Algeria
Star man: Karim Ziani (VfL Wolfsburg)
Odds: 150-1
Biggest local supermarket: Arcofina
Fascinating food and drink facts: Local food mixes French and Turkish influences with the traditional cuisine of nomadic Berber tribesmen. The national dish is couscous, while honey and almonds are commonly used in pastries. Carrefour exited a short-lived JV last year after concluding "the concept of mass distribution does not work in Algeria".
Star man: Wayne Rooney (Man United)
Odds: 5-1
Biggest local supermarket: Tesco
Fascinating food and drink facts: Amid the pies, roast dinners and carbo-heavy stodge, it's long been accepted that our true national dish is chicken tikka masala although some Scots claim it was invented in Glasgow. A recent survey of 48 variants of the dish found the only item present in all was chicken. London's very first curry house opened in 1809.
Slovenia
Star man: Milivoje Novakovi (FC Cologne)
Odds: 150-1
Biggest local supermarket: Mercator
Fascinating food and drink facts: Bordered by Italy, Hungary, Croatia and Austria, Slovenia lacks a unified national cuisine. Depending on the region, specialities include seafood, goulash or breads stuffed with meat and vegetables. A popular dish is 'Aleluja', or Hallelujah, a soup made using turnip peelings. Sounds praiseworthy indeed.
Star man: Landon Donovan (LA Galaxy)
Odds: 66-1
Biggest local supermarket: Walmart
Fascinating food and drink facts: More than 150 million Americans are obese or overweight, roughly half, according to Mintel, while the number of diabetes sufferers has increased 44% in the past decade to 36 million. Soft drinks make up 7% of an average Yank's calorie intake, prompting plans in states like New York and California for a "soda tax".
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