This week some of our regular bloggers will be answering your World Cup questions. South American expert Tim Vickery is first to put his neck on the block.
GENERAL
Q. Who do the bloggers think will be the real surprise package this time around - both overachieving and underperforming?
Ben, Thailand
A. The World Cup qualification campaign in South America is so long, with so many games to follow that, to be honest, my knowledge outside the continent is very sketchy.
I had a quick look at some of the African sides in January and I am watching a few warm-up matches but, in general, I will get to know the other teams during the competition.
I cannot give an authoritative reply but I think and hope that the surprises this time round will be for positive reasons. In 2002, I thought that in general the surprises were negative. Almost everyone who had come through the European season was physically on their knees and the quality suffered as a result. There was a levelling down.
had tried to protect the since, with the cut-off point for the club season, trying to give players more time to recover. So now I hope that any surprises will come from the fascinating dynamic of international football - the fact that players from all over the world gain top-level experience in Europe, which widens the spread of nations who can be competitive.
Q. Which unheard of players will shine in this tournament?
Faraz, UK
A. of Chile, and perhaps of Uruguay and I hope Paraguay can get the best out of .
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What a season it has been for and what a pleasure it is to be proved hopelessly wrong about him.
Three years ago in the Copa America, and was so ineffective that coach Alfio Basile decided he would rather play without a target-man centre-forward. Milito returned to make a few appearances in World Cup qualification, but again made little impression.
Argentina manager Diego Maradona seemed to have given up on him when, chasing the game against Brazil last September, Milito was brought off the bench only to fluff a couple of chances in a 3-1 defeat.
He looked so ordinary for Argentina. How, then, had he scored so many goals for Genoa? A year ago I had the chance to ask this very question to one of his former team-mates, Brazilian goalkeeper Rubinho.
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Four years ago, in the build-up to there was a real buzz about South America's big two.
Argentina, meanwhile, brought a team built around the sumptuous passing skills of In qualification they had already shown hints of great quality - with switches of play, changes of rhythm, continuous formation of attacking triangles. In the World Cup they topped it all with an awe-inspiring defeat of Serbia.
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for South Africa was a crushing defeat for the nation's media in one of its favourite sports - trying to force the inclusion of big names players on to the plane for this summer's World Cup.
But it was the perceived excesses of Brazil's stars that undermined their campaign in Germany in 2006 and paved the way for Dunga's appointment. He took over with a message that individuals might win matches but groups win titles. Over three and half years later, coherence has been maintained.
Before the squad was announced, clips were shown of some of Brazil's recent triumphs. Then came a declaration for Kaka, paying tribute to the spirit of union of the current team. It was a giant hint that there would be no last-minute surprises.
. On form and in shape, he would surely be a useful one-man Plan B to have on the bench but he can hardly complain of lack of opportunities. Dunga carried him around for almost three years before finally losing patience.
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Sheffield Wednesday fans don't need to be told that , almost like a death in the family.
It is so traumatic that the major South American leagues have a history of trying to ensure that it never happens to their big clubs. There were years in Brazil when it was decreed that no former First Division champion could go down.
Even when this clause was not in effect, there were times when big clubs finished bottom of the table, and still stayed up. All kinds of strange justifications were employed to keep them in the top flight - such as scrapping relegation altogether to save from the drop.
People in Brazilian football would argue, in all seriousness and with a totally straight face, that it was absurd for big clubs to be in the Second Division, no matter how bad their results. It was feudalism in action, the exact opposite of meritocracy of the game.
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I cover South American football from Brazil. There's a wealth of talent and a rich culture - a fascinating continent to follow football.
