Head Coach: Marcelo Bielsa

» German Burgos G
» Roberto Bonano G
» Pablo Cavallero G
» Javier Zanetti D
» Walter Samuel D
» Roberto Ayala D
» Juan Pablo Sorin D
» Diego Placente D
» Jose Chamot D
» Mauricio Pochettino D
» Kily Gonzalez M
» Mathias Almeyda M
» Juan Sebastian Veron M
» Claudio Husain M
» Diego Simeone M
» Gustavo Lopez M
» Pablo Aimar M
» Ariel Ortega M
» Marcelo Gallardo M
» Hernan Crespo F
» Gabriel Batistuta F
» Claudio Caniggia F
» Claudio Lopez F

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Juan Sebastian Veron: Not unlike Zidane's role with France, Veron is the focal point of Argentina's attack. An inventive midfielder and team leader who controls the ebb and flow of the game, he drives the attack with his marvellous playmaking skills. He's also a goal-scoring threat and possesses a powerful, accurate shot.

Walter Samuel: Samuel is a hard-tackling, tough-minded defender who reads the game very well and is rarely out of position. He's very efficient with his passes and handles the ball well under pressure.

Hernan Crespo: Argentina's top scorer in the qualifying round with nine goals, Crespo is one of the most dangerous strikers in soccer today. He has excellent dribbling skills and uses his physical strength to shake off tacklers.

Diego Maradona: One of the greatest players ever to play the game, Diego Armando Maradona led Argentina to World Cup glory in 1986 with five goals. Twice voted South American Player Of The Year (1979 and 1980), he made his international debut for Argentina at age 16.

Mario Kempes: Kempes finished the 1978 World Cup as top scorer with six goals, including two in the finals against Holland to help Argentina win its first World Cup on home soil.

Scouting Report

Style of play: Coach Marcelo Bielsa adheres strictly to a 3-3-1-3 formation and uses a flat-back trio of defenders. Argentina uses one deep-lying forward, Juan Sebastian Veron, who plays the role of playmaker. Veron dictates the pace of the game and leads Argentina's attack, distributing the ball to the two wingers and the single striker. The striker looks for balls from the wingers and the deep-lying forward, who also routinely moves forward with an eye toward the goal, giving Argentina another option in attacking mode. The wingers make darting runs from the flanks to the centre of the field before making diagonal passes into the penalty area for the striker to run onto.

Strengths:
Coaching -- Although rigid in his adherence to his beloved 3-3-1-3 formation, coach Marcelo Bielsa is a tactical genius. He's revolutionized the Argentine game by introducing a formation that encourages both creativity and proficiency on the pitch.
Offensive options -- With two world-class strikers in Hernan Crespo and Gabriel Batistuta, and a talented crop of forwards and attacking midfielders, Argentina has more offensive options than it knows what to do with. If one player hits a rough patch of form, he is easily replaced.
Depth in midfield -- Argentina has a lot of different options in midfield. Juan Sebastian Veron leads the way as the side's playmaker. Diego Simeone is a tenacious ball-winner, Javier Zanetti is a brilliant defensive midfielder, and Pablo Aimar and Killy Gonzalez are very effective on the wings.

Weaknesses:
Batistuta or Crespo? -- Because coach Marcelo Bielsa only uses one striker, he has the unenviable task of benching either Hernan Crespo (the current golden boy of Argentine soccer) or Gabriel Batistuta (Argentina's all-time leading goal scorer). Both are world-class strikers, making Bielsa's decision all the more difficult. Regardless of whom he decides upon, he will be second-guessed by Argentina's fans and soccer-obsessed media.
Defensive depth -- Walter Samuel, Diego Placente and Robert Ayala are among the best defenders in the world, but they'll be carrying the load by themselves. Nelson Vivas is out with an injury, veteran Nestor Sensini did not make the team, and Jose Chamot is too inconsistent. If any of the starting defenders pick up an injury or suspension, Argentina will have serious problems at the back.
The Group of Death -- They don't call it the "Group of Death" for no reason. England, Sweden and Nigeria are all world-class sides capable of making life very difficult for Argentina. The effort needed to simply make it through the group could leave Argentina too spent to do anything productive in further rounds.

Key injuries/squad omissions: Marcelo Bielsa opted not to pick youngster Javier Saviola (a prolific striker with FC Barcelona), and instead selected veteran Claudio Caniggia, who is now struggling to become sufficiently fit for Argentina's first game on June 2 against Nigeria.... Other notable omissions from the final squad include Nelson Vivas (still out with a serious injury), veteran Nestor Sensini and playmaking midfielder Juan Roman Riquelme....

Outlook: Argentina is one of the early favourites to win the World Cup, but it will have to first survive the "Group of Death." Group F is, perhaps, one of the toughest groups in World Cup history. England, Sweden and Nigeria are all quality sides that will pose serious competition to the South American giants, so there's very little margin for error, and their killer instinct will have to be sharp. With so many attacking options at its disposal, goals won't be a problem for the Argentines, which could come in handy if first and second place are decided on goal difference. Argentina has ample motivation to finish in first: a potential match with France awaits them in the next round if they finish in second. But Argentina is the class of this bunch and should top Group F, which would send them off on a relatively clear path to the semifinals.

