On behalf of Ababoy and NiceToHave, the Germany 2006 World cup Group B is now in section

     GROUP B

      England
      Paraguay
      Sweden
      Trinidad & Tobago

Players to watch for Theo walcott a wonder kid from england. Will Rooney recover on time to wreck havocs to defences? and would peter crouch shine just like he did when they whooped the raggae boyz of jamaica.
Others for England are Terry, Lampard, Beckham, Gerard, Owen.

Henrik Larsson and ljungberg(sweden)
Dwight York(T&T)
Nelson Haedo valdez, santa cruz, cadozo(paraguay)

Thanks Vichel

Lets keep it rolling.

this group is going to be tougher than expected, england will not have it easy i see then drawing the first game against paraguay, the qualifiers will wait till the third game before knowing, sadly trinidad will be the whipping boys

right my man. everybody is welcomed to give analysis about this group, but i think the winner of this group is already in the final eight cos obviously germany in group A would top the group, and the rest would be easy meat for england, if they could be organized

3 10-Jun-06 Frankfurt ENG:PAR 15:00
4 10-Jun-06 Dortmund TRI:SWE 18:00
19 15-Jun-06 Nuremberg ENG:TRI 18:00
20 15-Jun-06 Berlin SWE:PAR 21:00
35 20-Jun-06 Cologne SWE:ENG 21:00
36 20-Jun-06 Kaiserslautern PAR:TRI 21:00

If Chief Onigbinde is still in Charge of T&T, Could he have make any difference?

I believe T&T would noy go down easily, they should not be underated cos they can cause unexpected harm

nah, they arent going to do anything, they lost their last friendly like 3-0 or somn, they should just enjoy the show while it lasts

Does size really matter? I will say yes and no.

will T n T make any impact in Germany, i will say No.

Remember "we" qualified for the world cup with a hair's breath, the team is just going to enjoy the show as debosky said. Yeah "we" lost all our friendly the last being to the czech republic.

but again sha football no be maths

I tip England and Sweden to go through from the group.

ENGLAND

England has under-performed in the history of the World Cup. Inured to disappointment, however, its faithful supporters press on. While the English merrily continue to provide their own worst enemy, the potential to dazzle is undeniable in Swedish coach Sven-Goran Eriksson's well-balanced squad.

Well-balanced on paper, that is, and while the hiccups of Belfast and Copenhagen may be firmly behind them, neither the debate over an optimum formation nor the domestic appetite for accentuating the very same problem has been resolved.

Gary Neville may have been missed in Japan/Korea but the accommodation of both him and best friend David Beckham in conventional roles can lead to a reversion to the more predictable, while talents as formidable as Frank Lampard and Steve Gerrard are yet to truly deliver in harness.

The sublime Wayne Rooney may have to resist injury in the latter stages this time if a second tournament win, and on the most preferred territory of all, is not to remain in the realms of English fantasy. For once, the defence may emerge as the strong suit and not the Achilles heel, as the resources quite palpably exist to thrive on enforced rotation.


Fixtures

England v Paraguay 10 June; KO 15:00; Frankfurt
England v Trinidad & Tobago 15 June; KO 18:00; Nuremberg
England v Sweden 20 June; KO 21:00; Cologne
Coach

Sven-Göran Eriksson
Record

1950, 1958 First Round; 1998 Round of 16; 1954, 1962, 1970, 1986, 2002 Quarterfinals; 1990 Semifinals; 1966 champions

Men to watch

Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard, Wayne Rooney (still ) who is Walcott (puhleassse) he will be glad if he get 10 mins of world cup action


Predictions & Latest Odds

Should make it out of the group with Sweden.

How they qualified

England finished at the top of European Group 6 to qualify.
On the sidelines

Following a loss away to Northern Ireland, Coach Sven-Göran Eriksson came under harsh criticism. Beckham has played only fair football for Real Madrid. The team will win or lose courtesy of Rooney, Lampard, or Gerrard.


The Squad

Goalkeepers Paul Robinson (Tottenham), David James (Manchester City), Robert Green (Norwich); Defenders Gary Neville (Manchester United), Rio Ferdinand (Manchester United), John Terry (Chelsea), Ashley Cole (Arsenal), Sol Campbell (Arsenal), Jamie Carragher (Liverpool), Wayne Bridge (Chelsea); Midfielders David Beckham (Real Madrid), Michael Carrick (Tottenham), Frank Lampard (Chelsea), Steven Gerrard (Liverpool), Owen Hargreaves (Bayern Munich), Jermaine Jenas (Tottenham), Stewart Downing (Middlesbrough), Joe Cole (Chelsea), Aaron Lennon (Tottenham); Strikers Wayne Rooney (Manchester United), Michael Owen (Newcastle), Peter Crouch (Liverpool), Theo Walcott (Arsenal).

