We’ve been training hard and we’re all ready for a month of late nights and long hangovers. Everyone’s excited and wondering how its all going to pan out. It certainly won’t disappoint, its going to be an amazing World Cup if the chart for the opening game has anything to say about it.

Starting on a rising full Moon, with a Mars / Uranus / Pluto T square we are in for an explosive tournament. So many of the aspects are really tight as well like the Venus / Saturn opposition.

If the opening chart is a chart for the whole tournament, it looks like a win for the hosts Brazil. As favourites their ruler is Jupiter exalted in Cancer, the Moon is closely conjunct the Ascendant, so both are pointing to a win for the team playing at home. The fact that the Moon is in mutual reception with Jupiter confirms this.

However, it is pushing it to look at the chart for the opening game as being for the whole tournament, so all its really saying is that Brazil should comfortably despatch Croatia who are represented by Mercury retrograde in Cancer.

But who is going to shine over the next month or so. Every single newspaper has come up with their own players to watch, but of course they have to stick to the old tried and for some unfathomable reason trusted formula of picking those players who have been on form in the past. The far more sensible method is to pick those that are going to be on form during the tournament itself.

So Capricorn Research has trawled through the charts of the 736 players from all 32 teams to give readers the real insights. Obviously this has not comprised of an extensive individual chart interpretation for each of them. It is simply a look at the major transits, mainly by conjunction to their Sun and Mars by Jupiter and Pluto. This may seem like a very simple method but it was all that was needed to predict Gareth Bale scoring the winners in the Champions League final and the Copa del Rey. Of course Jupiter conjunct the Sun is a peak that only occurs every 12 years, and it’s likely that Bale will never reach the same heights again. The only direction for him is downwards now starting with this tournament as he’s not even there. But there are plenty of big stars that are.

Everyone’s favourite, Lionel Messi has Jupiter conjunct his Mars a transit that’s about as good as it gets particularly as he has the two planets in square natally. Unfortunately it peaks just as the World Cup is starting and is likely to be out of range by the end of the group stage. There a a few decent Sun and Mars aspects but again these would be over by the end of June.

These days no one is allowed to mention Messi unless they also talk about Cristiano Ronaldo and there are suggestions that he is not fully fit having had some injuries in the latter part of the season. Although he played and scored in the Champions League final, he did not look his usual all conquering self. A Ghanaian witch doctor has claimed to be using curses to stop him playing for Portugal against his country, but this story sounds like he’s got hold of an ephemeris and recognises the opportunity to claim a bit of credit because Saturn is currently square to Ronaldo’s Sun and will stay there throughout the tournament. The current World Footballer of the Year may not look like it in Brazil.

Neymar is an interesting case. There is a tremendous amount of pressure on him as the golden boy of Brazil, and this is reflected in the fact that Saturn is also square his Sun for most of the tournament. It has been in the same position since the beginning of 2014 and his first season at Barcelona has been underwhelming.

Pluto is conjunct his Venus and Uranus and over the next few years and will conjunct his Neptune and Mars. Uranus will also square his Mars, so we will see powerful changes in his life and this should surely be the time he comes into his own. Saturn’s aspect however might mean that this World Cup is just not quite at the right time for him.

Saturn is also conjunct Brazil manager Phil Scolari’s Sun, which is quite a different prospect to 2002 when his team won the World Cup with Pluto conjunct his Mars.

The one Brazilian player who may well step up to the plate if Neymar is off colour is Hulk, who has Pluto conjunct his Mars this year. Jupiter is also conjunct his Sun, which would suggest he has a big role to play in the tournament. The only problem is that it doesn’t arrive until the end of the tournament and this could mean that he gets a very big transfer after the World Cup is over. But such a transfer could come on the back of strong displays over the next month.

Paulinho shares a birthday with Hulk, so the same thing applies to him and a number of clubs have expressed an interest in buying him from Spurs.

Luis Gustavo also has Jupiter on his Sun and he would be a Capricorn Research tip for a club to buy as he will have the big planet on his Mars come the business end of next season.

As well as Ronaldo’s difficulties, the Portugal manager Paulo Bento has Neptune square his Mars. Portugal are in the toughest group with Germany, USA and Ghana and they might well struggle to get out of it. Fabio Coentrao and Joao Moutinho both have Pluto on their Mars this year but this does not necessarily mean they will peak at the World Cup – it could be a sign of big moves for both of them.

Holland would look a good bet if the tournament was held a month earlier as manager Louis Van Gaal has Jupiter in aspect to his Mars in early June. Jupiter transits don’t last long though but Van Gaal’s transit together with Jupiter being square his Moon in May has more to do with his move to Man United than his exploits with the national side.

