Internationals / Ben Lyttleton / 22 September 2009 / Leave a comment

As the Under 20 World Cup is about to kick off, Ben Lyttleton tells us why Argentina certainly won't be winning it, Brazil might be, Hungary may be worth an outside bet and which players we should be looking out for.

"Given that Argentina have won three of the last four editions, and the other
went to Brazil, all eyes will be on whether the South American stranglehold
on the competition can continue."

Sergio Aguero had spent one season playing at Atletico Madrid before he went off to the 2007 Under-20 World Cup in Canada but when he came back having finished Top Scorer and Player of the Tournament for the victorious Argentina side, he took that form into his La Liga performances. He went on to score 19 goals in 37 league matches and since then, as a regular scorer in the Champions League, has cemented his place among the world's top players.

This week, the 2009 edition of the Under-20 World Cup gets underway in Egypt and the big question is, who will be the new Aguero? One thing is certain, he won't come from Argentina as the reigning champions have not qualified for this competition. Instead, the favourites are Spain, Brazil and Ghana, while hosts Egypt are also confident of becoming the first ever winners from Africa.

Given that Argentina have won three of the last four editions, and the other went to Brazil, all eyes will be on whether the South American stranglehold on the competition can continue. Brazil will be amongst the favourites at around [5.5] and have arguably the best individual talent available ­ Douglas Costa, the Gremio left-winger tracked by Manchester United, and Giuliano, already a regular in Internacional's senior team, are their two leading lights, and tipped to follow 2003 winners Daniel Carvalho (a Uefa Cup winner with CSKA Moscow) and Nilmar (now at Villarreal) to Europe. Their striker Walter has earned comparisons with Adriano and, having top-scored with five goals in qualifying, a decent option to finish Top Scorer.

Brazil's biggest threat will come from European champions Spain ([7.0]), whose squad is made up from the team that finished runners-up at the Under-17 World Cup in Korea in 2007. Although Bojan Krkic of European champions Barcelona is likely to miss out through inury, plenty of big clubs will be represented: Arsenal's Fran Merida runs the midfield, Real Madrid's Dani Parejo, currently on loan at Getafe, starts up front, while Atletico Madrid's first-team pair of Sergio Asenjo and Alvaro Dominguez bolster the
defence.

Both Brazil and Spain should qualify from their group for the knock-out stages, which is more than can be said for Group C, already called the Group of Death by USA coach Thomas Rongen. His young side have the best chance of progressing, though any one of Germany, Cameroon and Korea Republic could
all realistically join the Americans.

England's side is a different one to the 2007 Under-17 vintage, which contained current Premier League players like Dan Gosling (Everton) and Danny Welbeck (Manchester United). Although players like Fabian Delph, Freddie Sears and Daniel Sturridge have all played for the Under-20s since, none are included in what looks like a weakened squad. And yet Brian Eastick's side were impressive in qualifying, scoring 20 and conceding just four, while recent wins over Holland and Germany have kept up the confidence. Ghana will prove their biggest test in Group D, and although both should qualify, it would be a huge surprise if England reached their first semi-final since 1993.

The hosts ([16.0]) can call upon two players from African champions Al-Ahly, Ahmed
Shokry and Mohamed Talaat, who has been tipped for a call-up to the senior side in time for Egypt's defence of their African Nations Cup crown in January. But perhaps the biggest African threat comes from Nigeria, runners-up in 2005, and around [(11.0]) for the title. Although missing striker Macauley Chrisantus, who top-scored in the Under-17 World Cup in Korea 2007, through injury, the Nigerians can call upon Lukman Haruna, already a full international, and Rabiu Ibrahim, heralded as the new Jay-Jay Okocha.

For a value bet, keep an eye on outsiders Hungary: with their senior team in with a shout of reaching the World Cup, the nation's feel-good factor has seeped into the junior ranks. The bulk of this squad managed to reach the semi-finals of last year's Under-19 European Championships and with goals almost guaranteed from the strike partnership of Avellino's Vlagyimir Koman and Liverpool's Krisztian Nemeth, they could be a team to back at ([15.0]) with a view to trading out as the competition progresses.