Outright Odds: 200/1

Group B Winners: 8/1

Paraguay have qualified for their third successive World Cup finals, but like fellow South American qualifiers Ecuador, their route to Germany was an inconsistent one. After leading the group early on, just one win from seven games in 2004 followed. However, this was levelled out overall with eight victories, four draws and six defeats, seeing them finish in fourth position with a round of fixtures to spare.

Viewers will no longer be treated to the talismanic goalkeeper Jose Luis Chilavert, the veteran captain and dead-ball specialist who has now retired. He failed in his attempt to become the first goalkeeper to score in the finals but was superb at commanding his defence in France 1998 which saw them qualify to the second round.

One of Paraguay’s main strengths was a water-tight defence marshalled by Chilavert but this is not the case any longer. Veteran centre back Carlos Gamarra, with more than 100 caps to his name, will be 35 by the time the finals kick off and he lacks a commanding stopper alongside him. While goalkeeper Justo Villar has exceeded expectations, he is no Chilavert.

However, Paraguay possesses a resilient team spirit which could see them repeat the heroics of France 1998 and the qualities which saw them into the second round four years ago. At the moment they appear to have found a good blend between the veterans of yesteryear and the next generation of young talent.

With more firepower than recent Paraguayan sides, manager Anibal Ruiz faces a selection dilemma in attack. The established strike partnership of Roque Santa Cruz amd Jose Cardozo is under pressure from Werder Bremen striker Nelson Valdez.

Valdez could replace Santa Cruz who has recently suffered a knee injury and has struggled to make an impact at club Bayern Munich during his six seasons at the Bundesliga side due to the fierce competition for places. Valdez could partner Cardozo, who was Paraguay’s leading qualifying goal scorer with seven strikes.

If Santa Cruz is also fit, Paraguay could cause some real problems for their opposition as he is strong in the air and has pace and skill. It is the defence which poses the main problem as it is no longer solid enough as heavy 4-1 qualifying defeats to Brazil and Peru and a 5-2 reverse in Ecuador showed.

Despite qualifying in their last two campaigns, Paraguay could come unstuck this time around with England and Sweden likely to reach the last 16 at their expense.

Recommended Bet:

Despite their attacking prowess, Paraguay could miss out on a place in the second round with England and Sweden favourites to qualify. Check on the odds for the match against Trinidad & Tobago as that could be their best chance of success.

Paraguay to beat Trinidad & Tobago @ 1/2

The much awaited tussle between Chelsea and Barcelona football clubs is here and the first leg of the two leg semifinal will commence in the evening in Barcelona. It is deemed as the match up of the season with teams with different abilities trying to out do each other. In many ways it will be a contest between the fast paced physical approach of English premier league and technically superior one touch football of Barcelona.

The prediction is hard to make and even both coaches are staying away from making any sort of announcements before the match.

I guess I need to put my head on block and I’m going with Chelsea Football Club. I believe the Barcelona is about to catch a slap. They will be beaten over both legs.

Chelsea unlike Bayern Munich in the previous round have a much stable and permanent defense and it will be mighty hard for the Barcelona’s forward to run them home and dry by beating the off side trap. Henry, Eto and Messi are good in La Liga this season but they haven’t come across the physical approach of Chelsea. Bayern had three new defenders in last four and probably playing for the first time together at Nou Camp.

Secondly most of Barcelona creativity is focused on Xavi and Inniesta, and the duo will face a stiff challenge from Essien and Ballack, both physically demanding players especially upper body strength which the Barcelona players lack.

The dual of the match could be either Essien and Xavi or Malouda vs Dani Alves. It may seem strange but most of Messi industriousness depends upon Alves as it provides Messi to go in on his left foot. Malouda drives will not only keep Alves in his own half but his better adaptability to defensive work will also make it easy for Boswinga to defend against Messi. Henry and Eto are free running players and they won’t get any space today so won’t be a big surprise if one of them get substituted around 75 minutes.

Leave all the rest to Drogba has Barcelona don’t have something called defense in football and with fast paced closing they will bound to make errors. Barcelona is not getting anything out of its home match.

Leave the rest for next week.

Because there are so many excellent breweries in Germany (more than 1,300), it is quite difficult to say what the best German beer brands are. Foreigners undoubtedly are familiar with brands such as Lowenbrau and Becks; these are among the most exported German beers. Germans rather have favourite types of beer. They are more likely to order by style such as a Pils or a Doppelbock rather than by brand name like Bitburger or Krombacher. There are those however who distinguish between a Bitburger Pils and a Krombacher Pils, or a Schofferhofer Hefeweisen and a Paulaner HefeWeissen. It is these connoisseurs that hold the key to determining the best German beer brands.

5 of the Best German Beer Brands

There has been an ongoing survey as to what the best German beer brands are on the ToyTown Germany website since 2004. The respondents are people who live and work in Germany, both native Germans and many expats from around the world, who are regular beer drinkers. It is no surprise that hundreds of beers have been named, but there are five particular brands that are mentioned more than others. Following is a summary according to popularity of what local consumers consider to be the best brands of German beer.

