Star man: Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus)
Odds: 12-1
Biggest local supermarket: Coop Italia
Fascinating food and drink facts: Durum wheat pasta was introduced to Sicily by raiding Arabs in the 7th century long before the apocryphal tale of Marco Polo bringing it back from China, invented by the Macaroni Journal to promote pasta in the US. And Horace wrote in the first century BC of 'lagana', sheets of fried dough flavoured with spices.
Star man: Ryan Nelson (Blackburn Rovers)
Odds: 1,000-1
Biggest local supermarket: New World
Fascinating food and drink facts: Delia upset UK farmers with an advert for New Zealand lamb, but the meat tops even rugby as a Kiwi national obsession. As adept seafarers, the Maori settlers of pre-colonial times preferred seafood and imported the sweet potato from their home islands. The drink Kia Ora gets its name from an old Maori greeting.
Star man: Roque Santa Cruz (Man City)
Odds: 50-1
Biggest local supermarket: Superseis
Fascinating food and drink facts: Cassava and corn form the building blocks of Paraguayan cuisine, while yerba mate, a herbal infusion that is reminiscent of green tea, is a national drink. Though usually brewed in hot water, mate can also be served iced and sweetened. The drink reportedly helps lower cholesterol.
Star man: Marek Hamsik (Napoli)
Odds: 150-1
Biggest local supermarket: Billa
Fascinating food and drink facts: Traditional Slovak cuisine is extremely high in calories and not what you would call healthy nowadays. A typical dish is jaternice, a blood sausage that can contain any or all parts of a pig. Game meats such as boar, rabbit and venison are also eaten often washed down with a refreshing glass of sour milk.
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