HERE IS THE RESAON:
Fitness and systems under the microscope
3 June 2006
by FIFAworldcup.com
With just six days to go until kick-off at the 2006 FIFA World Cup Germany™, the 32 participating nations are putting the final touches to their preparations, with most facing friendless against opponents similar in style to their group rivals.
Six matches are on the agenda for Saturday, including two clashes between qualified nations.
Czech Republic take on Trinidad and Tobago in their final warm-up game before their 12 June opener against another CONMEBOL side, the USA. After losing attacking midfielder Vladimir Smicer to injury, coach Karel Bruckner will no doubt take the opportunity to try out Libor Sionko, who has recently joined up with the squad. The closest watch, however, will be kept on big Jan Koller, who has just returned to competitive football after a long absence with a cruciate injury.
Go to the Czech Republic team page
Bruckner’s men are on a good run of form after a recent 2-2 draw against Turkey and two victories over other qualifying nations: 2-0 against Saudi Arabia and 1-0 against Costa Rica.
By contrast, Trinidad and Tobago, who kick off their tournament against Sweden on 10 June, seem to be experiencing difficulty in finding their feet against European opponents, with recent defeats against Wales (2-1) and Slovenia (3-1) telling their own story.
In the wake of a demoralising 2-1 defeat against Colombia, Poland face a stern test against Croatia, who themselves suffered something of a rude awakening when held 2-2 by Iran. With their 13 June opener against Brazil looming large, the Croats will be hoping for a timely boost to squad morale with a strong performance against the Poles.
Spain yet to convince
Sven-Goran Eriksson is expected to continue evaluating his attacking options against Jamaica as he awaits the all-important news on Wayne Rooney's broken foot. The Manchester United striker started running and performed some light ball work on Friday, but must await the results of a scan on 7 June before establishing whether he will play any part in Germany 2006. Gary Neville also misses the game after tweaking his hamstring in the 3-1 win over Hungary.
Switzerland, fresh from two creditable draws against Côte d'Ivoire (1-1) and Italy (1-1), go head-to-head with China PR in preparation for their opening game against Korea Republic. This particular warm-up match will be watched closely by the coaching staff of France, who themselves face the Chinese before taking on Switzerland in the Group G showdown on 13 June.
Portugal will be hoping for no more than a light workout in their friendly against Luxembourg. After the 4-1 win over Cape Verde Islands, it was clear that Brazilian coach Luiz Felipe Scolari has no desire to face overly physical opposition ahead of the tournament. It remains to be seen whether Pauleta, who netted a hat-trick against Cape Verde Islands, will feature after picking up a knee injury in the victory.
Spain’s second friendly against Egypt will be followed with close interest, with the CAF Africa Cup of Nations winners being the perfect sparring partner for the Spanish ahead of their clash with the previous CAN champions Tunisia on June 19. Spain, whose last result was a goalless draw with Russia, will play a final friendly against Croatia on 7 June before kicking off their tournament against Ukraine seven days later.