Brazil Will Rely on Its Technique
Brazil wants to avoid getting into a physical match against the Australians today.
“We are not going to win the match this way,” Brazil Coach Carlos Alberto Parreira said Saturday. “We have to put the ball on the ground and play with a lot of velocity.... We have to impose our technical quality.”
Brazil, favored to win a record sixth title, will face the Australians in Munich, Germany, hoping to erase the bad impression given by its lackluster 1-0 win over Croatia in its opening match.
The winner of today’s match will practically secure a spot in the second round and get into good position to advance as the group winner.
“We know they will play hard,” Brazil captain Cafu said. “We have to play our game and not let them overpower us physically.”
Parreira has warned that the Socceroos will rely on their “exceptional” conditioning against Brazil. The Australians acknowledge that’s one of their weapons.
“There’s a work ethic there. Very, very hard training sessions,” captain Mark Viduka said. “First of all physically we’re fit. And also the way we play. We play the ball around a lot more than in previous years. And we can match up with the best.”
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Mexico forward Jared Borgetti did some light jogging in his team’s workout Saturday night and is still questionable for the team’s final first-round game against Portugal on Wednesday in Goettingen.
“Today I’m back with the team, but I still can’t do everything,” said Borgetti, who tore a muscle in his left thigh in Mexico’s opener against Iran and did not play in Friday’s 0-0 draw with Angola.
The team physician, Jose Luis Serrano, said the striker was making progress and would be reevaluated Monday.
The return of its top all-time scorer would be a boost for Mexico, which despite its disappointing draw with Angola can still ensure a fourth straight trip to the World Cup’s second round.
“We believe we are a better team than Portugal,” said striker Francisco Fonseca.
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Frank Lampard will be timing his tackles a little more cautiously Tuesday when England faces Sweden in Buehlertal.
Lampard has had a yellow card at the tournament and knows one more against Sweden would mean he’d be suspended for a second-round game against Germany or Ecuador.
“There’s obviously a limit, and there’ll obviously be times where you have to be clever and realize to pick the right time to try make the right tackle,” Lampard said.
England Coach Sven-Goran Eriksson could rest Lampard for the final group match. “This is my first World Cup,” Lampard said. “I don’t really want to miss World Cup games.... I’d rather play.”
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A high-ranking FIFA official was sent home from the World Cup on Saturday after admitting he sold World Cup tickets for three times face value.
FIFA President Sepp Blatter said he was “furious” after Botswana’s Ismail Bhamjee confirmed that he sold tickets at inflated prices.
Blatter chaired an Emergency Committee meeting that decided to relieve Bhamjee of World Cup duties. He will remain a member of the executive committee, pending further action.
Bhamjee, 62, admitted to the committee that he sold tickets for England’s match against Trinidad and Tobago at Nuremburg for $380. The tickets had a face value of $127.
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Lilian Thuram will join fellow defender Marcel Desailly as France’s most-capped international player with 116 appearances when he appears against South Korea today.
“We need to see a French team that is attacking from the outset,” Thuram said. “The whole team must go forward. The team has not being taking many risks recently.”
Thuram made his debut alongside Laurent Blanc in a 2-2 draw against the Czech Republic in 1994.
