[Nilpaurion Felagund]

GROUP C

Here we have a team of flying offence and defence, a team with a First Age attacking line up, a team who had been denied last year by almost the same teams in their current group, and new team that many deem to be a bad idea.

• Anduin

  3.5 GK Amroth
  3.25 MF Boromir II
  3 FW Grimbeorn

  We may have been a bit too hasty when we said that this group is a contest between the two dragon-powered teams. Anduin, who, despite failing, fought hard to try to get out of the group stage last year, has displayed fine form in the friendlies, losing only to Valimar, drawing with Wilderland, and then beating Imladris. But will they have the firepower or the stopping power to face Erebor and Wilderland when it matters?
  
  
• Dwarves United

  4 GK Bombur
  3.5 DF Celebrimbor
  1.75 DF Aulë

  Let’s face it: there are some races you can’t build a football team around. Hobbits, for example. Sure, they have their strengths in certain areas of the pitch, but they also have glaring weaknesses. Last year’s Shire-Bree United squad failed to cover or make up for those weakness, and they ended up being one of the most dismal teams of 2011. So this year they learned their lesson, and they recruited non-Hobbits heavily—so heavily, in fact, that the only Hobbit they have left in the squad is the Bullroarer. All right, so this squad of Dwarves may have been importing talent already, but the Elf they trusted to bring them goals has not done so, mainly due to the fact that no one’s feeding him the ball. Maybe they should have recruited a non-Dwarf in the midfield, too.
  
  
• Erebor

  4 GK Beorn
  2.25 FW Smaug
  2 DF Girion

  Smaug returns to the Lonely Mt, and even though he’s had a quiet friendly round (three goals in four games is quiet for him), the defence has stepped up in the meantime. Beorn’s 76.47% save rate is the eleventh best of the friendlies, and the eagle wall is the eighth best defence. Once Smaug and Thranduil wake up and do what they’re accustomed to, they have a chance to make some noise in the tourney proper.
  
  
• Wilderland

  6.5 FW Oromë
  6.25 MF Elwë
  4.75 MF Galadriel

  They might not have missed Sauron and Smaug’s services, with Oromë, Elwë, and Galadriel doing a fine job of delivering goals, but they have sorely missed Grimbeorn’s presence at the net, as they’ve conceded almost two goals (in seven shots on target) per game in the friendlies. Perhaps Galadriel should have taken up her accustomed spot between the goalposts instead. Well, finding a defensive identity can wait until they’re in the knockout stage—after all, they do have the personnel up front to win this group.

Projected finish:
1. Wilderland
2. Erebor
3. Anduin
4. Dwarves United

GROUP F

The easiest group to predict: the gap between the top two and the bottom two teams of this group seems insurmountable.

• Imladris

  4.5 GK Elros
  3.25 DF Varda
  2.25 DF Aranarth, DF Galdor, DF Erestor

  Imladris may have heaved a sigh of relief when their founder’s brother Elros stepped in to replace their lord at the goal, but a few friendly performances have them wishing that Elrond had chosen to stay instead. Shutting out Arnor was a fine performance, though not exactly a difficult task, but letting Anduin score two against them was a disaster. This would not be much of a worry if they can rack up more goals than the opposition, but the siblings Elladan, Elrohir, and Arwen have yet to show any scoring touch.
  
  
• Isengard

  3.5 FW Saruman
  3 GK Uglúk
  2.25 DF Treebeard

  Saruman has returned to his old fortress after a two-year absence, bringing with him Caradhras, a talent he had discovered last year for the Misty Mts squad. Unfortunately, even with the mountain spirit and the addition of a few Ents, there are few Arda-level talents to be found within Nan Curunír. Isengard did manage a win against Minas Tirith, but that’s a team even more lacking in talent than Saruman’s squad, and winning against them is no accomplishment a tournament-calibre team should be proud of.
  
  
• Misty Mts

  3.5 MF Narvi
  2.5 GK Great Goblin
  2 FW Durin's Bane, MF Rúmil

  This is a team that may have maxed out its potential last year. Saruman’s departure has deprived the team of its cunning, and they have replaced it with the brutishness of old, earning the squad a record twenty yellow cards in the friendlies. That’s five bookings per game. The good news is that Rúmil and Narvi have shared the scoring load with Durin’s Bane, but the bad news is that the Great Goblin, who replaced Caradhras as goalkeeper, has been dismal, with a save rate of 53.85%. They might catch Imladris on a bad day and steal a win (a long shot), but they won’t stand a chance against Rohan.
  
  
• Rohan

  4 MF Éomer
  3.5 GK Théoden
  3 DF Felarof

  One of the most expensive Middle-earth squads (only Erebor and Eriador cost more), Rohan is trying to recapture the spirit of the miracle of 2009, when they made it to the round of sixteen, and was a penalty shoot-out away from advancing to the quarterfinals. Their defence might be a bit too lax, mainly due to their friendly friendlies with Minas Tirith and Gondor, but in this group it might not matter much yet. And Éomer has been consistent on offence, averaging a goal or an assist per game in the friendlies. If Eorl and Helm step up, they look set to dominate this group, and even exceed the accomplishments of the 2009 Edoras squad.

Projected finish:
1. Rohan
2. Imladris
3. Misty Mts
4. Isengard