: Brazil, Croatia, Mexico and Cameroon

Brazil superstar Neymar is already dreaming of the World Cup final, and would love to face friend and Barcelona teammate Lionel Messi in a dream all-South American final.

“I’ve even spoken to him (Messi) about a possible Final between Brazil and Argentina, obviously with Brazil winning,” Neymar told FIFA.com.

“I was always a big fan of his, and am even more so now that I know him.

“He’s surprised me a lot, even as a player. I never realised he was so great when I was just watching him on TV.”

The 22-year-old says he’s feeling a mix of nerves and excitement just three months out from the tournament.

“It’s in our homeland, which is a huge source of pride. I’m nervous about it, but hopefully I can handle that anxiety. It’s going to be a great World Cup, especially for us, I hope,” he said.

“We’re delighted about it and happy that other people will be able to come here and discover our culture and country. I know Brazil will welcome everyone.”

GROUP B: Australia, Spain, Netherlands, Chile

MORE than 40,000 Australians have been allocated FIFA World Cup tickets to potentially see the Socceroos cause the biggest upset if it beats against Spain.

Australia meets the reigning World Cup champion at the Arena da Baixada, Curitiba on June 23.

The Group B clash should feel like a home clash for the Socceroos given the stadium’s capacity is just 41,456 and Australia has been allocated 40,446 World Cup tickets.

FIFA on Sunday released figures declaring Australian fans were in the top 10 allocated ticket-holders for Brazil after 2.3 million tickets had been allocated worldwide. But Brazil is currently leading the ticketing charge.

Brazil has until now been assigned 906,433 tickets, the US 125,465, Colombia 60,231, Germany 55,666, Argentina 53,809, England 51,222 and Australia 40,446. , France 34,971, Chile 32,189 and Mexico 30,238.

GROUP C – Colombia, Greece, Ivory Costa, Japan

Star man Falcao off his crutches as he bids to recover from knee ligament damage in time for June’s World Cup finals.

His first months of recovery have gone well and his manager at Monaco, Claudio Ranieri, believes he will be fit in time to feature for Colombia.

“He’s doing well and working hard. His knee is reacting very positively,’ said Raniei. ‘I think he’ll play at the World Cup.”

GROUP D: Uruguay, Costa Rica, England, Italy

Send them to the shrink!

Look what happened to Mesut Ozil when he started hanging out in England ... Roy Hodgson has admitted it’s time to do something to address penalty shootout gremlins.

“I’m not averse to using a psychologist,” he told a Footballers’ Football Show on the weekend.

“We are considering, with Adrian’s (Bevington, the FA’s chief planner) help, the possibility of inviting someone with us but I think it’s very important they’re someone who is part of the group. I’m not sure just suddenly shipping someone in to give the players a lecture would work.

“I think there’s another possibility we should be encouraging payers to know their penalty, to practise that penalty. When you practise penalties within your group the goalkeeper knows the players, so maybe we won’t do it with a goalkeeper.

“Maybe we’ll have target area No 1 and target area No 2 and we’ll insist the player hits those targets. There are a lot of things that can be done but the bottom line is always going to be there’ll be players who are less confident than others.

“It’s a matter of how we assure ourselves that when those players go up they are as well prepared as they can be. In the final analysis it will be their character, their confidence and their ability to block out tomorrow morning’s headlines.

“Some players are good at that, other players find it harder. If a psychologist can find a way of getting a player to block that out we’ll be very very happy.”

Meanwhile, Bayern Munich and German attacker Thomas Mueller says a lack of a proper break could see England players could run out of steam at the World Cup.

Bundesliga players are fresh off a Christmas break – a luxury not afforded to those playing in the EPL – and Muller believes it could show for Roy Hodgson’s side.

“It’s very hard to be a professional footballer in England. You have many more games than we do in Germany and no break in the winter,” he said.

“Normally the body can regenerate by the time of a tournament but the mental thing is harder to recover from.”

