NO, we’re not talk-ing handbags in thetechnical area. It’sthe opening gamebetween hosts Germany and CostaRica. Openinggames are oftenhighly boring affairs,

but last time round,Senegal stunnedholders France witha 1-0 opening daywin with a goal fromFulham’s Papa BapaDiop (pictured left).This time, expectGermany to win by

at least two cleargoals in Munich.Also expect lots ofchildren jumpingaround beforehand in the opening ceremony.

Back of the net!- star strikers

Fernando TorresAtletico Madrid and SPAIN

Luca ToniFiorentina and ITALY

Dirk KuytFeyenoord and HOLLAND

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5555ssss tttt aaaa rrrr ssss

THESE five strikers could havean impact on thetournament.Miroslav Klose isarguably the leasttalented of the five,but expect him tohit the target forhosts Germany, atleast in the groupstage. Luca Tonihas been on fire forFiorentina in Serie

A, while starletTorres was Spain’sbest player at Euro94,and their leadingscorer in qualifyingwith 10. Kuyt looksPremiership bound,and could cement amove with a goodtournament, whileArgentine Tevez,will also be a dan-ger up front withHernan Crespo.

Carlos TevezCorinthians(Brazil) andARGENTINA

Miroslav KloseWerder Bremen and GERMANY✩

GERMANY KICK OFF WITH COSTA RICA Twice winners Argentina are highly fanciedwith a strong squad covering all positions,from defenders like hard man Ayala andprolific scoring Sorin, to Tevez and Crespoup front. Injury doubts Messi and Heinze(knee) figured in the 2-0 win over Angola,and they will be needed against the Dutch.Man Utd target Riquelme is the heartbeatof the side, and though pedestrian, he islethal with both passing and free kicks.A possible quarter final with Englandawaits. The winner could go all the way.

ARGENTINA

KEY PLAYER: Juan Roman RiquelmePREDICTION: Semi-Finals

Scraped past Cameroon to reach their firstfinals, the ‘Elephants’ are a good 50-1 shotwith a talented side. Eboue and Toureprove that with Arsenal, while midfield aceDidier Zakora is a target for Spurs. Upfront, the menace of Drogba is obvious.Expect him to link up well with fellow for-ward Aruna Kone. African Cup of Nationsrunners up, and now tough pairing withHolland and Argentina. But, still goodenough to push for second spot. Warmups: 1-1 v Swiss and Chile. 3-0 v Slovenia.

IVORY COASTSponsored by Souk Medina, WC2

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KEY PLAYER: Didier DrogbaPREDICTION: First round exit - just

Qualified as winners of Euro Group 1,with perhaps the strongest Europeansquad. Stars like Van der Sar, Van BommelVan Nistelrooy, Van Persie, Kuyt andRobben, suggest the Dutch could go onebetter than losing finalists in 74 and 78.Have hit form at right time (1-0 vCameroon) and ‘reserves’ 2-1 win v Mexi-co. But injury scares to Van Bronckhorst,Sneijder and Cocu in 1-1 draw with Aus-tralia. Game of first round v Argentina.Possible quarter final v England.

HOLLANDSponsored by My Old Dutch, WC1

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KEY PLAYER: Ruud Van NistelrooyPREDICTION: Quarter Finals

Resiliant in overcoming Spain to top EuroGroup 7. First time in finals. Will need toshow that fortitude to have any hope in atough group that should see them finishbottom.Inter’s versatile playmaker Dejan Stankovicis the key from Midfield. Good goals togames ratio. Scored in 1-1 warm up vUruguay. Man Utd’s Nemanja Vidic willadd strength to defence, while up front,they will look to Chelsea flop Mateja Kez-man and 6ft 7” Nikola Zigic for goals.

SERBIA & MONTENEGRO

KEY PLAYER: Dejan StankovicPREDICTION: First round exit

Twice hosts, twice quarter finalists, andperennial qualifiers from the weak NorthAmerican section. Though high FIFAranking is a nonsense, they narrowly lost toFrance (0-1) and Holland (1-2) in warm-ups, and will easily get out of Group D.Despite Bolton’s Jared Borgetti being over-all top scorer in all qualifying, his limita-tions are masked by a hardworking team.Country will still rely on him and risingstrike partner Francisco Fonseca for goals.Rafael Marquez is a class act in defence.

MEXICOSponsored by Mestizo, NW1

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KEY PLAYER: Jared BorgettiPREDICTION: second round exit

Perhaps some people’s second favouriteteam. They certainly have the best shirts.Toppled giants Nigeria to earn surprisefinals place, and proud country can take itsmind off years of civil war and misery.No stars- defender Rui Marques plays forHull! Best known player is Benfica forwardPedro Mantorras, though experienced fel-low striker Akwa is prolific with a goalevery other game. Will need to beat Iran toavoid finishing bottom. Lost 2-0 toArgentina and 3-2 to Turkey in warm ups.

