Nigeria vs. Denmark

SITE: Saint-Denis

TIME: Noon TV: Chs. 7, 34 RADIO: KWKW (1330, Spanish)

* ABOUT NIGERIA: Coach Bora Milutinovic’s squad sees itself on a mission for all of Africa. “The Danes should be ready for defeat,” midfielder Finidi George said. “It’s the only way to show the African presence and repay our fans after losing to Paraguay.” The absence of striker Daniel Amokachi, who re-injured his knee during training and might miss the rest of the World Cup, will not help the Olympic gold medalists’ cause. Goalkeeper Peter Rufai’s tentativeness will be tested by Denmark.

* ABOUT DENMARK: A massive goalkeeper in Peter Schmeichel and the Laudrup brothers, Michael and Brian, about sums up the Danish threat. Coming off a loss to France, the Danes seem more concerned about their opponent than about their own game. “They [the Nigerians] like to play the ball forward, having a lot of touches, and we realize we will have to spend a lot of time behind the ball,” said Denmark’s assistant coach, Flemming Serritsev.

* OUTLOOK: This game is up for grabs. The Nigerians have the technical skill and the speed but are defensively suspect. The Danes have discipline and organization, but can they cope with three or four attackers running at them at the same time?