IAN HAWKEY'S PREDICTION: SPAIN, CHILE
SPAIN (FIFA RANK 1)
Best World Cup: 4th, 1950 Stylish and confident and with a good depth of resources for most positions, Spain are the European champions and with that triumph removed the monkey from their backs of being the habitual underachievers of international football
Best player: Xavi. Bronze medallist at the Ballon D'Or awards and the boss of Spain's well-staffed creative department
Their anthem should be: I Can't Stand Up For Falling Down by Sam and Dave
Odds: 4-1 favourites
Manager: Vicente del Bosque
Killer stat: Won 10 out of 10 qualifiers as they set out to prove they are world-beaters
SWITZERLAND (18)
Best World Cup: Quarter-final 1934, 1938, 1954 Becoming regular participants at major tournaments and had they been better at taking penalties, might have made the quarter-finals of the last World Cup. The Swiss topped their qualifying group for 2010, losing only one game
Best player: Tranquillo Barnetta. Bayer Leverkusen player who adds class to Swiss midfield
Their anthem should be: You Know I'm No Good by Amy Winehouse
Odds: 175-1
Manager: Ottmar Hitzfeld
Killer stat: Lost to Luxembourg in Zurich during a disastrous start to their qualifying campaign
HONDURAS (38)
Best World Cup: 1st round, 1982 At a World Cup for the first time since 1982, Honduras are outsiders but not entirely obscure ones, what with the midfielder Wilson Palacios at Spurs and the speedy forward David Suazo well known in Serie A
Best player: Wilson Palacios. A key element in Spurs' impressive start to the season and more than just a midfield spoiler
Their anthem should be: Darlin' Be Home Soon by The Lovin' Spoonful
Odds: 400-1
Manager: Reinaldo Rueda
Killer stat: Only qualified thanks to a last-gasp equaliser by the USA against Costa Rica
CHILE(17)
Best World Cup: 3rd, 1962 Former Argentina coach Marcelo Bielsa has Chile playing disciplined football and back at a World Cup for the first time since 1998. He will not mind his group opponents too much, either, and they should compete capably with Switzerland for a place in round two
Best player: Matias Fernandez, of Sporting Portugal, is a hard-working number 10 with an eye for goal
Their anthem should be: Frozen by Madonna
Odds: 50-1
Manager: Marcelo Bielsa
Killer stat: Chile scored 32 goals during their qualification campaign, with Humberto Suazo hitting 10
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FIXTURES
Honduras v Chile June 16, 12.30pm
Spain v Switzerland June 16, 3pm
Chile v Switzerland June 21, 3pm
Spain v Honduras June 21, 7.30pm
Chile v Spain June 25, 7.30pm
Switzerland v Honduras June 25, 7.30pm