NEXT!

You think HE'S in pain?...Walsh and I had money on this friggin' team!

Time for Groups G and H. Wow, that Drogba injury just a had a dramatic effect on the first round and beyond. Plus, since Walsh and I (again) had money on them doing well, you just knew karma was going to strike us down. So our last hope is for Holland, although, come Monday, it'll be revealed that Arjen Robben got a staph infection after misusing the bidet in his hotel room. Friend of the blog Kevin did say we should switch our money from Holland to England.

So, here's Walsh's take on Group G, and then I'll follow up with Group H. Yes, Joe, we skipped C and D and will be bringing them to you on Monday. We have to give YOU grief because we're quite sure you're the only one who reads us... But I digress. Take it away, Pat:

Group G - Brazil, Portugal, Ivory Coast, North Korea

Ivory Coast vs. Portugal - C'mon, Portugal couldn't even score against a country named after some salsa and you think they’ll win this one? Sure they just beat Cameroon, but Eto’o was begging to leave that game. Of course without Drogba, Ivory Coast have lost their luster. I still think they win this game though.

Ivory Coast 1, Portugal 0

Brazil vs. North Korea - Not going to be any video of this one shown in Pyongyang (it’s been reported that North Korea will only show positive highlights of their World Cup games). Brazil has to score plenty to give themselves a big goal differential in case it comes down to a tiebreaker with either Portugal (unlikely) or Ivory Coast (possible). Julio Cesar doesn’t need to rush back from a recent injury. Oh, and take the over in this one.

Brazil 4, N.Korea 0

Brazil vs. Ivory Coast - This was the best match of the group stage until Drogba’s elbow broke. It would have been for first place in the group. Ivory Coast still have a good side, but without their best player and captain they can’t win the group. Unfortunately with Dunga it won’t be a pretty win for Brazil.

Brazil 2, Ivory Coast 0

Portugal vs. North Korea - Cristiano Ronaldo might think Kim Jong-il is someone he’ll bang after the game, but instead he'll bang in a couple of goals against the worst team in the tournament. This one won't be worth waking up at 7:30 to see. Just wait and watched the condensed five-minute version on YouTube at halftime of one of the later two games.

Portugal 3, N.Korea 0

Brazil vs. Portugal - Seems like 2002 all over again for the Portuguese as they have a chance to advance heading into the final match of the group stage and fail. Brazil could choose to rest some players, but they'll surely want to win the group to (potentially) avoid Spain in the Round of 16. GOB Bluth is just trying to figure out why two South American teams are playing each other in the first round.

Brazil 1, Portugal 0

Ivory Coast vs. North Korea - Sven-Goran Eriksson (the only reason Ivory Coast wouldn’t advance prior to the Drogba injury, by the way) can rest some guys, especially those on a yellow heading into this one and still comfortably advance. Might North Korea try to trade a nuke for a goal?

Ivory Coast 5, N.Korea 0

Final Group Standings:

Brazil - 9 pts, +7 GD

Ivory Coast - 6 pts, +4 GD

Portugal - 3 pts, +1 GD

North Korea - 0 pts, - 12 GD

Group H: Spain, Honduras, Chile, Switzerland

Honduras vs. Chile - Maybe the most important match of this group is the first one out of the gates? Intriguing...Both teams have a star named Suazo, but Chile's will probably be out of this one while Honduras' looks healthy and in good form. I'm a little biased because of their geographic affiliation with the U.S. (still hate Mexico, though), but anybody who looks past the Catrachos will be in for a big surprise. The Chileans are the first to find that out.

Honduras 2- Chile 1

Spain vs. Switzerland - No pleas for neutrality from the Swiss here. Spain won Euro 2008, but were stunned by the U.S. in last year's Confederations Cup. This is without a doubt the best team they've put together, and anything less than at least a 3rd place finish will be considered a disaster. They start off with a resounding win.

Spain 3 - Switzerland 0

Chile vs. Switzerland - With the chances pretty good that Spain beats Honduras later in the day, the winner of this match is back in contention for the 2nd round. The loser is out. Chile HOPES to have Suazo back by this time, and if so, he'll make the difference.

Chile 1 - Switzerland 0

Spain vs. Honduras - Honduras loves to attack, but they can't run and gun with a superior Spanish team who will run them off the pitch. The 2nd place finish in this group could come down to goal differential, so expect Honduras to bunker in and look to counter. It won't happen.

Spain 2 - Honduras 0

Chile vs. Spain - Most teams prefer getting their toughest game out of the way early, but that isn't the Chileans luck. By this time, Spain will be into the 2nd round and might rest a few players. However, remember how people say Brazil's "B" team was better than almost everyone else's "A" squad? Well, the same can be said for the Spaniards now. The prediction here is that Spain is the only team who won't give up a goal in the 1st round.

Spain 2 - Chile 0

Honduras vs. Switzerland - The Swiss still have a slight chance to advance if they can win this game and score a couple of goals in the process. But that isn't their style, so look for Honduras to use their speed and athleticism to take advantage of some mismatches and send the Swiss packing.

Honduras 3 - Switzerland 1

Final Standings:

Spain - 7 pts, +7 goal diff.

Honduras - 6 pts, +1 goal diff.

Chile 3 pts, -2 goal diff.

Switzerland - 0 pts, -6 goal diff.

According to this we have:

Spain vs. Ivory Coast

Brazil vs. Honduras

Back on Monday with the final two groups.