Augustiner – This brand turned up more times than any other. Augustiner beer, like many great beers, is brewed and produced by monks, in this case the Augustinian Brotherhood in Munich. This brewery has been producing quality beer since 1328, so it’s no surprise that they might be pretty good at it by now. The Augustiner Brewery produces several types of beer of which Heller Bock, a light strong beer of 7% alcohol is a crowd favourite.

Lammsbrau – The Neumarkter Lammsbrau Brewery near Nuremberg sets exceedingly high standards for the ingredients to be used in its brews. In fact any ingredient used in a Lammsbräu must be from a certified and controlled organic grower. But their quality control doesn’t stop there. Aroma hops are used as opposed to the traditional bitter hops, thus giving the beer a more pungent aroma and a less bitter taste. Their water is sourced from a protected underground spring, and they produce their own malt and fresh yeast. The passion for quality control has indeed made this one of the best German beer brands.

Franziskaner – Another Bavarian brewery based in Munich, Franziskaner has been in operation since 1363. They specialize in producing only two types of wheat beer – a light and a dark. It is most likely because of this specialization that their beer is so highly rated among locals and expats alike. Franziskaner is also popular around the world and can be found on both the east and west coasts of America, in Asia, Australia, South America (Ecuador), and throughout Europe.

Erdinger – It is no wonder that another Bavarian brewery heads the list of best beer brands in Germany. Erdinger is based in the town of Erding, and has been producing quality brew since 1886. The most popular of their beers is the Erdinger Weissbrau, a fairly light wheat beer of 5.6% alcohol strength.

Paulaner – Paulaner is a partner of FC Bayern Munich, and like its football club companion, it is also a champion among its peers. Based in Munich, as you have noticed that most of the best beers are, Paulaner was also initially brewed by monks beginning in 1634. Paulaner is also exported to more than 70 countries around the world. Their Original Münchner Hell, a premium lager, seemingly the most popular.

For the third season in succession Chelsea found themselves pitched against the current European champions, Barcelona in group A. Werder Bremen and Levski Sofia make up the quartet and it would be a huge surprise if either of those teams progressed.

In group B Inter Milan, Bayern Munich, Sporting Lisbon and Spartak Moscow will do battle. Bayern have been weakened by the loss of Ballack to Chelsea, but should still be good enough to get through. Inter Milan have strengthened at the expense of their scandal hit rivals in Italy and will be hard to beat.

Group C sees Liverpool, winners in 2005, returning to the scene of their Istanbul triumph to play Galatasaray. Turkish football seems to have gone off the boil and Gala might struggle against both PSV Eindhoven and Bordeaux.

Group D pitches Valencia, Roma, Olympiakos and the dangerous Shaktar Donetsk, and the first two should make the last sixteen.

Group E sees the most successful European team ever, Real Madrid against Lyon, Steau Bucharest and Dynamo Kiev. Real begin the campaign under the returning Fabio Capello and they should improve on last season’s dismal performance. Lyon under Gerard Houllier are still improving and should qualify.

Group F coughs up an Anglo-Scottish clash. Manchester United sent a reserve team up to Glasgow just before the season started and duly thumped the Scottish champions 3-0. Not many give Celtic much chance against United’s first XI who have started the season on fire. Benfica look dangerous again. They knocked both United and Liverpool out last term and will need to be respected. FC Copenhagen makes up the quartet and may surprise a few people.

Group G features Arsenal, last year’s beaten finalists, and they take on Porto, CSKA Moscow and Hamburg, not an easy group on paper for any of them and Arsenal will have to improve on early poor results at their brand new stadium. But expect them to qualify. No London team has ever won the European Cup/Champions League and Arsenal are desperate to beat their rivals Chelsea and Spurs (they’re in the UEFA cup this time) to that particular honour. But Arsenal have lost several notable players such as Pires, Campbell and Bergkamp and though they have young rapidly improving players like Van Persie and Walcott, it is hard to envisage them picking up the trophy this time round.

Group H sees the banned, but reinstated AC Milan host surprise qualifiers Lille, AEK Athens and Anderlecht. Expect AC to win the group comfortably, and the others to all take points from one another.

For those who like a bet, early odds quoted go: Barca 4/1 favourite, Chelsea 5/1, Real 9/1, AC Milan 10/1, Man Utd 11/1, Inter 13/1, Arsenal and Liverpool 18/1 and 20/1 plus on all the others. You can still get a free $30 bet at betfair.com by inputting the code 6CHE3VPWJ when required.

So who will land the pot of gold of the Champions League this year? Barca have added Thuram and Zambrotta from Italy, but they were surprisingly smacked 3-0 by their compatriots Sevilla in the Super Cup, the match between the Champions League and UEFA cup winners. Barca displayed a surprising weakness in the centre of their defence and John Terry and his pals at Stamford Bridge are certain to have noted that. Best of the outsiders is the fast improving Lyon.

Chelsea have added Ballack and the wonderful Shevchenko, and may be Ashley Cole too. As I have written elsewhere, I think Chelsea can do it this time. They would surely trade the Premier League title for the Champions League. But what do I know? I’m still working for a living. Make up your own mind. Good watching.