the other press >>>SPORTS World Cup 2002 preview Malminderjit Singh, OP Contributor The moment the entire soccer world awaits every four years is finally here. World Cup 2002 will kick-off at the end of this month in Japan and Korea. This par- ticular tournament is significant as, for the first time in the tournament's history, two countries are co-hosting the event. Perhaps even more remarkable is the fact that the tournament is being held in Asia for the first time. The World Cup gets underway on May 31 with a game between defending champions France and debutantes Senegal. Both teams have been drawn into Group A alongside Denmark and Uruguay. France will be the obvious favourite to advance into the next round, but the question here is who will occu- py the second spot in this group. Denmark, who made an impression at the last World Cup, will be looking to repeat that feat. However, without the Laudrup broth- ers and inspirational goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel, their squad looks incapable of moving into the second phase. This is mainly because they will be facing stiff competition from rejuvenated Uruguay. The Uruguayans impressed during the Copa America and the South American qualifying group, and will be looking towards the individual talents of Diego Tristan, Gustavo Poyet, Alvaro Recoba, Fabian O'Neill and Daniel Fonseca to guide them through. On paper, they look mighty impressive but it remains to be seen if all their star players can gel together as a cohesive unit. For Senegal, it is predestined that their World Cup romance will be short-lived. Their inexperience will be their greatest weakness in a group consisting of tour- nament regulars. So, it seems likely that France and Uruguay will qualify for the second round. Group B seems more evenly balanced as all four teams play an exciting brand of soccer. Nevertheless, Spain remains the favourite to advance into the sec- ond round, but will no doubt face stiff competition from the other teams. Paraguay and South Africa pro- duced some great results in the previous tournament and no doubt will pull off some shocks and upsets. Though Slovenia is a newcomer to the World Cup, their style of soccer will make up for their inexperi- ence. The feeling is that Jose Chilavert, Paraguay’s charismatic goalkeeper and captain, will lead his nation to the next round, along with Spain. Group C consists of Brazil, Costa Rica, Turkey and China. The Brazilians, who are also some bookmak- ers’ favourites to win the tournament, should win this group easily. Meanwhile, China and Costa Rica will not be able to overcome the challenges of Brazil and Turkey. The Turks possess strong attacking power, and the likes of Hakan Sukur will provide them with great goal scoring opportunities. As for Group D, Portugal will face stiff competition from South Korea to top the group. Poland and the USA will find the silky skills of the Portuguese and the home ground status of the Koreans too strong for their liking. Both Portugal and South Korea have been tipped by soccer pundits to do well in this competition. Group E provides a closer battle between the teams. Many have branded Germany as “have beens” and may not even qualify from the group stage. With Ireland and Cameroon in outstanding form, they shouldn’t have a problem overcoming Germany and Saudi Arabia. Group F, this year’s version of the “Group of Death,” promises to be explosive. This group arguably pits the tournament's four most exciting teams: England, Argentina, Sweden and Nigeria all are favourites to win the tournament. Sadly, only two of them will proceed past this round. It is any- body’s guess as to which two teams will make it. The Argentinians have enough firepower through- out their squad to guide them safely into the sec- ond round. Of course, everyone would love to see the soccer world’s favourite team England advance to the second round. However, Sweden and Nigeria will provide England with plenty of compe- tition, as any one of those teams could move on. Group G consists of Italy, Mexico, Ecuador and Croatia. Italy has perhaps the most creative team in this World Cup with the likes of Francesco Totti, Vincenzo Montella, Alessandro Del Piero and possi- bly veteran Roberto Baggio. However, Mexico and Croatia could both make their vast experience and skill count, and they will all definitely prove to be a handful for Ecuador. Croatia’s excellent third place fin- ish in the last World Cup will be the driving force behind the team as they look to better that perform- ance. Croatia will therefore qualify for the second round, together with Italy. In Group H, co-hosts Japan will be looking to cash in on home crowd support to top the group. However, they are likely to face a tough challenge from Belgium and Russia. Tunisia, though under-rated, may well prove to be the dark horse of the tournament. Still, the experience of the Russians and Belgians means that both of them will compete for the runner-up spot in this group. Of course, these predictions are based upon the strength of the teams on paper, and on their past per- formances in the World Cup. In soccer, though, any- thing is possible and upsets are highly likely. Here are my predictions for the World Cup, regarding which teams will be victorious in each round, and which players could impress: World Cup 2002 Predictions 1st Round: Group A Group B 1) France 1) Spain 2) Uruguay 2) Paraguay 3) Denmark 3) Slovenia 4) Senegal 4) South Africa Group E Group F 1) Ireland 1) Argentina 2) Cameroon 2) England 3) Germany 3) Sweden 4) Saudi Arabia 4) Nigeria Semi-Finalists: Italy, Argentina, France, Brazil Finalists Italy vs Argentina Champions: Argentina Players to watch: Predicted top scorers: 1) Hernan Crespo 2) Thierry Henry 3) Micheal Owen 4) Romario 5) Christian Vieri Group C Group D 1) Brazil 1) Portugal 2) Turkey 2) South Korea 3) China 3) Poland 4) Costa Rica 4) USA Group G Group H 1) Italy 1) Japan 2) Croatia 2) Russia 3) Mexico 3) Belgium 4) Ecuador 4) Tunisia Hernan Crespo, Micheal Owen, Steven Gerrard, David Beckham, Francesco Totti, Zinedine Zidane, Thierry Henry, Romario, Rivaldo, Luis Figo.