England In depth Profile:

http://www.soccerphile.com/soccerphile/teams/england-06.html

England and Sweden just as they both qualified from the Group of Death 4 years ago.

England and Sweden, but hey, don't underrate Paraguay cuz they can destroy as well!

Paraguay

Paraguay will appear in its third consecutive World Cup. Finishing a solid fourth in the South America qualifiers, Paraguay is coming into its own. The generation of players that progressed through the Athens Olympiad could prove troublesome for the much better known and highly touted teams from England and Sweden. The highlight of their qualifying campaign was a 1-0 victory over Argentina.

Paraguay are looking to reach the second round for the fourth time in total and the third time on the bounce. At first glance, there isn't much bounce in what is an aging squad even with the retirement of defenders Francisco Arce, Celso Ayala, and the most famous Paraguayan in the world and one-time Liverpool target, eccentric goalkeeper Jose Luis Chilavert. All time record scorer Jose Cardozo is still there, but only just, as he will be 35 by the time the tournament kicks-off and the veteran hitman is often joined in attack by Bayern Munich's speedy striker Roque Santa Cruz and the nation's young hope Nelson Haedo Valdez of Werder Bremen.

In France 1998, Paraguay went down in the second round to eventual winner France on a golden goal. In the most recent World Cup, the Albirroja lost again 1-0, this time to runner-up Germany. Being drawn out of the hat with the South Americans may not strike fear into the hearts of Europe's finest but Paraguay shouldn't be underestimated.
Fixtures

Paraguay v England 10 June; KO 15:00; Frankfurt
Paraguay v Sweden 15 June; KO 21:00; Berlin
Paraguay v Trinidad & Tobago 20 June; 21:00 KO; Kaiserslautern
Coach

Anibal Ruiz
Record

1930, 1950, 1958 First Round; 1986, 1998, 2002 Second Round - Paraguay have lost in second round of last two World Cups.


Men to watch

Jose Cardozo, Nelson Haedo Valdez

Predictions & Latest Odds

They could pull off a shock. The difference between the South Americans and England and or Sweden is very small.

How they qualified

They finished 4th in the South America group to qualify for Germany. The highlight of their qualifying run was a 1-0 victory over Argentina.
On the sidelines

Paraguay was crushed several times in the qualifiers. They have a tendency to lose it.

The Squad

Goalkeepers Justo Villar (Newell's Old Boys), Aldo Bobadilla (Libertad), Derlis Gomez (Sportivo Luqueno)
Defenders Denis Caniza (unattached), Carlos Gamarra (Palmeiras), Julio Cesar Caceres (River Plate), Delio Toledo (Real Zaragoza), Paulo Da Silva (Toluca), Julio Cesar Mansur (Guarani), Jorge Nunez (Estudiantes)
Midfielders Edgar Barreto (NEC Nijmegen), Roberto Acuna (Deportivo La Coruna), Carlos Humberto Paredes (Reggina), Julio Dos Santos (Bayern Munich), Cristian Riveros, Carlos Bonet (both Libertad), Jose Montiel (Olimpia), Diego Gavilan (Newell's Old Boys)
Forwards Roque Santa Cruz (Bayern Munich), Nelson Haedo Valdez (Werder Bremen), Jose Saturnino Cardozo (unattached), Salvador Cabanas (Jaguares), Nelson Cuevas (Pachuca)

Paraguay in depth Profile:

http://www.soccerphile.com/soccerphile/teams/paraguay-06.html

Well i'm sure of Sweden, England should ordinarilyl follow suit, but u never can tell with these unpredictable teams, underperforming when u tip them most, just like france,

Trinidad & Tobago

The Soca Warriors will probably be the favourite team of the neutrals in Germany and those watching on television but the team, led by canny Dutchman Leo Beenhakker will want to show that are more than stereotypical happy-go-lucky Caribbeans and are aiming high.

Marvin Andrews and Russell Latapy both sacrificed their SPL commitments to make sure that Trinidad and Tobago made it to Germany. Andrews, a devout Christian repeatedly voiced his belief that God was willing the team to make it to the World Cup Finals and his faith was rewarded when they made it after a play-off with Bahrain.

Such was the euphoria in Trinidad and Tobago that a national holiday was declared and street parties were held throughout the country. Andrews missed a crucial Old Firm tie to play for his national side and revealed afterwards that the achievement ranked as high as any domestic success he had ever enjoyed with Rangers.

"To take the country to a World Cup can change a lot of things in the country," he added. "The crime rate is really high - we are talking drugs, killing, murdering, kidnapping. the lot. That's how bad it is getting. So we will try to help by taking the country to the World Cup.

"I don't think it will change the crime rate completely but it can hopefully inspire a lot of younger boys who are actually committing the crimes at the moment," Andrews continued.

