It appears Ghana’s worst fears have come true as their injured captain Michael Essien will miss the World Cup. This is a major blow to the African nation’s chances as they are now forced to take on Germany, Serbia, and Australia in Group G without their inspirational leader.

The 27-year-old midfielder was injured back in December while playing for his club team Chelsea in the English Premier League. However, manager Milovan Rajevac hoped Essien would be fit in time for the World Cup and included him in his preliminary 29-man roster. But the Ghana Football Association announced the bad news on May 27. The Ghana Football Association and Chelsea both diagnosed the player and came to the same conclusion. Defender John Mensah was also named to the squad despite being out with a calf injury.

Essien sustained a hamstring injury in a European Champions League match six months ago, but then played in Ghana’s second game during African Nations Cup in January. He then suffered a knee injury during training as he partially tore a medial ligament. This led to several operations to try and repair the damaged knee. Knee injuries are nothing new to the player as suffered a serious one in 2008 and was out of action for six months.

Midfielder Kevin-Prince Boateng, who was born in Germany, was named to the squad after he decided to switch nationalities. He played for Germany at the under-21 level, however his father is Ghanaian father and an uncle of his also played for Ghana. Inter Milan’s star midfielder Sulley Muntari was named to the squad even though he was dropped from the team in January for the Africa Cup of Nations after he said he wouldn’t play in a friendly match against Angola. It’s not sure how the news of Essien’s injury will affect the betting odds, but Ghana was listed at 50/1 by expect.com to win the tournament.

Expekt offers great odds on all the World Cup group games. Sign up here to claim your bonus!

Meanwhile, Ivory Coast manager Sven-Goran Eriksson has a talented 30-man squad to choose his 23-man roster from and his team looks to be the strongest African contingent in the tournament. The Ivory Coast faces Portugal, Brazil, and North Korea in Group G, and has one of the world’s top strikers in Didier Drogba at their disposal along with his Chelsea teammate Salomon Kalou. The midfield is equally as strong with Yaya Toure, Guy Demel and Cheick Tiote. On defence, the squad features Emmanuel Eboue, Abdoulaye Meite, Steve Gohouri, and Kolo Toure. The team is listed at 10th favourite to win the Cup with odds of 33/1 at expekt.com.

Rigobert Song may take part in his fourth World Cup for Cameroon as the 33-year-old defender was selected to the 30-man squad. He is joined by midfielder Geremi, and Benoit Assou-Akotto, who missed the Africa Cup of Nations with an injury. Defender Sebastien Bassong is also in the squad after being left out for the Cup of Nations. Striker Samuel Eto’o will captain the team after replacing Song last year. Cameroon, who faces Holland, Denmark, and Japan, in Group E are 50/1 to win the Cup.

South African manager Carlos Alberto Parreira chose striker Benni McCarthy to his 29-man squad after he was dropped by former manager Joel Santana. McCarthy and has had to deal with injuries since he joined England’s West Ham in January. It’s also been reported that he’s overweight. Parreira selected 10 European-based players. These include captain Aaron Mokoena, as well as midfielders Steven Pienaar and Kagisho Dikgacoi. However, Nasief Morris wasn’t named. Even though South Africa is the host, their odds of winning the tournament are listed at 100/1. They will play in Group A against Mexico, Uruguay, and France.

Nigerian manager Lars Lagerback selected 33-year-old striker Nwankwo Kanu to his squad and if he makes it, Kanu will be playing in his third World Cup. Kanu’s teammate at Portsmouth, John Utaka was also named after being dropped by former boss Amodu Shaibu. Midfielder Jon Obi Mikel was included even though he missed the end of the season with Chelsea after a minor knee operation. The only Nigerian-based players were goalkeeper Bassey Akpan and Peter Suswan. The team is listed at 100/1 to win the Cup and will meet Argentina, South Korea, and Greece so start make your Group B predictions.

Algerian manager Rabah Saadane selected five more players to his initial 25-man roster to cover himself in case of injuries. The additions are Lazhar Hadj Aissa, Khaled Lemmouchia, and Hocine Metref of Algerian team ES Setif, along with Mohamed Meftah and striker Chadli Amri. Defender Nadir Belhadj and goalkeeper Faouzi Chaouchi were both chosen even though they’re suspended for the opening match against Slovenia. Belhadj is eligible to play the second match, but Chaouchi is banned until the last group game. Midfielder Mourad Meghni will miss the tournament due to upcoming knee surgery. Algeria will play in Group C against England, the USA, and Slovenia. Their odds of taking the Cup home are 300/1. Need more World Cup betting tips?

Sign up at Sportsbook.com here to claim your free bets