Group D 2010 World Cup odds definitely got more competitive with the news that Germany’s captain Michael Ballack is out.
Germany is still the favorite in World Cup betting to win Group D but they are no longer the lock they looked to be.
2010 World Cup odds list Germany as the -155 favorite to win Group D. Serbi and Ghana are the second choices at about 4-1 each. Australia is the longshot at 7-1. Germany still has some talent and they should win this group but the loss of Ballack is huge. Coach Joachim Low will have to rely upon Philipp Lahm, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Miroslav Klose. Germany has made the final four in six of the last nine World Cups but without Ballack that seems unlikely this time. Germany has the experience but how will they react without Ballack?
Serbia has the talent to upset Germany in Group D. They have Manchester United defender Nemanja Vidic, Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic and Inter Milan midfielder Dejan Stankovic. Serbia’s fate is going to be decided quickly as they play Ghana in the first match and then play Germany. Serbia will need to get something out of those two matches if they expect to advance from Group D. It could be that the winner of the Ghana-Serbia match is the team that advances from this group along with Germany.
Ghana would be a lot more of a threat in Group D if not for their injuries. Head coach Milovan Rajevac has called the situation a disaster. Michael Essien has been dealing with knee and ankle injuries the past year. Captain Stephen Appiah has not played much recently because of his knee problems and defender John Mensah is hurt. "It’s a dire situation because the three have been our captains," said Rajevac, "I want to put together a powerful mix of young and experienced players." Matthew Amoah led Ghana with five goals in seven qualifying matches.
Australia is going to have to play tough low scoring matches because they don’t have much offense. Goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer is going to need to be great if Australia is to advance. Australia does have Everton midfielder Tim Cahill and he is always a threat to impact a match. Australia opens up against Germany and they must at least be competitive if they want to have any chance in this group.