Coach: Luis Oliveira Goncalves
Tactics: Defensively-minded but quick on the counter.
Star Player: Fabrice 'Akwa' Maieco - has a habit of scoring crucial goals.
Verdict: Physically strong but lack experience at this level and will come unstuck even against the lesser teams in Germany. Gaining a point will be seen as a huge achievement. Germany will provide a great stage for some of their players to earn lucrative moves.
Ten things you didn’t know about Angola
1. Located in south-western Africa, Angola was originally a Portuguese colony founded in 1575.
2. The nation gained its independence from Portugal on November 11 1975 but lapsed into a civil war that persisted until August 2002, which destroyed the country’s infrastructure and devastated large areas through the laying of millions of landmines.
3. The official language is still Portuguese and, as luck would have it, Angola is in the same World Cup group as Portugal – giving you ample opportunity to impress your friends by using the adjective lusophonic (which means Portuguese-speaking). Your friends, however, might remind you that only 58,000 Angolans speak Portuguese; the other 11 million speak African languages such as Umbundu.
4. The country’s largest ethnic group is the Ovimbundu who make up 37% of the population.
5. Angolans love their dance music. Kizomba, a slow, smooching dance for couples, is one the most popular styles. Top artists, according to angola.org.uk, include Don Kika, Paulo Flores, Eduardo Paim, Maya Cool and MC Dog Murras.
6. In 2001 a new landmark in Angolan literature was set with the publication of the first detective fiction book – Jaime Bunda, Secret Agent by Pepetela (according the website of state energy company Sonangol).
7. The country’s currency, the kwanza, is made up of 100 lwei.
8. The national anthem is called Forward Angola.
9. TAAG is the name of Angola’s national airline.
10. Want to visit? Make sure you have a certificate showing you have been vaccinated against yellow fever.
