Today’s Games
Group G
England vs. Tunisia
SITE: Marseille
TIME: 5:30 a.m. TV: ESPN2, Ch. 34. RADIO: KWKW (1330 Spanish).
* ABOUT ENGLAND: Coach Glenn Hoddle, who played in France for Monaco, designated this a must-win. He has worked his team hard, staging several mock games to approximate match conditions. He has tried to blend the technical elements emphasized by his predecessor, Terry Venables, with his players’ individual skills.
* ABOUT TUNISIA: Polish-born coach Henri Kasperczak also played much of his career in France and has a solid dossier, including having led Tunisia to the African Nations Cup final in 1996 and to its second World Cup berth.
* OUTLOOK: England has many scoring options; Tunisia is strong defensively and will rely on midfielder Zoubele Baya and forward Mehdi Ben Slimane for offensive punch.
Group F
Germany vs. U.S.
SITE: Parc des Princes stadium, Paris
TIME: Noon. TV: Ch. 7. RADIO: KWKW (1330 Spanish).
* ABOUT GERMANY: Solid at virtually every position, Germany comes in as the reigning European champion but also as the oldest team in the tournament with an average age near 30. Coach Berti Vogts plays a three-defender, five-midfielder, two-forward formation. The vastly experienced team is determined to make up for the disappointment of 1994, when it was ousted in the quarterfinals by Bulgaria. Winner of the World Cup on three occasions and runner-up three times, it also has reached the European Championship final five times, winning three.
* ABOUT UNITED STATES: More experienced than any U.S. World Cup team in history, totally fit and without a single ailment, according to Coach Steve Sampson, the Americans nevertheless are the decided underdogs tonight. To earn a point, or perhaps steal three, they will have to repeat the performance they had against Austria, using speed on the wings to get behind Germany’s defense, and intelligent build-up and top-flight finishing up front. That’s a tall order. Sampson will use a 3-6-1 formation and will definitely use all three substitutes.
* OUTLOOK: Ruthlessly efficient and physically imposing, the Germans have only one weakness: age. If the U.S. uses its speed intelligently, it just might spring a surprise. But don’t bet the house on it. Or even the garage.