ANGOLASponsored by Souk Medina, WC2

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KEY PLAYER: Fabrice AkwaPREDICTION: First round exit

Qualifying with relative ease from theirAsian group, with Japan, Iran’s chances ofprogressing past the group stages are slim.Results in friendlies (2-2 away to Croatia)and a 5-2 thrashing of Bosnia have raisedexpectations inside Iran.A tough group should see Portugal andMexico qualify, with Iran hoping to gainsome comfort by beating Angola in theirfinal match. Star man, Bayern’s Ali Karimishould bring flair and creativity to midfield.

IRANSponsored by Hafez Restaurant, NW3

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KEY PLAYER: Ali KarimiPREDICTION: First round exit

Could sneak through back door and goclose to winning. Talented, workman-liketeam. Think Benfica in Champions League(beat Liverpool and Man Utd).Ronaldo and Simao will provide trickery;Figo experience, Petit guile, Deco artistryand Pauleta the odd goal. Will need to asonly 3 strikers. Walloped Russia 7-1 to eas-ily qualify, but build-up form nondescript:4-1 v Cape Verde and 3-0 v Luxembourg.But now 14 games unbeaten, and shouldeasily top group. Could then play England.

PORTUGAL

KEY PLAYER: Cristiano RonaldoPREDICTION: Second round

ECUADOR

KEY PLAYER: Edison MendezPREDICTION: First round exit

Impressive in qualifying, Poland pushedEngland to the limit despite losing bothgames. The Poles have a final’s pedigree.The ‘74 side of Lato and Deyna springs tomind, but they have nothing to match thatnow. Spurs flop Grzegorz Rasiak ended upin the Championship, though strike part-ner Maciej Zurawski has been prolific atCeltic, and should be the main threat.Despite a 4-0 win against the Faroes,warm-up games have seen defeats againstLithuania (0-1) and Colombia (1-2).

POLAND

KEY PLAYER: Maciej ZurawskiPREDICTION: 2nd rd defeat to England

Their third tournament. Famously beatScotland 1-0 at Italia 90. This time theyfinished third in Concacaf qualifying.The ‘Ticos’ have no stars, and only defend-er Martinez plays in Europe. Former ManCity Striker Paulo Wanchope can still openup weak defences, but their own was foundwanting in the warm up game v Ukraine(0-4). There was an improvement v CzechRepublic (0-1), but there will have to beeven more if they are to beat Poland tosecond place in the group.

COSTA RICA

KEY PLAYER: Paulo WanchopePREDICTION: First round exit

Everybody (even the Germans) knows thisis their worst side for ages - the defence isweak, and there is no optimism amongstfans. But, if they avoid England in round 2,don’t be surprised if they make the final.Chelsea’s Michael Ballack, their one trulygreat player will stamp his creative authori-ty in midfield, and Bastian Scheweinsteigershould impress, while up front, Podolskiand Klose have been in form during thewarm up games (2-2 v Japan), 7-0 v Lux-embourg and 3-0 v Colombia.

GERMANY

KEY PLAYER: Michael BallackPREDICTION: Quarter Finals

Three times winners, and qualified fromeasy group. Expected to go close despitecorruption scandal back home. Questionis will it galvanise or unbalance an other-wise powerful squad, which includes Buf-fon, Nesta, Gattuso, Pirlo and wonderkidmidfielder Daniele De Rossi. TalismanFrancesco Totti is back from injury andwill link up behind strikers Luca Toni andGilardino. 6 strikers in total. Azzurriunbeaten in 18, though poor warm upform. Draws with Swiss and Ukraine.

ITALYSponsored by Marine Ices, NW3

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KEY PLAYER: Francesco TottiPREDICTION: Semi Finals

Quarter finalists in Korea/Japan. Pipped byMexico to top spot in qualifying. Rapidlydeveloping side, but it could all be in vainagainst the Czechs and Italians. Could bescrapping with Ghana just to avoid woodenspoon.Brian McBride is a quality Premiershipstriker, but will need to be at his best. Cap-tain Reyna will bring experience to the sideand the pacy Da Marcus Beasley and Lan-don Danovan can create openings. BeatVenezuela 2-0 and Latvia 1-0 in warm ups.

USA

KEY PLAYER: Brian McBridePREDICTION: First round exit

Easily won group to qualify for first finals,but without star man Michael Essien atAfrican Cup and didn’t do well. Will wantto do justice to their developing talent, butare in tough group. Samuel Kuffour addsexperience at back, while Essien’s holdingskills can still see him unleash blisteringshots and free kicks. Forms tidy midfieldwith Appiah and Muntari, while main goalthreat Gyan Asamoah, was on target withEssien and Muntari in 3-1 win over SouthKorea. Also beat Jamaica 4-1 in warm up.