"Hopefully we will inspire them to change their lives and change the lives of other people. I try to be a role model to the young kids because they are the future. But they are the people the Devil is targeting at this moment."

Many of the players are well known in England and Europe. Veteran striker Dwight Yorke needs no introduction but the former Manchester United star has produced little on the pitch in the past five years. Fans will be hoping that he has enough left for a last swansong on the global stage.

There is some experience in the team to support the 34-year-old. Stern John, Mark Burchill and Dennis Lawrence are all seasoned professionals who will relish their time in the spotlight. Russell Lapaty must also be mentioned, the playmaker may be 37 but still has the talent to unlock the tightest defence.
Fixtures

Trinidad & Tobago v Sweden 10 June; KO 18:00; Dortmund
Trinidad & Tobago v England 15 June; KO 18:00; Nuremberg
Trinidad & Tobago v Paraguay 20 June; 21:00 KO; Kaiserslautern
Coach

Leo Beenhakker
Record

First Appearance at the World Cup Finals

Men to watch

Dwight Yorke, John Stern and Russel Latapy
Predictions & Latest Odds

With nothing to lose, a dangerous side. Still, they will be done after three matches.
How they qualified

T & T finished fourth in the Concacaf third qualifying stage, and then beat Bahrain 2-1 on aggregate in the Concacaf/Asia play-off

John Stern scored 12 times in the qualifiers.

The Squad

Goalkeepers Kelvin Jack (Dundee), Shaka Hislop (West Ham), Clayton Ince (Coventry City).
Defenders Dennis Lawrence (Wrexham) Cyd Gray (San Juan Jabloteh), Marvin Andrews (Rangers), Brent Sancho (Gillingham), Ian Cox (Gillingham), Atiba Charles (W Connection), Avery John (New England Revolution).
Midfielders Silvio Spann (unattached), Chris Birchall (Port Vale), Aurtis Whitley (San Juan Jabloteh), Anthony Wolfe (San Juan Jabloteh), Densill Theobald (Falkirk), Carlos Edwards (Luton), Dwight Yorke (Sydney FC), Russell Latapy (Falkirk).
Forwards Stern John (Coventry), Kenwyne Jones (Southampton), Collin Samuel (Dundee United), Jason Scotland (St Johnstone), Cornell Glen (LA Galaxy)

Trinidad and Tobago In depth Profile:

http://www.soccerphile.com/soccerphile/teams/trinidad-06.html

Sweden

Not given a serious chance by pundits with detractors pointing to a shaky defence despite the Swedes conceding just four times in qualifying. The central pairing of captain Olof Mellburg of Aston Villa and Teddy Lucic from Swedish top flight side BV Hacken will need to be at their best in Germany although giant Rennes goalkeeper Andreas Isaksson did turn heads during qualifying with a series of outstanding displays.

Sweden's armoury, though, is in attack. Coach Lars Lagerback - in sole control of the side after the resignation of former co-coach Tommy Soderberg following Euro 2004 - has the luxury of selecting an attacking trio hailing from Juventus, Barca and Arsenal. Current Swedish footballer of the year Zlatan Ibrahimovic has the potency to match any striker on his day but needs to keep his composure in check. Henrik Larsson and Freddy Ljungberg complete the forward line, an enviable triumvirate who between them scored 20 of Sweden's 30 qualifying goals.
Fixtures


Sweden v Trinidad & Tobago 10 June; KO 18:00; Dortmund
Sweden v Paraguay 15 June; KO 21:00; Berlin
Sweden v England 20 June; KO 21:00; Cologne
Coach

Lars Lagerback
Record

1970, 1978 & 1990 First Round; 1934, 1950, 1974, 2002 Second round; 1994 semi-finals; 1938 Fourth place; 1958 runners-up. 11th appearance at the World Cup.

Men to watch

Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Henrik Larsson
Predictions & Latest Odds

Sweden should go through with England.
How they qualified

They were one of two best runners-up in the European qualifying zone finishing level on points in European Group 8, with group winners Croatia.
On the sidelines

Sweden will face England for the second consecutive time in the group stage - the match in Japan in 2002 finished 1-1.

The Squad

Goalkeepers John Alvbage (Viborg, Denmark), Andreas Isaksson (Rennes, France), Rami Shaaban (Fredrikstad, Norway)
Defenders Erik Edman (Rennes, France), Petter Hansson (Heerenveen, Holland), Teddy Lucic (Hacken), Olof Mellberg (Aston Villa, England), Mikael Nilsson (Panathinaikos, Greece), Fredrik Stenman (Bayer Leverkusen, Germany), Karl Svensson (IFK Goteborg)
Midfielders Niclas Alexandersson (IFK Goteborg), Daniel Andersson (Malmo), Johan Elmander (Brondby, Denmark), Mattias Jonson (Djurgarden), Kim Kallstrom (Rennes, France), Tobias Linderoth (Copenhagen, Denmark), Fredrik Ljungberg (Arsenal, England), Anders Svensson (Elfsborg), Christian Wilhelmsson (Anderlecht, Belgium)
Forwards Marcus Allback (Copenhagen, Denmark), Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Juventus, Italy), Henrik Larsson (Barcelona, Spain), Markus Rosenberg (Ajax, Holland)

