Team: Argentina

Time to step out of Brazil's shadow

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Coach: Jose Pekerman
Captain: Juan Pablo Sorin
Winners: 1978, 1986
Pitted against: Holland, Serbia & Montenegro and Ivory Coast
Prospects: On paper, Argentina are more than capable of lifting the trophy. If they can negotiate a tricky group, glory could be theirs
Odds: 8-1

If there was ever a nation in need of a big tournament it's South America’s second side. They have lived in the shadow of their neighbours Brazil ever since Diego Maradona led them to the victory in the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, writes Carl O'Malley

Finishing ahead of Ronaldinho and co is now as important as winning a major tournament – something they haven’t done since 1993, when they won the Copa America in Ecuador.

Their lowest point in recent years was in Japan and Korea in 2002, where they failed to make it out of their group with England, Sweden and Nigeria.

There is no doubt that the Albiceleste can talk a big game with the array of talent at their disposal but the inner demons may be more difficult to overcome than their opposition.

Having been drawn alongside Serbia and Montenegro, the Netherlands and the Ivory Coast in what has been imaginatively dubbed as the ‘Group Of Death’, progressing to the knockout stages will be a task in itself.

Debate also rages in Argentina over who should be pulling the strings in the search for that illusive third World Cup. Manager Jose Pekerman appears to favour Villareal playmaker Juan Roman Riquelme, and while he is not alone, many domestic commentators believe the former Barca player doesn’t have the pace.

His ‘bottle’ has also been questioned after that penalty miss against Arsenal in the Champion’s League semi-final.

Perhaps England’s young guns have made the bigger impact this side of the globe but it's Pekerman’s squad that's likely to contain the most exciting young talent in Germany.

Pekerman has called on Barcelona’s Lionel Messi - dubbed the latest ‘new Maradona’ - but declined to bow to popular opinion and gamble on Independiente’s Diego-like deity, 17 year-old Sergio Aguero. Instead, expect Chelsea target Carlos Tevez to grab the headlines while Pablo Aimar has much to prove after a recent dip in form.

Nevertheless, all the ‘new Maradona’s’ in the world may not be enough to allay fears that Argentina are just not right in the head for a big tournament win. And questionable ‘away’ form in the qualifiers adds weight to that argument.

World Cup Squad

Goalkeepers: Roberto Abbondanzieri (Boca Juniors), Leonardo Franco (Atletico Madrid), Oscar Ustari (Independiente)
Defenders: Fabricio Coloccini (Deportivo Coruna), Roberto Ayala (Valencia), Gabriel Heinze (Manchester United), Juan Pablo Sorin (Villarreal), Gabriel Milito (Real Zaragoza), Nicolas Burdisso (Inter Milan), Leandro Cufre (AS Roma)
Midfielders: Lionel Scaloni (West Ham United), Esteban Cambiasso (Inter Milan), Javier Mascherano (Corinthians), Luis Gonzalez (Porto), Pablo Aimar (Valencia), Juan Roman Riquelme (Villarreal), Maximiliano Rodriguez (Atletico Madrid)
Forwards: Carlos Tevez (Corinthians), Hernan Crespo (Chelsea), Lionel Messi (Barcelona), Rodrigo Palacio (Boca Juniors), Javier Saviola (Sevilla), Julio Cruz (Inter Milan)