GHANASponsored by Souk Medina, WC2

www.soukrestaurant.co.uk

KEY PLAYER: Michael EssienPREDICTION: First round exit

Overcame Norway in play offs to reachfirst finals. Now or never for talented butageing side in a tough group: 9 over 30.Pavel Nedved is not the player he was, butwith Arsenal newboy Tomas Rosicky cancreate in Midfield. Jankulovski can scorefrom defence, while Keeper Petr Cech isone of the best. Giant Jan Koller is backthrough injury and should form destructivepartnership with Euro 2004 leading scorerBaros. Warm up games: Saudi Arabia 2-0,Costa Rica 1-0 and Trinidad 3-0.

CZECH REPUBLIC

KEY PLAYER: Milan BarosPREDICTION: Second round

Won in 1998 but embarassingly knockedout in first round in 2002. Took a while toget going in qualifying. Golden era looks tohave ended and they could struggle beyondfirst round. Zidane’s legs have gone, Vierrais below par, there’s tension between keep-ers Barthez and Coupet and only Henry istheir real talent. But can he reproduce in amajor finals? Strangely Guily has been leftout, but young starlet Franck Ribéry couldget earn himself a move to the Prem. Warmup wins v Mexico 1-0 and Denmark 2-0.

FRANCESponsored by Elena’s L’Etoile, W1

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KEY PLAYER: Thierry HenryPREDICTION: Quarter finals

Eighth finals appearance (three times quar-ter finals but last was over 50 years ago).Beat Turkey in play offs to qualify. Youngnucleus - Arsenal’s duo Djourou andSenderos and rising star Tranquillo Barnet-ta - could make side outside bet when theyco-host Euro 2008. This time, they shouldmake second round. In-form Rennes strik-er Alexander Frei is key man, but strikepartner and exciting prospect Johan Volan-than is out through injury. Drew 1-1 v Italyand Ivory Coast and beat China 4-1.

SWITZERLAND

KEY PLAYER: Alexander FreiPREDICTION: Second round exit

Marched to semi’s last time on wave ofhome euphoria. Despite being consideredbest Asian side, finished behind Saudis toqualify. Poor warm up form suggests theywill have work to do to get out of Group.2-0 Bosnia, 1-1 Senegal, 0-0 Norway andmost recent 3-1 defeat to Ghana. ManUtd’s Park-Ji Sung is fulcrum. Can play onboth wings, but has suspect finishing.Spurs full back Lee Young-Pyo will want todrive forward, and aim for striker ParkChu-Young - the main goal source.

SOUTH KOREASponsored by Miso, NW1

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KEY PLAYER: Park Ji-SungPREDICTION: First round exit

Edged out Senegal to reach first finals,with Arsenal’s Emmanuel Adebayor scor-ing eleven goals. Has immense strength,scores freely and holds ball up well for oth-ers. Is clearly side’s one class act, butsulked when left out of Togo’s AfricanNations Cup opener. Coach Keshi wassacked after side crashed out. Intriguing tiewith France this time, but will be big shockif they get out of group. Didn’t fancy get-ting walloped by big sides in warm ups:0-2 S’ Arabia, 1-0 v Leichtenstein

TOGOSponsored by Souk Medina, WC2

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KEY PLAYER: Emmanuel AdebayorPREDICTION: First round exit

Eleven previous finals and a measly lastfour placing back in 1950. Spain alwaysflatter to deceive with a talented squad ofplayers drawn from a strong league. Maybeclubs are more important to both playersand nation. This time things could be bet-ter as likes of Fabregas and Xavi Alonsohave excelled in the Premiership, and bringa better understanding of standing up todirect, fast and physical opponents.Mediocre warm up form though. 0-0 vRussia, 2-0 Egypt. Will need to do better.

SPAINSponsored by Melia White House Hotel, NW1

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KEY PLAYER: Fernando TorresPREDICTION: Quarter finals

Fourth finals. 2nd round in ‘94, but gotthumped 8-0 by Germany in ‘02. Will notwant repeat against Raul and Shevchenko.Key player is former Wolves man Sami-alJaber, with 160 caps and 43 goals. Scoreda few in 15-0 win over local German teamin warm up, while team put up credibleperformances in narrow defeats to Czech’s(0-2) and Turkey (0-1).Young strikerMohammed al Anbar is highly rated backhome. Players on big cash sums to do well,though short stay at team hotel.

SAUDI ARABIA

KEY PLAYER: Sami al-JaberPREDICTION: First round exit

Fourth finals, but never out of first round -until now. Only Ukraine (Shevchencko)stand in their way. Consistent, organised ifboring side. African champs 2004.Have talent through side, from maraudingdefender Hatem Trabelsi, to Brazilianborn, Toulouse striker Francileudo Santos.(18 goals/28 games). Santos and Rangers’midfielder Hamed Namouchi both on tar-get in 3-0 win v Belarus. But lost 1-0 toSerbia & M’ and drew 0-0 with Uruguay.Home in time to watch quarter finals.

