GROUP B / PARAGUAY

*--* World Cup record: Played 15 (4-5-6); goals for: 19; goals against: 27 Best finish: Second round in 1986, 1998 1998 showing: Eliminated in the second round Coach: Cesare Maldini. The 70-year-old father of Italy’s veteran World Cup defender Paolo Maldini, he was an assistant on Italy’s 1982 World Cup-winning team Players to watch: Jose Luis Chilavert, Carlos Gamarra, Jose Cardozo In brief: Paraguay’s chances of finishing second behind Spain could depend on the play of backup goalkeeper Ricardo Tavarelli, filling in for Chilavert in the first game because Chilavert is suspended for spitting on Brazil’s Roberto Carlos during qualifying Quick quote: “Ninety percent of sports journalists in Paraguay are incompetent.”--Chilavert Forecast: Friction between players and coach could undermine Paraguay, as could the always inflammatory comments of Chilavert himself. A first-round exit would be no surprise, despite the team’s strong showing in 1998

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