Can your country win?
Ahead of the football World Cup kick-off on Thursday, LIM MIN ZHANG asks five foreign fans here about their country's chances
Philipp von Pein, 40, chief executive of tech start-up
GERMANY
Are the German team unstoppable, given their perfect qualifying record?
Germany are typically consistent both in the qualifiers and the tournament, but they are not unstoppable, as shown in the last four friendlies against top teams, none of which they won.
Will the retirement of key members of the golden generation hurt Germany's chances?
I don't think so. The replacements are of nearly equivalent ability. Although Joshua Kimmich and Timo Werner lack experience, they compensate with speed, endurance and skill. Toni Kroos, Sami Khedira and Ilkay Gundogan have all matured.
Patrick Vallee, 56, former Tanjong Pagar FC coach
FRANCE
Will team unity again be an issue?
Things have improved since World Cup 2010. That was why the World Cup 2014 campaign was a good one and Euro 2016 a big success.
Will the team suffer if Paul Pogba does not play well?
Pogba is an important player but the strength of the team is in a number of good players like Hugo Lloris, Raphael Varane, Antoine Griezmann and N'Golo Kante.
Fabio da Silva, 44, Meridian Junior College coach and former S.League player
BRAZIL
Will Brazil crumble if Neymar gets injured like in the last World Cup?
The Selecao are a strong team with a well-rehearsed system and other players with the potential to make a difference in big games, with or without Neymar.
What is Brazil's weakness that opponents will exploit?
I think Brazil are weak against teams that play a high pressure game, making it difficult for them to move into attack.
Juan Figar, chief executive of language school Las Lilas Group
SPAIN
Who should lead the forward line given that there is no star striker in the line-up?
Iago Aspas. He is a perfect fit to Spain's attacking style of play.
Will there still be an over-reliance on veterans such as Andres Iniesta, Sergio Busquets and Gerard Pique?
Yes, they still are the key to this team, together with other veterans like captain Sergio Ramos and David Silva.
Diego Jacquet, 42, chef patron of Argentinian restaurant Bochinche
ARGENTINA
Are Argentina still a one-man show that is overly reliant on Lionel Messi?
I don't think so, but having the best player in the world certainly helps. That is the main problem for us, to have the team make Messi better and not to depend on him all the time.
Would the goalkeeper and defence turn out to be their Achilles heel?
Our squad are unfortunately not well-balanced and lacking in defenders, with the only star defender being Nicolas Otamendi. We just need to pray for it.
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