World Cup Buzz, Day 5 - How 'ronery' will the North Koreans be after they are predictably annihilated by a rampant Brazil?

With the Italians having rescued a draw and almost grabbed an entirely undeserved three points last night, thanks to Daniele De Rossi's fortuitous equaliser, today's games look set to be equally intriguing and unpredictable. With the exception of the opening match, which sees minnows and surprise qualifiers New Zealand up against a talented and perhaps slightly under-rated Slovakia side. Admittedly their pre-tournament form has been patchy, but with players of the calibre of Marek Hamsik, and the raw potential and pace of Vladimir Weiss, Slovakia should be capable of easily dispatching New Zealand, and in all likelihood going head-to-head with Paraguay, who looked impressive in yesterday's encounter, for second place. Meanwhile this afternoon's match pits Cristiano Ronaldo FC, Oh sorry I mean Portugal, against Didier Drogba FC, otherwise known as Cote d'Ivoire, or the Ivory Coast in Anglophone nations. In reality to describe these two teams as such to do each a disservice, as Portugal in reality have a number of very capable players in their squad, even with the absence of Manchester United winger Nani. Simao Sabrosa, vice-captain of the 2010 squad, Miguel Veloso, Raul Meireles, Hugo Almeida and Bruno Alves are certainly worth mentioning.

However the fact remains that despite the presence of the world's most expensive footballer and star of the recent FIFA World Cup advert, Cristiano Ronaldo, in their ranks, Portugal are not a side capable of scoring a large number of goals. Having mercifully ditched Nuno Gomes, a striker despite his goal record renowned for posing very little threat to the opposition goal, Portugal still do not look likely to pose a significant threat to any of the tournament favourites, unless Ronaldo performs at his optimum level, which is by no means guaranteed. Cote d'Ivoire meanwhile, despite the relatively uninspiring presence of Sven 'Pay-off' Goran Eriksson in the dugout, have an excellent chance of progressing from this group if Portugal's attacking problems prove to be as severe as I have suggested they might be. With Sven and the rest of the Ivory Coast still sweating over the fitness of the talismanic enigma that is Didier Drogba, who may well play later today if he is permitted by FIFA to wear a protective cast, the fact remains that the Cote d'Ivoire squad is extremely impressive. Players such as Arouna Dindane, Salomon Kalou, Yaya Toure, Dider Zokora, Emannuel Eboue and Kolo Toure will be familiar to followers of the Premier League and Champions League, but others such as Arthur Boka, Abdul Kader Keita, Romaric and Gervinho also have the chance to place themselves in the 'shop window' if they can inspire Cote d'Ivoire's progression to the knock-out stages.

Today's final game sees perennial tournament favourites and Samba Kings Brazil go head-to-head with the team, New Zealand besides, very few people know anything about. For those who cannot approach any game without identifying a superstar in the team they are watching, then the Lionel Messi, or Wayne Rooney of North Korea is almost certainly striker Jong Tae-Se, scorer of 15 goals in just 22 internationals. Other than Jong, North Korea, or more accurately the national football team of the People's Democratic Republic of Korea, the squad is almost entirely unknown, and whilst nobody knows what to expect, perhaps a nuclear attack at half-time if the side is losing or executions for any players missing clear-cut chances or being sent-off, tonight's game should be rather easier to predict. Expect Brazil to come out of the blocks flying, with Luis Fabiano, Kaka and Robinho almost certain to introduce the North Koreans to the harsh reality of international football, just as they have been subjected to the US-dominated nature of international politics in the past few years. Given that Germany have firmly stolen the World Cup limelight, expect the international media to have found a new team to cheer by tomorrow morning. Whilst it is not often that a side is able to win 4-0 at a major championship, Brazil should expect nothing less tonight if they are to establish themselves as firm favourites to lift the trophy for a sixth time.