TUNISIASponsored by Souk Medina, WC2

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KEY PLAYER: Francileudo SantosPREDICTION: Second round

First Euro team to qualify in Group 2 andimpressive in doing so. First finals and willrely heavily on Chelsea’s new superstarAndrij Shevchencko. Missed 0-0 draw withItaly, with injury and needs to be fit.Bayer Leverkeusen’s hardworking forwardAndrij Voronin should play alongside orjust behind, and both are crucial toUkraine’s progress. Another Andrij - Rusol- is a promising defender with good posi-tional awareness. Beat Croatia 4-0 andLibya 3-0 in warm up matches.

UKRAINE

KEY PLAYER: Andrij ShevchenkoPREDICTION: First round exit - just

Memorably finished third at France ‘98,but don’t expect the same this time. Fin-ished unbeaten in qualifying and beatArgentina 3-2 in March. Defence has expe-rienced Serie A trio Robert Kovac andDario Simic, with Igor Tudor as holdingmidfielder. Rangers forward Dado Prsomay struggle for goals, but he will need toget them if side want to progress. NikoKranjcar is their top young talent. Warmups: Austria 4-1, Iran 2-2, Poland 0-1.Side still wear awful tablecloth style shirts.

CROATIA

KEY PLAYER: Dado PrsoPREDICTION: First round exit

Third World cup in row. Last 16 as hosts in2002. Topped Asian Group B to qualify. Intough group, so goals will be scarce.Naohiro Takahara is only real goal threat.Scored twice in recent 2-2 draw in Ger-many, but missed 1-0 win v Malta withinjury. Talented midfield of Bolton’s Naka-ta and Celtic’s technically gifted ShunsukeNakamura, who is the side’s heartbeat.Shinji Ono’s star has waned and now playsback in Japan. Defence lacks strength andheight - will be exploited by Brazil quartet.

JAPANSponsored by Bento Box, NW1

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KEY PLAYER: Shunsuke NakamuraPREDICTION: First round exit

Second finals. First in West Germany, ‘74.Beat Uruguay in play off this time. Nucle-us of above average side with Premiershipquality: Schwarzer, Emerton, Cahill, Vidu-ka and key man Kewell, if he shakes offinjury and finds late season Liverpoolform. Parma’s Marco Bresciano is a talent-ed goalscoring midfielder. Could do betterthan expected, and can take second spot.Will need to beat Japan in first game to geton track. Drew 1-1 away v Holland.Also beat Greece 1-0 in send off.

AUSTRALIA

KEY PLAYER: Harry KewellPREDICTION: Second round

Glorious World Cup history. Five titles,holders, legendary players and attackingphilosophy. Cue shots of dancing Braziliangirls in crowd whenever side score, whichcould be often. Apparently, have won thecup already, according to their worldwidemedia circus. Low key build up with 4-0win over New Zealand. Seem invinciblebut are certainly beatable. Keeper Dida isshaky, Cafu and Roberto Carlos creak withage, and even mercurial Ronaldinho has offdays. If ruffled they could crack.

BRAZILSponsored by Made in Brasil, NW1

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KEY PLAYER: RonaldinhoPREDICTION: Probable winners

Key game: Germany v Poland 14/6 Key game: Argentina v Holland 21/6 Key game: Mexico v Portugal 21/6 Key game: Italy v Czech Rep 22/6 Key game: Croatia v Australia 22/6 Key game: France v Switzerland 13/6 Key game: Tunisia v Ukraine 23/6

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OPENING GAMEOLYMPIC STADIUM, MUNICHGERMANY V COSTA RICAFriday June 9th, 5pm, BBC1

Finished third in qualifying and beatBrazil and Argentina at home along theway. Second successive tournament.Knocked out in first round in 2002. Warmup games proved they’ll make little impact:(1-1 v Colombia 1-1, and 1-2 v Bosnia).Quito-based Edison Mendez is the play-making star in midfield, while Aston Villa’sbenchwarmer Ulises de La Cruz starts indefence. Southampton reject Augustin Del-gado should line up in attack with promis-ing Villareal striker Luis Valencia.

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Most sticking with Brazil,but England to go close

Winners: Brazil (if not - England)Outsider to do well: Ivory CoastFlop: FrancePlayer of tournament: Ronaldinho, BrazilYoung player to watch: Eboue, Ivory CoastTop goalscorer: Miroslav Klose, GermanyEngland: Semi Finals

We asked the Panini sticker collectors in the office what theythought would happen at the World Cup , and most

importantly who would win it? This is the result:Faxed menu available

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Wishing England every success in the World Cup

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