Muller was also confident countryman Mesut Ozil could recapture his best form and take that into the World Cup with the national team.

“It’s not easy for Mesut but I know how good he can be and I hope he has many good games for Arsenal,” he said.

Give Rooney the armband

England talisman Steve Gerrard has hinted that the 2014 World Cup will be his last international tournament, but following the draw of euro “Normally the body can regenerate by the time of a tournament but the mental thing is harder to recover from.”

Muller was also confident countryman Mesut Ozil could recapture his best form and take that into the World Cup with the national team.

“It’s not easy for Mesut but I know how good he can be and I hope he has many good games for Arsenal,” he said.

Give Rooney the armband

England talisman Steve Gerrard has hinted that the 2014 World Cup will be his last international tournament, but following the draw of euro 2016 qualifying, Hodgson says the Three Lions have a ready-made replacement in Wayne Rooney.

“Wayne I’m sure is a future captain of England because we are losing some of the famous players who have served England so well,” said Hodgson.

“When the day comes for Steven Gerrard to hang up his boots, Wayne will be straight in there, I’m sure.”

GROUP E – France, Switzerland, Ecuador, Honduras

France coach Didier Deschamps – a member of his country’s 1998 World Cup-winning side – says he can “feel the excitement in the air in Brazil … the land of football”.

In June, France will meet Group E rivals Honduras in Porto Alegre, Switzerland in Salvador and Ecuador at Rio de Janeiro’s Maracana Stadium, and despite a horror 2010 tournament, Deschamps says it’s Brazil who’ll be feeling the pressure.

“There is no pressure on us, that’s all on Brazil because they are the hosts,” he said.

“The Brazilian people are expecting victory in this tournament but for the moment the best we can do is prepare for our opening match on June 15.”

GROUP F: Argentina, Bosnia, Iran, Nigeria

Welcome news for Argentina fans, with Sergio Aguero likely to return to the training paddock shortly.

Aguero told La Nation last week: “Let’s see. I don’t know about that, but I do my best to be one of the best players in the world. My dream is to win the World Cup and then be the best player in the world. That would remain in history.”

He knows the vital role he can play to supplement Lionel Messi’s job.

“Messi has a heavier load because everybody expects more [from him],” said Aguero. “I am there to help Leo carry all that responsibility in the national team, and also to help the team.”

GROUP G: Germany, Portgual, Ghana, USA

There’s high expectations for Germany, but coach Joachim Loew has some injury headaches.

“There are eight or nine players who have not played for a long time,” said Loew in Nice at the draw for the 2016 European Championships.

“They have no playing rhythm and for some it is questionable whether they will come back in time.

“That worries me and gives me a headache.”

Sami Khedira and Bastian Schweinsteiger are Loew’s first-choice but the former is injured with a cruciate knee ligament blow, while Bayern’s Schweinsteiger has just returned from injury.

If either central midfielder is underdone, back-up Ilkay Gundogan, the highly rated Borussia Dortmund midfielder, has been out since August with a back injury.

On the weekend, Dortmund’s Sven Bender was ruled out for 10 weeks with an inflamed pelvis, while teammate Mats Hummels has a nagging ankle knock, which has plagued him since September.

Goal scoring options Miroslav Klose and Mario Gomez have both had injury interrupted seasons.

GROUP H: Belgium, Algeria, Russia, South Korea
Arsenal striker Park Chu-young has been recalled by South Korea for the first time in thirteen months for a World Cup warm up against Greece in March.
A lack of playing time with Arsenal cost the striker his international place, but that is expected to change with a recent loan move to English Championship side Watford.
South Korea coach Hong Myung-Bo denied that Park – who has scored 23 goals in 61 international appearances, - was guaranteed a place in his World Cup squad, telling reporters on Wednesday; “I have decided about 80 per cent of my final roster and will decide my starting line-up in June.”