Dutch captain Robin Van Persie has Jupiter conjunct his Mars for the first half of the tournament, and Klaus Jan Huntelaar has the same aspect for the closing stages. Also look for ex Liverpool, Dirk Kuyt having one last hurrah in Brazil as Jupiter is conjunct his Sun.

One who could make a name for himself is Feyenoord defender Daryl Janmaart with Jupiter on his Sun. Leroy Fer has Pluto conjunct his Sun so we could see a surprise from him but this is probably more to do with getting a lucky escape from Norwich.

Goalkeeper Tim Krul also has Pluto square his Sun, so a big performance in Brazil might help to get him a bigger club than Newcastle.

Germany are always there or thereabouts and both manager Joachim Loew and captain Philipp Lahm have Jupiter aspecting their Moon. They may have to settle for thereabouts this time as Lahm also has Saturn conjunct his Sun.

Toni Kroos, Sami Khedira and Mats Hummels all have major Pluto transits at the moment, which could see them have a magnificent World Cup or all go to Man Utd in August.

The only German player to have Jupiter near his Sun is utility defender / midfielder Kevin Grosskreutz but this might just mean that being picked for the squad is a peak in itself for him.

England manager Roy Hodgson has Saturn in aspect to his Sun so low expectations would be about right. Hodgson had the same aspect during the final qualifiers but was spared a horrible end by Andros Townsend who had Jupiter on his Sun. Saturn assured Hodgson didn’t get any credit due to the space monkey furore and there’s no Townsend to save him this time. Captain Steven Gerrard has no transits at all so his international career will probably end with a whimper rather than a bang.

Luke Shaw has just had Jupiter on his Sun, but this is also probably to do with him just getting into the England squad in the first place, together with his impending transfer.

James Milner has Pluto on his Sun so he will be in for a major reinvention. The attempt to graft him in as an auxiliary right back seems to have failed, but expect him to play a significant role over the next few weeks and also to earn himself a move to some club where he gets a regular game. Jordan Henderson has Pluto square his Mars, just like his club mate Luis Suarez and their extraordinary transformations at Liverpool have run parallel to each other. Suarez has gone from cannibal to demigod, while Henderson has gone from a player who, according to Alex Ferguson can’t run, to someone who can’t stop. Henderson’s improvement may well continue in Brazil.

Uruguay have a chance as Pluto is conjunct manager Oscar Tabarez’s Moon and if Suarez can regain his fitness and some of the form he’s showed this season who knows, but they may be depending on a relatively unknown defensive midfielder, Walter Gargano currently playing for Parma with Jupiter conjunct his Sun.

The USA are a bit of an unknown quantity and have had some decent results in friendlies against the big boys. Captain Tim Howard has Neptune conjunct his Mars which could prove to be a dream transit with an inspired performance or a nightmare one doing what used to be called a Gary Sprake but is now known as a Robert Green. Manager Jurgen Klinsmann has Jupiter aspecting his Sun and Moon but the main one doesn’t kick in until August.

A number of pundits have chosen Belgium and Colombia as surprise packages which makes sense given that both managers, Marc Wilmots and Jose Pekerman have that master of the unexpected, Uranus conjunct their Venus. Pekerman also has Jupiter around his Moon and his captain Mario Yepes has it opposite his Sun but that’s before the real business starts and Neptune square his Sun should stop him lifting any trophies.

One Capricorn Research tip for a player to watch is young Colombian and Monaco starlet James Rodriguez who has Jupiter on his Sun leading up to the tournament and on his Moon during it.

Belgium captain Vincent Kompany has no transits of note, so we won’t be seeing him holding the trophy. Eden Hazard, however has Pluto square his Moon and Uranus square his Sun, so expect explosive performances from him and a few worried Chelsea fans concerned that he might stop off in Paris after the tournament.

Kevin Mirallas has Pluto square his Sun so he could make an impact, as could Moussa Dembele who has Jupiter conjunct his for the early games.

One very interesting package is Switzerland. Many people in England have questioned their top seeding status but the hard fact to swallow is they are better than us. They certainly have a more accomplished manager in the much travelled Ottmar Hitzfeld and he also has Jupiter opposite his Sun and Mars so his reputation should be boosted even more this summer. Gokhan Inler, the Swiss captain has nothing however.

Much fancied outsiders Chile mirror Switzerland in that their captain, Claudio Bravo has Jupiter square his Sun and Moon but the manager, Jorge Sampaoli has nothing.

Chile have a number of players with Pluto and Uranus aspecting their Mars including Alexi Sanchez. One to watch could be Eugenio Mena of Santos who has Jupiter conjunct his Sun.

