The anticipation for next year's biggest sports event, the World Cup to be held in Brazil, has further increased with Friday's draw that bared several intriguing storylines among countries participating in the tournament.
The World Cup draw held in Bahia revealed the match-ups in next year's games, with Brazil meeting Croatia while defending champion Spain facing 2010 runner-ups Netherlands, even as the United States will battle their coach Juergen Klinsmann's native Germany.
Two groups are being singled-out for being competitive. Group B is one of them with Spain, the Netherlands, Chile, and Australia. Meanwhile, Italy, England, Uruguay and Costa Rica compose Group D which features three teams who have previously won the World Cup.
Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari, who has promised that his country will win the World Cup for a record sixth time, was glad about facing dangerous Croatia on June 12.
"It's always good to start off against a European team because they have to go through an adaptation period in Brazil and there are a series of things they'll need to implement," he told Reuters.
Spain opens up their title defense by meeting the Netherlands in a rematch of the 2010 World Cup finals. Said Spanish coach Vicente Del Bosque: We will have to be prepared right from the first day, focus ourselves."
US coach Klinsmann will face his countrymen when his team battles the Germans. He told Reuters: "Of course, a special moment for me to play against Germany but we beat them in a friendly this year and once you get on the pitch they are the just the opponent."
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