GROUP C: Denmark vs. Saudi Arabia
SITE: Lens
TIME: 8:30 a.m. TV: ESPN2, Ch. 34 RADIO: KWKW (1330, Spanish)
* ABOUT DENMARK: How far can one man take a team in the World Cup? As the United States and Kasey Keller mull that very question, Denmark begins its own experiment with Peter Schmeichel, the towering, glowering goalkeeper who led the surprising Danes to the title in the 1992 European Championships.
* ABOUT SAUDI ARABIA: The Saudis were the surprise of the 1994 World Cup, upsetting Belgium and Morocco in group play and reaching the second round in their first World Cup appearance. Forward Saeed Owairan scored the goal of the tournament, a 50-yard dribble-and-strike against Belgium. Owairan is back for another go, but with a new coach, Carlos Alberto Parreira, who won the World Cup with Brazil in 1994.
* OUTLOOK: Parreira, who kept a 17-year old Ronaldo on the bench during the 1994 World Cup, only wishes he had the same luxury in ’98. Forecasts of cold and rain in Lens should benefit the Danes, but the Saudis are capable of grinding it out against a physical opponent. Nil-nil would be no surprise today.
