World Cup 2010: Juergen Klinsmann Expects A World Cup Full Of Surprises

Posted Tuesday, December 22, 2009 by Goal.com

As Germany head coach, Juergen Klinsmann led the 2006 World Cup hosts to the semi-finals as the nation erupted in a wave of euphoria. For 2010, the former Bayern Munich gaffer expects another fantastic World Cup full of surprises.

"I’m expecting a fantastic World Cup. You shouldn’t compare it with previous World Cups, because it’s literally incomparable, so to speak. It's the first event of its type on African soil, and I feel we’re all duty bound to play our part in making it a truly wonderful World Cup," said Klinsmann to FIFA.com.

"There are groups comprising three exceptionally strong teams and one underdog, and there are groups where I’d say all four teams are evenly matched. But predicting anything is hard on this occasion, because nearly all the teams are going to encounter basically unfamiliar conditions: playing at altitude, the South African winter, and so on. It could be a World Cup full of surprises.

"There can hardly ever have been a World Cup with so many potential favorites, in my opinion. At least eight of the teams are good enough to win it – and every one of them has convincing arguments in their favor. It’ll be a very evenly-matched World Cup. And let’s not forget there are still six months to go. A lot can happen in that time," continued the former Tottenham Hotspur star.

"All eight seeded teams rank among the favorites, but you’ve also got to include a couple of the unseeded teams this time. I’m thinking chiefly of France and Portugal. And then you’ve got a host of dark horses, Côte d’Ivoire or Chile for example, who were outstanding in qualifying."