What about Italy ? An Italian goalkeeper captain has won it before and Gianliuigi Buffon does have Jupiter conjunct his Mars but any chance of him ending his international career at the very top is ruined by manager Cesare Pirandelli’s Neptune transits to his Moon and Mars.

There are a number of Italians that have handy Jupiter transits though, including Daniel De Rossi who has it conjunct his Sun and opposite his Moon, so we should expect him to have a great tournament. Alessio Cerci, the Torino winger also has it conjunct his Sun and the feeling is that he is on the verge of a big breakthrough. Marco Veratti, the PSG defender has Jupiter conjunct his Mars and is another with a bright future.

The intriguingly named Ciro Immobile who sounds like one of those lumbering 6 ft 6 inch strikers but in fact finished as top scorer in Serie A last season and has earn a move to Dortmund has Uranus square to his Mars. This looks like an astute buy as Pluto will be conjunct said Mars over the next couple of years. He could be a name to excite this summer.

Both French manager Didier Deschamps and captain Hugo Lloris have Jupiter / Moon transits but the problem with this one is knowing the timing of it for a noon chart. Deschamps also has Jupiter square his Sun for the early stages so you would expect France to get out of their group.

Real Madrid defender Raphael Varane is one to watch with Jupiter conjunct his Mars. Another young French player to look out for is young PSG left back Lucas Digne who has Jupiter conjunct his Sun.

Mathieu Debuchy has Jupiter coming to conjunct his Sun and Mars but this looks like it will be a feature after the World Cup as he manages to get away from Newcastle. Another one heading away from St James Park has to be Loic Remy with Pluto conjunct his Sun, and a few goals in Brazil will do no harm at all.

Another Frenchman with interesting transits is Juventus midfielder, Paul Pogba who has Pluto opposite his Mars, but from all reports it seems as if Pogba has this transit permanently.

For Russia, Fabio Capello has Jupiter conjunct his Venus so he will certainly enjoy the trip more than last time. His captain, CSKA defender, Sergei Ignashevich has it conjunct his Sun but that’s finished by the time the latter stages come round.

Lokomotiv Moscow winger Alexander Samedov has the same transit through the tournament and could well be the star of the team. there are also 3 midfielders with Pluto / Mars transits, Victor Fayzulin, Denis Glushakov and Alan Dzagoev who could all enhance their reputations over the coming month.

Didier Drogba should get one last hurrah as Jupiter aspects his Moon and Mars but again this could be over once the tournament actually gets going and Sabri Lamouche, the Ivory Coast manager has Saturn on his Sun so despite their many stars the may well struggle to get out of their group particularly as they share it with Colombia and Japan. But its worth watching out for the Ivory Coast’s young Toulouse right back Serge Aurier.

Japanese captain Makoto Hasebe has Jupiter aspecting both Sun and Moon and their star man Kelsuke Honda has it opposite Mars and conjunct Venus. Manager Alberto Zaccheroni has Jupiter contacting his Venus and Moon so a tendency to underachieve in tournaments actually outside of Japan should be consigned to the past. One player to watch would be striker Yoichiro Kakitani who has Pluto conjunct his Sun.

The one transit that Capricorn Research was hoping for to identify the 2014 winners would be a manager’s Pluto / Sun contact. Zaccheroni is the only manager to have one so 2014 will be the major turning point in his life. Japan as winners ? Astrologers might say so but only if they know nothing about football.

Nigeria might do something as manager Stephen Keshi has Jupiter opposite his Sun and Mars but only if he drops captain Vincent Enyeama who is plagued by both Saturn and Neptune. The only Nigeria player to have interesting Jupiter transits is everyone’s favourite, Peter Obemwingie of Stoke City, West Brom and QPR’s car park fame, so he might win back a few supporters during the early stages of the tournament.

Neptune is opposite Australia manager Ange Postecoglou’s Sun so he’ll arrive in Brazil only to find it was all a dream anyway.

Bosnia’s manager Safet Susic and captain Emir Spahic both have Jupiter transits in mid June that might just last long enough to see them through the group stage but Saturn conjunct Spahic’s Moon should stop them going any further. One Bosnian to look out for would be Roma midfielder Miralem Pjanic who has Pluto square his Sun.

Interestingly there are 3 captains with Pluto / Sun contacts, Majid Bougherra of Algeria, Lee Chung-Yon of South Korea and Javad Nekounam of Iran. Algeria and South Korea are in the same group but Korean manager Hong Myung-Bo has Saturn conjunct his Mars and square his Sun so they’ve got no chance. Algeria manager Vahid Halilhodzic has Jupiter conjunct his Mars so if there is going to be a surprise package it could well be this one. In deed they should be quite tough to break down as two other defenders besides Bougherra have Pluto transits, Watford’s Esseid Belkalem and Rafik Halliche who plays in Portugal.