Sweden In- depth Profile:

http://www.soccerphile.com/soccerphile/teams/sweden-06.html

FIFA RANKINGS MAY 2006 ( THERE WILL BE NO RANKINGS IN JUNE)

(Can you Locate Nigeria there?) :

http://www.soccerphile.com/soccerphile/news/fifa.html

there'll be surprises cuz england's sqaud's tha most confused one ait now
tha swede's will go on the second round
paraguay another south american team that will make an impact
trinidad and tobago well lets see aw many matches they'll win

hi nicetohave, great to have you[b] BACK,[/b] omo where you go now, and without warning.?
well great job you're doing here, keep it up.

i think/wish england will qualify but i don't think it will come easy as Paraguay and Sweden would be fighting to qualify as well.
the key for england will be winning their first game and they will be as good as in the next round, t&t would be a walk over while they can afford a draw with Sweden.
thats my wish cos I'm rooting for england.

Guys!
Do you know England are doing preps to celebrate the cup?
They dare rattle my FF Brazil.
Expect a good whooping.

England are definitely gonna do good in this world cup, but win it? i don't think so

do well? i don't know how well i think they'll reach the quarter finals again but thats where the dream ends

yes, I don't think they'll win it!

I dont even know what england are on about, they should keep it undercover,

Follow the action:



http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com/06/en/w/schedule.html

As for England, quaterfinal is good enough for them _{i dont think they wish for more anyway the way have prepared.}
Trinidad and Tobago is there for jamboree _{sorry its past carnival time}

Paraguay, a pity a team with a bunch of sparse talents have to go out in the first round.

Sweden deserve to be in the quaterfinals and will be

@Nicy

I specifically chose you for this group because of your T&T residency.

So give us gist from that end. i mean what is the expectation of the locals?

They are called the SOCA WARRIORS and later described as the winning warriors after winning a lack lustre friendly with a division three team by one of the local newspapers; the next three days will show how true (or false) this statement is:

http://www.trinidadexpress.com/index.pl/article_sports?id=160960945


Comments posted by locals on the team preparation do far can be found at the bottom of the page.

I wish England well but anytime i examined their press and the player's pompousity, i wish otherwise.

Imagine a team that is not good enough to ever win European Nations cup, who only won the world cup when it was probably lesser world cup.

All their noise is : "Only Brazil is better than them"

Of course many team is better than them.

This is what Paraguay Skipper has to say:

"England have great players but i think Sweden are the most dangerous team because they are more experienced and have a more compact team.
England is a tough match but we can beat them if we play intelligent football.

We are going to qualify with Sweden

There is a feeling in our camp that England are in danger of underestimating a team with a decent World cup pedigree"

England did not play as Iwished.
Well-done David Beckham! That free kick delivered a very healthy baby.
The recovery of Rooney is the right antidote for me as a partial England fan.
People! Did you Watch out for the one of the most offensive& prolific midfielders, Gerrard, Owen, Lampard, J cole, Beckham? Oh fantastic lampard!
The referee too harsh with his yellow cards.Gerrard of all the players?
Those young strikers are just an icing to the cake and those seasoned marshals in defence Ferdinand, Terry, Campbel, Neville, Caragher, A Cole is comparatively the best.
Full of character and this 4 depth 4in-depth and 2up was terrifying tho dint quite impress
Had my full support and they’ve won alongside with the marauding highly expectant English fans.—under siege.
Crouch!Crouch! Yellowcard and many fouls tho not bad.
One goal is not enough.!!1


Paraguay!
I thought under the wise talents of coach Anibal Ruiz (a naturalized Paraguayan) could afford to stand tall.That tenacity of strikers Cradozzo, Salvado, Ceuvas looked like a chilli hot recipe for English defenders.
I wonder all the rumblings that they would spoil the party when Perades was writhing in pain to con a penalty.

Well England Have beaten Paraguay by a lone goal but i dont think England Played the way people expect them to play.I think Erikkson and his managerial team should go back to the drawing board and sought it out and look for where the problem is.The strikers are'nt delivering the way they are expected to,Theo Walcott was not even tested.
I think with this kind of performance England should wake up From their slumber.They should take their chances.
As for Paraguay they were nervous at the begining of the game.Well done to Players Like Nelson Valdez and GoalKeeper Bobadilla,C Parades et all.
Players like Beckham,Lampard,Gary Neville,Joe Cole played well too.
Well i just pray England Strikers Wake up from their Slumber

England and sweden top this group