For four exciting weeks, eyes from across the world will be focused on Germany as 32 teams battle to reach the final in the fabulous Olympic stadium in Berlin. Twelve cities will be hosting matches along the way and the spectacle is expected to rival that of South Korea and Japan in 2002.
Coach : Sven-Goran Eriksson
The highest-paid national coach in the world, this tournament represents
Eriksson's last chance to show he is worth the money. Failure is almost
certain to result in him parting company after the World Cup with two years
of his contract remaining.
Key Players Rooney is the most important player by far - just remember how
England folded when he was injured in Euro 2004. Eriksson also needs Lampard
and Gerrard to gel properly in midfield if his side are to mount a real
challenge, and for Ferdinand to return to his 2002 form in central defence.
Form Guide Have rediscovered their form after a shaky period during
qualification and victories over Poland and Argentina showed that England
are back on the right track.
Form Versus Countries In Group England have not beaten Sweden in any competition
since 1968, and drew 1-1 with them in the 2002 World Cup. They swamped
Paraguay 4-0 in a friendly in 2002, and also swatted them aside 3-0 in the
1986 World Cup.
Style Of Play Eriksson's side play best with a high-tempo game, with lots
of movement off the ball and midfielders arriving late into the box.
Beckham's set-pieces are also a key part of the strategy.
Group Verdict Despite their poor record against Sweden they should top the
group - and they will need to do so otherwise are likely to face hosts
Germany in last 16.
Group B : Trinidad and Tobago
Coach : Leo Beenhakker
Urbane, witty, cigar-smoking Dutchman who was Holland coach in 1990, and has
also been in charge of Ajax, Feyenoord, Real Madrid and Real Zaragoza. He
came in midway through the qualifying campaign to secure a first World Cup
finals appearance for T&T.
Key Players Dwight Yorke, now at Sydney FC, the former Manchester United
striker plays in a creative role in midfield for his country. The tigerish
Port Vale midfielder Chris Birchall has been an important addition to the
squad too while 6ft 7in Dennis Lawrence is a huge threat from set-pieces.
Form Guide Trinidad and Tobago have never been playing so well and their
fantastic win over Bahrain in the play-off shows that Beenhakker's influence
has been immense.
Form Versus Countries In Group Have never played at World Cup finals before.
Style Of Play Based around Yorke's creative gifts in midfield, the Soca
Warriors try to keep it tight and hit teams on the break using the pace of
their attackers, or use set-pieces to hurt the opposition.
Group Verdict Almost certain to finish bottom of the group, but who cares -
it's carnival time!
Group B : Sweden
Coach : Lars Lagerback
Lagerback is a vastly-experienced and likeable man who trained as a coach
alongside Eriksson. Has guided his country to two World Cups and the Euro
2004 quarter-finals but has never coached outside of Sweden.
Key Players Juventus forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic is Sweden's most potent
attacking force and is regarded by Lagerback as one of the of best 10
strikers in the world. Arsenal's Freddie Ljungberg has an excellent scoring
record from midfield while Aston Villa's Olof Mellberg needs to repeat his
2002 form at centre-back if Sweden are to have a successful tournament.
Form Guide Qualified as one of the two best runners-up after a terrific
campaign in which they won eight of their 10 matches, averaging three goals
a game and conceding just four.
Unfortunately, in their other two games they were beaten twice by Croatia
who topped the group - and indicating that perhaps the Swedes may struggle
against the better sides.
Form Versus Countries In Group Have not lost to England since 1968 and the last
three games have ended up as draws.
Style Of Play Not surprisingly, given that both coaches trained together,
Sweden play in a similar style to England, pressurising the opposition then
trying to use the creativity of Ibrahimovic and darting runs of Ljungberg to
hurt their opponents.
Group Verdict Will rival England to win the group but will probably have to
settle for second.
Group B : Paraguay
Coach : Anibal Ruiz
A Uruguayan, Ruiz made his name coaching club football in Paraguay and took
over from Cesare Maldini after the 2002 World Cup. He guided his team
through a sometimes-rocky qualifying campaign where they eventually finished
fourth to grab the last South American place.
Key Players Roque Santa Cruz, the lanky but skilful Bayern Munich forward,
will be the main attacking threat if he does not suffer any setbacks from a
long injury lay-off. Roberto Acuna is a powerful yet creative influence in
midfield with a wealth of experience in Europe.
Form Guide Paraguay have made it through the group phase in the last two
World Cups but will need to be on better form to do the same again. Just
scraped qualification, conceding as many goals (23) as scoring.
Form Versus Countries In Group Lost to England 3-0 in the 1986 World Cup when
Gary Lineker scored twice and Peter Beardsley struck the other.
Style Of Play Good blend of youth and experience and very attack-minded but
defensively suspect.
Group Verdict Will be confident of beating Trinidad but look a fairly
certain bet for third spot.