Carlos Queiroz is on his 5th international manager’s job in charge of Iran and his nomadic existence is exactly what would be expected from someone with a Pisces Sun opposite the Moon. Pisceans don’t tend to settle anywhere for long but Iran is a long way from his peak at Real Madrid in 2003 – 4 when Jupiter was on his Sun and Moon. You would think that just being at a World Cup would be enough to explain Pluto on Iran captain Nekounam’s Sun but Queiroz has Uranus conjunct his Mars so this could be a real surprise package. On the other hand we are talking about Iran and manager and captain could well disappear without trace after an ignominious early exit.

Cameroon, Mexico, Croatia, Greece, Costa Rica, Ecuador and Honduras’ chances are all seriously hampered by their manager or captain’s Saturn transits.

Look out for Croatia’s Ivan Rakitic the Seville midfielder whose Pluto conjunct his Mars should have a big impact although there are rumours that he is off to Barcelona which would be enough to explain this transit.

Marco Fabian, Mexico defender has Jupiter conjunct his Sun as does Panagiotis Kone the Greek midfielder from Bologna.

Celtic’s Georgios Samaras and Olympiakos’ Andreas Samaris have major transits to their Mars so could be an important World Cup for both of them.

Costa Rica have defenders Michael Umana and Johnny Acosta both with Jupiter on their Sun so they might prove difficult for England et al to break down. Also striker Randall Brenes has Jupiter conjunct his Mars so could be quite significant on the counter attack.

Ecuador defender Juan Paredes has Jupiter on his Mars and Honduras Carlo Costly has it on his Sun.

Any astrological insights into Ghana’s prospects are hampered by the fact that there are no birth details at all for manager Stephen Appiah. But Michael Essien, now with Milan has Jupiter conjunct his Mars so we might see some more of that midfield powerhouse we used to get at Chelsea. Evian defender Jonathan Mensah might look good in the early stages with Jupiter conjunct his Sun.

Readers will notice that there’s been no mention of the holders, Spain. Iker Casillas lifted the World Cup along with the last two European Championships and has been widely regarded as one of the best goalkeepers of all time with over 150 caps for Spain. He made his debut at the age of 19, absurdly young for an international keeper. Casillas has had his fair share of trouble recently as both Jose Mourinho and Carlo Ancelotti have kept him on the bench at Real Madrid. Casillas’ troubles look set to continue as Saturn is opposite his Mars for much of 2014. The following year sees the malefic planet opposite his Sun and in 2016 conjunct his Moon so he might have started young for a keeper but may also end up retiring relatively early.

Speaking of retirement what about all conquering Spain manager Vicente del Bosque ? He’s just turned 63 and might be tempted to call it a day after this World Cup. Del Bosque has always been an unlikely figure for such an incredibly successful manager. Capricorns are often understated and not keen to boast about their achievements and del Bosque has both the Sun and Venus in the sign in opposition to Uranus so he is a serious dark horse. Pluto has given him his time at the summit of Capricorn’s mountain since it first reached his Sun in 2008 when he got the national manager’s job. Pluto is just moving away from his Venus in 2014 so whether there’s enough power left to win one more is unclear.

If they do, expect much of the praise to go to Barcelona’s Sergio Busquets who has Jupiter conjunct his Sun. Both Javi Martinez and Diego Costa have serious Pluto transits this year but in Costa’s case the impact may already have been accounted for.

Many people go for Argentina with their incredible forward line, but their manager Alejandro Sabella has no transits to speak of, good or bad.

So who will win ? Capricorn Research has no idea. Pluto has had a good look round at the candidates and doesn’t fancy any of them. In the late 80s, when the planet was in its own sign Scorpio, it handed the goodies to its favourite Sun and Moon, Maradona and Beckenbauer. This year there just aren’t any top managers with the Sun in mid Capricorn.

So what to do in the absence of Pluto ? Since 1930, 18 different managers have won the World Cup and not surprisingly Scorpio is the most common Sun sign with 4. The staggering statistic, however is that 7 have the Moon in Aquarius, the expected average being 1.5 per sign. Only one current manager has the Sun in Scorpio and the Moon in Aquarius, Brazil’s Phil Scolari.

Most people go for Brazil, but no manager has ever won it with a major Saturn transit. Scolari would have to defy all the odds by making a Faustian pact with Saturn’s Grim Reaper but he is a Scorpio so the contract’s probably signed already. If he did managed to pull it off, the name Big Phil would have to be strongly revised upwards.

But if Luis Suarez finishes his Pluto / Mars transit with the trophy after simultaneously nutmegging and eating all of his opponents, Capricorn Research wouldn’t be the least surprised.

Enjoy.