The Country

Location: Southern South America, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Chile and Uruguay

Capital: Buenos Aires

Area: 2,766,890 sq km

Population: 36,955,182 (July 2000 est.)

Government type: Republic

Climate: Mostly temperate; arid in southeast; subantarctic in southwest.

Ethnic groups: White (mostly Spanish and Italian) 97%, mestizo, Amerindian, or other nonwhite groups 3%

Religions: Nominally Roman Catholic 92% (less than 20% practicing), Protestant 2%, Jewish 2%, other 4%.

Languages: Spanish (official), English, Italian, German, French.

History: Argentina won independence from Spain in 1816. Over the ensuing decades, Argentina was besieged with periods of internal political conflict between conservatives and liberals and between civilian and military factions. Following the Second World War, Argentina was run by dictator Eva Peron until a military-led government assumed power in 1976. Democracy returned in 1983, and Argentina has enjoyed four free elections, evidence of its commitment to achieving democratic consolidation, although its political stability has been eroded as the country has descended into economic crisis of late.

Bob Lenarduzzi

I think Argentina will go through. I hate to say it, but I don't think England will get out of the group, and Sweden will finish second.

Prediction: 1) Argentina 2) Sweden

Jason de Vos

I think most people would agree that Argentina will win this group. They are a strong team, and they haven't been really hampered by a lot of injuries.

England is, certainly back home, being tipped as favourites to go through, but I don't think it's going to be that straightforward. I think a lot of their preparation has been damaged by the injuries they've had. [David] Beckham's broken bone in his foot is a very big factor. By all accounts he's going to be able to play, but I've had broken bones before in my feet, I've done the exact same thing, and I know how difficult it is to come back.

He's had no match practice. The bone should have sufficiently healed by now for him to play, but it takes time to get back at the level you were at before. For England, the first game is do-or-die for them. They have to get a result in that game. If they lose, they won't qualify, because I don't think they have enough to beat Argentina (CBC, June 7, 7:30 pm Local).

I think Sweden have it within them to finish second place. The thing you have to remember is England haven't beaten Sweden in 35 years. Sweden knows all about England, because the majority of its players play in England. Sweden will be happy with the fact they are considered outsiders, but I think they will be quietly confident of their chances of getting through this group.

England chances are dependent on David Beckham because he is the heart and soul of that team. If he comes back and is 100 per cent, if he's at his best, England will get through. But I don't think that will be the case and I think Sweden could beat them out for second place.

Nigeria could be the spoiler in this group and affect the results by scoring an upset.

Prediction: 1) Argentina 2) Sweden

Federation founded: 1893

FIFA member since: 1912

Current FIFA Ranking: #2

First round matches:
June 2 vs. Nigeria in Ibaraki
June 7 vs. England in Sapporo
June 12 vs. Sweden in Miyagi

2002 qualification route: Argentina finished in first place in South
America ahead of Ecuador, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay.

Record in qualifying: 13 wins, 4 draws, 1 loss
Goals for: 42 Goals against: 15

Qualifying results:
Argentina 4 Chile 1
Venezuela 0 Argentina 4
Argentina 1 Bolivia 0
Colombia 1 Argentina 3
Argentina 2 Ecuador 0
Brazil 3 Argentina 1
Argentina 1 Paraguay 1
Peru 1 Argentina 2
Argentina 2 Uruguay 1
Chile 2 Argentina 0
Argentina 5 Venezuela 0
Bolivia 3 Argentina 3
Argentina 3 Colombia 0
Ecuador 0 Argentina 2
Argentina 2 Brazil 1
Paraguay 2 Argentina 2
Argentina 2 Peru 0
Uruguay 1 Argentina 1

Number of previous World Cup appearances: 12

All-time record: 57 GP -- 29 W, 10 D, 18 L Goals for: 100 Goals
against: 69

World Cup History:
1930 - Runners-up
1934 - First round
1938-1954 - Did not enter
1958 - First round
1962 - First round
1966 - Quarter-finals
1970 - Did not qualify
1974 - Second round
1978 - Champions
1982 - Second round
1986 - Champions
1990 - Runners-up
1994 - Second round
1998 - Quarter-finals

Biggest victory: 6-0 vs Peru in 1978.
Biggest defeat: 1-6 vs Czechoslovakia in 1958.
Overall top scorer: Gabriel Batistuta, nine goals.
Most appearances: Diego Maradona, 21 matches.
Hosted the World Cup: 1978
Best World Cup results: Champions, 1978, 1986; Finalists, 1930, 1990.

Past Achievements:
Copa America Champions: 14 times
Olympic silver medalists: 1926, 1996
World Youth Champions: 1979, 1995, 1997, 2001