Eriksson relieved at draw.
Associated Press.[/size]
English coach Sven-Goran Eriksson said it was fate that his England team was again pitched against his homeland Sweden in Friday's draw for next year's World Cup finals.
England, the 1966 champion, avoided the heavyweights and was also drawn against Paraguay, which it beat at the 1986 World Cup, and debut-making Trinidad and Tobago.
"They are difficult games, but I am happy with the group," Eriksson told BBC television from the draw in Leipzig, Germany. "It could have been worse, much worse."
Eriksson was also in charge when England drew 1-1 with Sweden at the 2002 World Cup. England hasn't beaten Sweden in 11 matches since 1968.
"It's destiny, I suppose," Eriksson said. "I thought with statistics that we shouldn't have drawn them because we played them at the last World Cup but that's life and sooner or later we have to beat them."
England captain David Beckham said he was happy with the draw.
"Paraguay are a bit of an unknown quantity, but we will be prepared fully when we meet them," Beckham told England's Football Association Web site. "To use an old football cliche, there are no easy games. We have to go out and prove we are one of the favorites."
Eriksson was happy to have avoided the Netherlands and Australia, which has a long-standing sporting rivalry with England. England has beaten Paraguay in both their previous meetings, but never met Trinidad and Tobago.
"At least on paper, we are the favorites together with Sweden to go through, but you never know," he said.
Nine Trinidad and Tobago players are at English clubs, including goalkeeper Shaka Hislop, but Eriksson said he'd never seen the country play.
"When it happened, I was just running around, cheering in the bar," said Trinidad midfielder Chris Birchall, who plays for Port Vale in English soccer's third tier. "I will be lining up against players who I have been watching week in, week out in the Premiership."
Beckham said he was looking forward to playing Trinidad's best-known player - his former Manchester United teammate Dwight Yorke.
"He is someone who I share many great memories with," Beckham said.
If England advances from the group, it will meet one of the top two teams from Group A - which contains Germany, Poland, Ecuador and Costa Rica. England has a long rivalry with Germany and beat Poland twice in the qualification campaign for this World Cup.
"Germany will win their group," Eriksson said. "They are in a rather easy group. They are the host nation, that's why I think they will win it (the group). It's better to play Poland than Germany. We will be trying to win the group."
Eriksson may not need to worry. At the 2002 finals in South Korea and Japan, it advanced from a tougher group including Sweden, Argentina and Nigeria. England reached the quarterfinals, but lost to Brazil. It also reached the quarterfinals of the 2004 European Championship, losing to Portugal.
England, which was the first drawn out of the pots at the draw, and plays Paraguay on June 10 in Frankfurt, Trinidad and Tobago on June 15 in Nuremberg, and Sweden on June 20 in Cologne.
GROUPS
Group A
1 Germany
2 Costa Rica
3 Poland
4 Ecuador
Group B
1 England
2 Paraguay
3 Trinidad &Tobago.
4 Sweden
Group C
1 Argentina
2 Ivory Coast
3 Serbia-Mont.
4 Netherlands
Group D
1 Mexico
2 Iran
3 Angola
4 Portugal
Group E
1 Italy
2 Ghana
3 United States
4 Czech Rep.
Group F
1 Brazi
2 Croatia
3 Australia
4 Japan
Group G
1 France
2 Switzerland
3 South Korea
4 Togo
Group H
1 Spain
2 Ukraine
3 Tunisia
4 Saudi Arabia
