Manager Roy Keane believes the World Cup is very open with several sides in with a good chance of winning. The Blues boss says there is an element of mystery about the competition, which begins today when the hosts face former Town loanee Giovani Dos Santos and Mexico in Group A (KO 3pm).
Keane told the club site: "I think a lot of people are not sure how the tournament is going to go. They are not sure about the conditions, the heat, the humidity, what state the pitches are in.
"It has a bit of the unknown about it but I still expect the likes of Brazil, Germany, Argentina to be there at the end. The Spanish as well. England have a chance but a lot depends on Wayne Rooney.”
The former Irish international says he is not particularly a fan of the group stages, believing the tournament comes into its own in the later rounds: "The competition comes alive when it's at the knock-out stage.
"I'll be watching games like everyone else and maybe there are realistic targets out there for us. Obviously it will be very hard for us to get one of the top players from the likes of Italy, Spain and Brazil, but from the smaller nations, why not?"
Tommy Smith and New Zealand open their Group F campaign with a game against Slovakia on Tuesday afternoon (KO 12.30pm).
TWTD Message Boarder Keno is still looking for participants in his World Cup Fantasy League, details of which can be found here.
If you’re planning on making some pre-World Cup wagers, free bets are available from a number of leading bookies via TWTD’s Betting section on the main menu at the top of the page or here.