World Cup 2010 - South Africa

Just under five days remaining until kick off of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. 32 Teams will be vying for the coveted FIFA World Cup Trophy .

If you have been following European Football at all over the past several weeks you already know that there have been some key injuries to some high profile players (most of which I had never heard of but they are a big deal inthe soccer world).

Spain has three members of their squad who are questionable, Fernando Torres and Xavi, and Cesc Fabregas. England, perhaps the most hyped country in World Cup History, has 13 players who have injuries. Of those 13, 3 are definitely out (Beckham, Owen, Woodgate), 3 are reasonably likely to play(Ferdinand, Zamora, and King), and the remaining 7 range from unlikely to improving.

Perhaps the most unfortunate injury, for both his Country of Ivory Coast and also for the World Cup organizers is Didier Drogba. Ivory Coast was being touted as the best chance Africa has had at getting past the Quarter Finals for the first time. Drogba is the biggest star in African Soccer and losing him for the tournament with a broken arm in a friendly against Japan is an enormous loss.

Other Key injuries to keep in mind as you are making your selection are:

Michael Essien, Ghana
Arjen Robben, Netherlands
Michael Ballack, Germany
John Mikel Obi, Nigeria
Oguchi Onyewu, USA
Kaka, Brasil
Robin Van Persie, Netherlands
William Gallas, France
Martin Skrtel, Slovakia

So there are just a few tidbits for you to ponder while you're making your picks.