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I don't think anyone expects Ireland to be world beaters. A lot of the criticism stems from their poor showing at the Euros, where they were accused of just being happy to be there and not putting up much of a fight.
I see Germany as Europe's greatest challenge to Spain's current dominance and given that players like Xavi are coming to the end of their career and the relative youth of players like Kroos, Reus and Ozil, I think the next World Cup could see them finally start to eclipse Spain. I'm intrigued to see how Argentina are doing post Maradona's spell as coach. On paper they're awesome: Aguero, Tevez, Messi but they always seem in the shadow of Brazil - who I'm convinced will choke under the pressure of hosting the tournament. I really think this World Cup will be the most fascinating in years. I'm getting in early and predicting a Germany win, even though I'd love it to be Argentina.
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