Group E

Brazil (ranked second by Fifa), Switzerland (sixth), Costa Rica (23rd), Serbia (34th)

Brazil will waltz through Group E and probably nutmeg everyone else along the way.

The Selecao have been completely revived under coach Tite, having won 17 of their 21 games during his tenure, drawing three and losing one.

Neymar has made a timely return from injury and he will once again carry the weight of football's most famous nation on his shoulders. That weight was too much of a burden on home soil four years ago though. He left the field on a stretcher in the quarterfinal before watching his team embarrassed 7-1 by Germany from the TV in their next game.

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Brazil's last World Cup was dealt a huge blow when their talisman, Neymar, suffered a tournament ending injury in the quarterfinals.

But as much as Neymar has the megastar qualities which could lead Brazil to a record-extending sixth World Cup, there is genuine x-factor right across the squad and they are no longer 100 per cent dependant on the 26-year-old.

So who will finish second? Well that's going to the most intriguing element of Group E with three evenly matched teams left to scrap it out for the final ticket to the round of 16.

Although their status as the sixth ranked team in the world is an incredibly generous one - their nine-game winning streak in qualifying came in a weak group which Portugal still won - Switzerland do have the slight edge here. Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka is the beating heart of a well balanced team which is experiencing a purple patch now that the 2009 Under-17 World Cup winning squad has grown up.

Another realistic contender is Costa Rica, who provided one of the stories of the 2014 World Cup when they made it out of a tough group featuring Uruguay, Italy, and England. They progressed all the way through to the quarterfinal stage before their fairytale finally came to a halt in a penalty shootout against Netherlands. But there's no reason why they shouldn't dream big again, with most of the gang back for another shot, including Real Madrid goalkeeper Keylor Navas.

The last challenger in this group is Serbia, whose squad features a nice blend of experienced defenders and promising attackers. Bransilav Ivanovic, Aleksandor Kolarov and Nemenja Matic form a solid spine while Aleksandar Mitrovic is a young striker with a decent goal-scoring record. 

Key match: Switzerland v Serbia, June 23 at 6am. A win here should go a long way in helping either Switzerland or Serbia reach the knockout stages.

Predicted qualifiers: Brazil, Switzerland

Group F

Germany (first), Mexico (15th), Sweden (24th), South Korea (57th)

Germany have benefited hugely from coach Joachim Low's decision to send a second-string squad to the Confederations Cup, with promising players such striker Timo Werner gaining valuable tournament experience ahead of a World Cup where he could become a breakout star.

Germany have reached the semifinal of every major tournament since 2006 and there is absolutely no reason why the defending champions won't progress from Group F before making a run deep into the competition.

The only question mark is who will start in goal, with Manuel Neuer only just returning from a foot injury which kept him sidelined for the bulk of the Bundesliga season. But don't fear because the back-up, Marc-Andre ter Stegen, starts for Barcelona - so clearly he's class too.

Although Mexico's results in their warm-up games have not been fantastic, losing 2-0 to Denmark, stuttering to a goalless draw with Wales and only beating Scotland 1-0, El Tri should follow Germany through Group F. They could even replicate their top-eight finishes from 1986 and 1970.

They have a number of key players in the peak of their careers, including Carlos Vela, Javier Hernandez and Hector Herrera, while young winger Hirving Lozano set Eredivisie alight with PSV this season and, like Germany's Werner, has the potential to make a name for himself in Russia.

Sweden's build-up has been marred by the Zlatan Ibrahimovic show. After declaring that he was "going to the World Cup", what he really meant was that he was going to be at the World Cup ... in a sponsorship role. But losing the aging striker, who is struggling to back-up his spectacular MLS debut with an out of sorts LA Galaxy, should not change Sweden's prospects in Group F. They will put men behind the ball, be tough to break down but won't be able to beat Germany or Mexico, thus ending their knockout hopes.

Another team headed for an early exit is South Korea, who only just snuck through qualifying by drawing 0-0 with Uzbekistan. Tottenham's Son Heung-min is their best player but his presence alone won't be enough to drag this team out of a group which features two top-eight contenders.

Key match: Germany v Mexico, June 18 at 3am. The winner of this match will likely top the group.

Predicted qualifiers: Germany, Mexico

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Defending champions Germany aim to repeat their efforts from Brazil four years ago.

 - Stuff