African football heads to Brazil: Team Review- Ola Adetoye (10/12/2013)

Ghana are one the best and most successful African powerhouses in football, blessed with technically gifted players some of whom ply their trade in Europe for some of the top football clubs. Additionally they have a number of players that are going to be important to them if they are to progress further than the group stage next year. Players such as Kwadwo Asamoah (Juventus), Kevin Prince-Boateng (Schalke), Michael Essien (Chelsea) and the Ayew brothers (Marseille) to name but a few. Those players are all great in their own right but the spearhead of their attack and their Captain Asamoah Gyan (below) will yet again be their most important player.

 With 39 goals in 77 appearances for Ghana his goals will be central

to the team's success at the World Cup. Looking at the group he and his team-mates have been drawn in reaching the quarter finals as they did in 2010 will be demanding. Germany, Portugal, and the

 USA shall be scrapping with the West Africans for a place in the Round of 16.  You would think that Ghana have to get a result against Jurgen Klinsmann's USA team at the very least to have a chance and then give 100% to overcome either one of the favourites to escape the group Germany and Portugal. But after their 2010 run anything is possible especially when u take in the humidity in Brazil and the potential match-winners they possess.

Nigeria enter the tournament as the reigning kings of Africa having

 won their first AFCON trophy since 1994, after beating 

Burkina Faso. The old faces have vanished and been replaced by new personnel who work for each other and play a strong attacking game captaining the side is of course Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel, who for Nigeria plays the number ten role rather than then defensive one he's asked to play for Jose Mourinho.

Nigeria have a fairly young team now with their oldest players 

being Shola Ameobi (Newcastle United) and goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama (Lille), who are both 31 and 32 respectively. In addition the Under-17 squad recently won their own World Cup so there is plenty more talent yet to wear the green and white at senior level. But that aside it was between Emenike and John Obi Mikel (below) for who to put as Nigeria's key player.

Both will be central to any success the 'Super Eagles' are to achieve

 in South America. But Mikel just edges as he acts as the pivot for the team.

But ignore the rest of the team at your peril as players like Victor

 Moses (Liverpool) and Ahmed Musa (CSKA Moscow) have the pace to get at any defence in the tournament.

Nigeria were drawn into Group F with Bosnia and Herzegovina Iran

 and Argentina. They have been drawn with the latter in two of the last three World Cups (2002 & 2010). As AFCON champions they would be expected to beat Iran fairly easily, consequently they could be fighting Bosnia for 2nd place. But Argentina for all their attacking prowess have defensive frailties that can be exposed. It remains to be seen whether this Nigeria team can expose them, but thy definitely look a better team than their 2010 compatriots.