Colombia qualified for their first World Cup since 1998 after finishing in second place in the CONMEBOL qualifying table, with Radamel Falcao scoring 9 goals in 13. Shortly before the tournament he was finally ruled unable to recover from a knee injury suffered mid-way through the season, leaving the side without his outstanding heading and finishing ability and required to field a replacement from among the outstanding attacking talent at his disposal.

The Monaco striker had been regularly partnered by the intelligent movement of Teofilo Gutierrez, and the side have great further depth in the position with Sevilla’s Europa League-winning Carlos Bacca, the versatile Adrian Ramos, and Porto’s Jackson Martinez each netting over a dozen goals in the Spanish, German and Portuguese leagues respectively.

Talented playmaker James Rodriguez gets freedom to roam across the pitch and each flank contains extreme pace, with the tricky Juan Cuadrado on the right ahead of Juan Zuniga and his fellow pacey wing-back Pablo Armero on the left. To allow the full-backs forward former Argentina manager Jose Pekerman has often omitted the dynamic Fredy Guarin and used the more restrained Abel Aguilar alongside a defensive anchor-man in central midfield.

With the full-backs used as attacking players, the inconsistent Cristian Zapata and 37-year-old Mario Yepes at centre-back may however need that protection, and the side’s ability to provide it could be sorely tested in later rounds.

Ivory Coast were expected to win an African Cup of Nations for several years but consistently disappointed, while in consecutive World Cups they were given extremely challenging groups they proved unable to overcome.

Their Golden Generation has finally been placed in a winnable group, but sadly talismanic striker Didier Drogba and previously formidable centre-back Kolo Toure have declined physically since their peak.

Swansea striker Wilfried Bony and Roma winger Gervinho however each scored double figures last season, with midfielder Yaya Toure netting 20 as Manchester City won the Premier League. The Champions League winning midfielder is finally being played in the attacking role that makes most of his athleticism, shooting and passing ability.

But the defence enters the tournament with little quality or familiarity of selection, and places heavy responsibility on the attack to outscore the opposition.

Greece finished level on points with Bosnia in qualifying Group G but their inferior goal difference saw them require a win in the resulting play-off, having scored just 12 goals in their 10 group games. Three goals from Kostas Mitroglou helped them beat Romania 4-1 on aggregate to secure a place in the final, but the striker has struggled for fitness and form since joining relegated Premier League side Fulham from Greek title-holders Olympiakos.

Fernando Santos’s cautious side will therefore struggle to threaten in attack. All-action full-backs Jose Holebas on the left and Vasilis Torosidis on the right are encouraged forward but most of the other players focus on helping the defence, including striker Giorgos Samaras whose dribbling ability and height make him ideally suited to holding the ball up to relieve pressure.

But a similar side upset Russia to reach the quarter-finals of Euro 2012, and Midfield anchor-man Kostas Katsouranis and playmaker Giorgos Karagounis were cornerstones of Otto Rehhagel’s legendary Euro 2004-winning underdog side. This side look like they will also need considerable luck to collect positive results.

Japan manager Alberto Zaccheroni boasts a collection of gifted players across the pitch. However, a comfortable Asian qualifying campaign did not test their goalkeeper and centre-back pairing, and weakness in the air could undo all the achievements of their excellent attacking play.

Full-backs Atsuto Uchida and Yuto Nagatomo are tireless in support of attacking midfielders Shinji Kagawa, Keisuke Honda and Shinji Okazaki, and each of the five have impressed in Europe with their pace and technical ability. Yashuito Endo and Makoto Hasebe link them together well, but the side lack a commanding central striker and their possession play can generate little end product.

At the Confederations Cup their strong performances did not lead to results however, and despite scoring three against Italy their weakness at either end of the pitch saw them beaten 4-3. Sharp finishing will be required from their attackers if the Blue Samurai are to get beyond the group stage.