GROUP A
BRAZIL
* World Cup Record: Played 73, won 49, lost 11, tied 13, goals for 159, goals against 68.
* Best Finish: Champion in 1958, 1962, 1970, 1994.
* 1994 Showing: Champion.
* Coach: Mario “Lobo” Zagalo. In the movie, Mickey Rooney would have played him. Only man to have won four World Cup titles, two as player, one as coach and one as technical director.
* Players to Watch: Roberto Carlos, Cafu, Rivaldo, Denilson, Ronaldo.
* In Brief: The only country to participate in every World Cup and the only four-time winner. Opens as the favorite but shouldn’t be. South American teams traditionally fail in Europe--Pele’s Brazil of 1958 being the lone exception. Loaded with talent. Beset by disorganization.
* Quick Quote: “You only get criticized when you’re at the top. I have become a target because I have won too often.”--Mario Zagalo
* Forecast: Could fall in the quarterfinals or semifinals.
MOROCCO
* World Cup Record: Played 10, won one, lost six, tied three, goals for 7, goals against 13.
* Best Finish: Second round, 1986.
* 1994 Showing: Eliminated in the first round.
* Coach: Henri Michel, a dapper Frenchman who coached France to the gold medal at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games and to third place in the World Cup in Mexico in 1986.
* Players to Watch: Noureddine Naybet, Moustafa Hadji, Youssef Chippo, Salaheddine Bassir.
* In Brief: The Lions of the Atlas were the only team to defeat eventual winner Egypt in the African Nations Cup in February. The North Africans, ranked No. 1 in Africa for most of 1997, could cause the Scots and Norwegians a problem or two.
* Quick Quote: “It’s good to be in the finals, but that alone is not sufficient.”--Henri Michel
* Forecast: Three games and out.
NORWAY
* World Cup Record: Played 4, won one, lost two, tied one, goals for 2, goals against 3.
* Best Finish: First round, 1938, 1994.
* 1994 Showing: Eliminated in the first round.
* Coach: Egil Olsen. An individualist, avowed Marxist-Lenninist, poker player, happy to provide outrageous quotes, hugely popular among fans.
* Players to Watch: Frode Grodas, Oyvind Leonhardsen, Erik Mykland, Kjetil Rekdal, Ole Gunnar Solskjar, Tore Andre Flo.
* In Brief: The Norwegians were unbeaten on their road to France, outscoring their qualifying opponents, 21-2. They also beat Brazil, 4-2, in Oslo last year. No fancy footwork, just an up-and-at-’em, straight-ahead style that can rattle opponents.
* Quick Quote: “With me as coach, or with my soccer philosophy, Brazil would be unbeatable. Now they are merely almost unbeatable.”--Egil Olsen
* Forecast: Second round is attainable, anything more a surprise.
SCOTLAND
* World Cup Record: Played 20, won four, lost 10, tied six, goals for 23, goals against 35.
* Best Finish: Never past the first round.
* 1994 Showing: Did not qualify.
* Coach: Craig Brown. A man of quiet confidence, who looks and sounds like the schoolteacher he once was. Has enjoyed surprising success as national coach.
* Players to Watch: Jim Leighton, Colin Hendry, Paul Lambert, John Collins, Kevin Gallacher.
* In Brief: The loss of playmaker Gary McAllister to injury hurt the Scots badly. Brown describes their style as “controlled aggression,” but they struggle to score goals, as evidenced by the 0-0 tie with the U.S. in Washington last month. Their game is just too predictable to have an impact at this level.
* Quick Quote: “Our aim is to finish second in our group. Logically, Brazil should be first.”--Craig Brown
* Forecast: Three games and out.
