The focus maybe on the holders, Spain, or the host nation, Brazil, but I like the look of Argentina going into the World Cup finals.
Fewer people are speaking about Argentina because they have disappointed in recent World Cups, failing to get beyond the quarter-finals in three of the last four tournaments.
They did not advance beyond the group stage in 2002, when they were among the favourites to win the trophy.
In qualifying this time, they won the difficult South American group with ease and they are playing in their first finals in South America since they hosted and won the competition in 1978.
They will be based in Porto Alegre, where they will play one of their games.
It is the closest city to Argentina. Tens of thousands of their fans will travel in support, something Argentina are usually missing at World Cups.
Alejandro Sabella’s side have been drawn in a group with Bosnia-Herzegovina, Iran and Nigeria, three games which I expect them to comfortably win.
And the reason I expect them to do so well is because their squad is packed with world-class players.
Sabella, who played for Sheffield United and Leeds United in Yorkshire, has Lionel Messi, for a start, but the players who support him in attack really impress me.
Sergio Aguero, Gonzalo Higuain, Angel di Maria and Carlos Tevez may not be quite in the same class as Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, but they all are world-class players in the band below.
When Argentina beat Bosnia 2-0 in their last game only two weeks ago, it was Aguero who scored both goals.
Sabella’s problem of how to accommodate his incredible strikers is unique. As is his solution. He has gotten around it by not selecting Tevez in the two years since he took charge.
That baffles me, though Tevez has not always helped himself.
He turned up overweight for the 2011 Copa America and missed a key penalty when they lost to winners Uruguay.
He has also spoken out against international football several times in the past. Travelling from Europe to South America all the time must drive you crazy, especially for friendlies.
The jet lag drains you. I spend half of my life travelling around the world and it does not get easier as you get older, but you can do it while you’re young and the career of a footballer is a short one.
It is worth the hassle, yet he recently said that he had retired from international duty and refused to elaborate why.
Whatever the issues, a player of Tevez’s quality should be at the World Cup finals.
He admitted that he has been headstrong in the past, but pride and ego have gotten in the way of many a rational decision in football, but there are usually regrets years later. And I speak from experience.
Sometimes Tevez is a portrayed as a one-man trouble-causer, yet I have heard stories to counter that. Paul Scholes told me that Tevez was not only a great player, but a good lad, too. Scholes is brutally blunt and can be critical if needed, so I trust his words.
Tevez has been excellent since signing with Juventus and he and Aguero are effective together up front. They also like playing together and were highly effective for Manchester City, not that Tevez was always around to play after being suspended.
When he came back last season, I was surprised that Tevez and Aguero did not score more goals, but then, City scored 20 fewer than champions United. Not only that, they scored fewer goals than Chelsea in third, Arsenal in fourth and Liverpool in seventh – Aguero only managed 12 league goals and Tevez had 11. Edin Dzeko was City’s top league scorer with 14.
But allow them both one less-than-spectacular season, especially as many in the City team were not happy with their manager last season. Allow it because they are both excellent.
Aguero can go it alone, he has the skills to hold play up and it is not like he is short of players, but imagine attacking with Messi, Tevez, Higuain and Di Maria? It would be the best in world football, not that I’ve worked out how they would all be included.
Aguero and Tevez have lovely movement and profit from a low centre of gravity, like Messi. They are both team players, too, utterly selfless. They link up play, they can score goals inside and outside the box. I am a big admirer of Tevez, who seems to be in a better place mentally at Juventus.
He certainly looks fitter. Even as a secondary striker, he’s averaging a goal every two games at Juve.
With a fit and in-form Tevez, Argentina will be stronger.
With Aguero, Messi, Higuain and Di Maria alongside him, they’ll have the best attack in the world.
Andrew Cole’s column is written with the assistance of Andy Mitten, European football correspondent
sports@thenational.ae