PLFantasy

Brazil are the second favourites (5/1) for the whole tournament thanks to good form in the qualifiers (top of their group) and an improved 'team' concept that should lead to a tighter defence (emphasis on the word 'should' rather than 'has'). Brazil have been drawn in Group G along with Portugal, Cote d'Ivoire and North Korea which is tough but should not prevent their advance to the next round. A week 1 fixture against North Korea is beyond appetising and with 15 transfers to use in the group stages it makes alot of sense to bring a couple of Brazilians in for this week and move them later if they aren't hitting the highs of previous years. Fantasy Picks The team has been fairly unsettled during the qualifiers so it is hard to pick the final XI but there are several players who should feature in early games and therefore deserve fantasy consideration. Kaka (MD) Undoubtedly one of the top picks for this year's competition, Kaka is the only true world...

Surely it can't be true: Kaka playing in Manchester (and not in red). With the initial ridicule at the audacity of the bid fading, it now seems that a bid has been made and Kaka may even consider the move. Kaka rates as one of the top 5 players in the world and for me is second behind Messi . The thought of him playing in the premiership is excellent and my intrigue as to his potential fantasy impact is off the charts. True, City have been up and down this year but they have still managed to supply the 4 th best striker ( Robinho ) and 6 th best midfielder (Ireland). Kaka will surely make a new big four (joining Ronaldo , Lampard and Gerrard as elite midfield assets. Where his price will fall will dictate for me how quickly I pick him up should he make the move to Eastlands . Anything around 9 - 10m makes him an instant buy. At 11m I would probably advise holding off to see how quickly he can adapt to the league. Although, with Chelsea in a bit of a slump and Ronaldo still...