One of the best aspects of this for me is that aside from the Italy/Ukraine match I can see the other 3 quarter finals going either way. Decided maybe on a bad call, a bit of good luck or preferably a bit of genius from a star player.
The "old order" appears to have re-established itself at this world cup after the surprises of '02 and there are some classic match-ups scheduled for the final games here in '06.
I am hoping personally that this vintage French team has one last great performance in it and Zidane and co. can eliminate Brasil.
Also I hope that England finally fires into life and eliminates Portugal, as for Germany/Argentina I like to see the hosts do well especially as the German nation has really got into the cup but the Argentina fans led by Maradona and the attacking style of soccer also deserve success.
Italy I expect to shut out Ukraine and dive and whinge to a 1-0 victory, maybe 2-0 if they can be bothered. A team of great talent but one that sometimes seems to enjoy the darker side of the game more than actually trying to score.