Group F: Italy, Paraguay, Slovakia, New Zealand

ITALY: FIFA RANKING 5, ODDS TO WIN 16-1

Sporting immortality beckons for Marcello Lippi. Should the veteran coach lead Italy to a fifth World Cup in the coming weeks, he would join fellow countryman Vittorio Pozzo as the only coach to have won the World Cup twice.

This was not a situation Lippi envisioned four years ago, when his Italy side beat France on penalties in Berlin to attain their fourth World Cup. Three days after the final, the former Juventus manager did not renew his contract with the Italian Football Federation and he walked off into retirement, anticipating a gentle life pursuing his hobby of deep-sea fishing along the Tuscan coast.