Inter Milan are the current European Cup holders, but have since lost coach Jose Mourinho to Real Madrid. In his place they have hired former Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez, and he won the competition back in 2005. Of course, that year the Reds came from 3-0 down to defeat AC Milan on penalties, and in inflicting such a morale sapping defeat on the Nerrazzuri’s arch rivals Benitez will have done his job prospects no harm at all.

Inter Milan boast plenty of star players. There is the rampaging right back Maicon, who doesn’t view shooting from practically a 180 degree angle as a ridiculous thing to do. For those questioning if the Brazilian’s goal against North Korea (or the Democratic People’s Republic Of Korea if you prefer) was deliberate, he scored a near identical one against Portugal in November 2008. The midfield boasts star names such as Esteban Cambiasso, and Wesley Sneijder, while up front Benitez can choose from Samuel Eto’o, Diego Milito, Goran Pandev and Mario Balotelli.

Formidable opposition for UEFA Europa Cup champions Atletico Madrid to tackle.

Still, the Spanish side can call upon a mighty strike pairing themselves. Diego Forlan and Sergio Aguero are two of the most feared forwards in Europe, and they are backed up by Jose Antonio Reyes, Simao Sabrosa, Raul Garcia and former Arsenal player Fran Merida. Forlan was awarded the Golden Ball at the 2010 World Cup, and with good reason – he appeared to be the only player to have mastered how to shoot with the Jabulani ball, and was a constant danger.

UEFA Super Cup tickets are on sale now, and Inter Milan v Atletico Madrid on August 27th 2010 ought to be a classic. The fact that it takes place at the Stade Louis II in Monte Carlo, Monaco in the height of summer hardly reduces the attraction…

Around 80,000 North Koreans regularly attend football matches in the territory, but it is thought that only a few officials will actually make the trip to South Africa. The rest of the tickets will most probably end up on the secondary ticketing market.

The term ‘Group of Death’ always sounds as if it should be the title of a particularly dire Steven Seagal movie but instead is attributed on a quadrennial basis to an individual FIFA World Cup group. 2002 saw England draw Argentina, Sweden and Nigeria – with the South Americans exiting the tournament – while the Albicelestes then found themselves alongide Ivory Coast, Holland and Serbia-Montenegro in 2006.

This time it is their arch rivals Brazil that find themselves in a pickle as they have been pitted against Portugal, Ivory Coast and North Korea. The five-time winners should still be relevantly confident of going through but must be cursing England and Italy’s luck who arguably got the most plum draws of all the seeded teams. The grace of Kaka, the thrust of Maicon and the penetration of Luis Fabiano should see them safely through to the next round but they will need to maintain their concentration throughout.

Portugal will be even more disappointed. After a troubled qualifying campaign that only just saw them overhaul Sweden to claim second place they were then drawn against the free-scoring Bosnia-Herzogovina in their playoff. They squeaked through with a 2-0 aggregate win but will have to improve massively if they are to make an impact on the tournament. Able to call on the sublime skills of Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo and an experienced back four, they will need big performances from them all to guarantee their place in the next round.

Ivory Coast must have spent the last four years routinely trashing every mirror they have come across as they find themselves in a horrible group for the second tournament in succession. Chelsea’s Didier Drogba will need to be fresh and firing for them to have any hope of progressing but if he is then he might just be a contender for the Golden Boot. The Toure brothers and Didier Zokora will be names familiar to most but they do have a talented squad. They will definitely need it.

North Korea have made it to their first finals since 1966 where they famously dumped Italy out of the competition before being eliminated by Portugal in the quarter-finals by a 5-3 scoreline despite taking a 3-0 lead. There is no chance of them recreating this adventure – and you can quote me on that – but just being there will hopefully bring a bit of joy to a people that have lived under a brutally oppresive regime for more than half a century.

Prediction: Brazil to top the group with Ivory Coast bringing tears to Ronaldo’s eyes.

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