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England will start their World Cup campaign in Group B with what is arguably the easiest to predict and, according to experts, potentially surprising team from Paraguay. Nevertheless, bookmakers and fans consider Swedish Sven-Goran Eriksson's England team the favorite for this match.
England - Paraguay Kickoff: 16:00 (Lithuanian time) Referee: Marco Rodriguez (Mexico)
Kits The England team will start the match with updated white jerseys, dark blue shorts, and white socks. Meanwhile, Paraguay will be in a single color – blue will dominate in both jerseys, shorts, and socks.
Qualification England qualified for the tournament relatively easily – they won eight out of ten matches in the European qualifiers and defeated the Polish national team, also entering the tournament in Germany. Paraguay finished fourth in the South American qualifiers, securing their place in the World Cup by beating the first-placed Argentina 1-0.
Goals and Facts England Now or never – this is how the England team, coaches, and players approach this World Cup. The team is balanced with experienced and youthful talents. From seventeen-year-old Theo Walcott to the seasoned S.Gerrard or John Terry, and from the young but solid W.Rooney to the 31-year-old Sol Campbell, any coach would envy such a well-balanced team.
However, so far, the English have been unable to rejoice in victories due to football madness. The only prestigious trophy they have won is the World Cup, back in 1966. This World Cup is their twelfth and third in a row.
In the previous championships, the English lost to the eventual champions Brazil 1-2 in a dramatic quarter-final.
Throughout history, the English team has failed to advance from the group stage only twice – in 1950 and 1958.
Paraguay Paraguay qualified for the World Cup for the third consecutive time and hopes not to repeat past mistakes. In the previous championship, where Paraguay was coached by Italian Cesare Maldini, players complained that the coach did not try to speak their native language, often being misunderstood and causing dissatisfaction among the players. Legendary goalkeeper Jose Luis Chilavert later claimed that the team did not intentionally follow the coach's instructions after reaching the second stage but won a crucial group stage match against Slovenia 3-1.
Currently, the team is successfully led by Uruguayan Anibal Ruiz, who has managed to rejuvenate the team and compensate for the loss of veterans J.L. Chilavert, Francisco Arce, or Celso Ayala, successfully utilizing young forward Nelson Valdez, Roque Santa Cruz, and others. However, experienced players will also be present in this World Cup – Carlos Gamarra, who has represented the team over 100 times, and 34-year-old defender Roberto Acuna.
In Germany, Paraguay's goal is to advance to the next stage, but experts believe that this team could be a hard-to-predict "dark horse".
In the previous World Cup, Paraguay reached the second stage but was defeated by Germany 0-1. It is possible that this time they will have to face the hosts again since the group's strongest teams from Group A await in the quarter-finals of Group B.
Key Players The England team at this championship will be much more experienced than in the previous tournament in South Korea and Japan. Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard – mentioning these two names is enough to understand that the team's defensive line is one of the best in the world. However, the latter missed several recent team training sessions due to back pain, and it is not yet clear if he will recover in time for the opening match.
The team's biggest losses are in the attacking department. Young talent Wayne Rooney is still not fully recovered from a foot injury and will not participate in the group stages. S. Gerrard, D. Beckham, and defender A. Cole have missed some of the recent training sessions but are expected to play in the first match. Meanwhile, former "golden boy" Michael Owen returned to the squad only last month and has not yet reached full fitness. However, the "Newcastle" attacking leader will surely feature in the starting lineup against Paraguay, forming a promising partnership with tall striker Peter Crouch, who has performed well in recent friendly matches.
Paraguay will have to do without veteran Jose Cardozo, who suffered an injury and will not appear in this championship. However, A. Ruiz has alternatives to replace him. The attacking line will likely consist of N. Valdez and R. Santa Cruz, who, according to the latest information, have recovered from minor injuries and will be ready to take to the field.
The defense also looks solid, led by reliable goalkeeper Justo Villar and defenders C. Gamarra and Julio Cesar Caceres.
Head-to-Head Throughout history, England and Paraguay have met only twice. In the second stage of the 1986 World Cup, England easily defeated their opponents 3-0. Gary Lineker scored two goals, and Peter Beardsley added one.
In a friendly match in 2002, England's superiority was even more evident as the match ended 4-0. The lone goal was scored by M. Owen, who will also participate in this World Cup.
Pre-Match Opinions "Paraguay has a good team, and we know they are dangerous," said England coach S.G. Eriksson. "We have to play very attentively. Their team has two great forwards and an experienced defender in C. Gamarra. They will certainly compete for a spot in the next stage."
"South American teams are dangerous because they play technical football. Paraguayans also promote this style of play.
"If you ask football experts and fans, they would probably say that the match against the Swedes will be tougher on paper than against Paraguay. Nevertheless, everyone must pay attention to this team and show respect because we have a really tough match on Saturday."
"We will show our opponents the respect they deserve, but I trust in the team's abilities," said Paraguay coach Anibal Ruiz. "We have high expectations and hopes, so I believe we have studied our opponents well and can win."
Coach C. Gamarra echoed the sentiment: "We expect tough matches, but if we play smart, we can win. Paraguay usually plays tough and somewhat rough football, but we are more technical now and can definitely advance to the next stage.
"I think we will surprise a lot of people."
Predicted Lineups England (4-4-2) 1-Paul Robinson; 2-Gary Neville, 5-Rio Ferdinand, 6-John Terry, 3-Ashley Cole; 7-David Beckham, 8-Frank Lampard, 4-Steven Gerrard, 11-Joe Cole; 10-Michael Owen, 21-Peter Crouch
Paraguay (4-4-2) 1-Justo Villar; 4-Carlos Gamarra, 5-Julio Cesar Caceres, 21-Denis Caniza, 3-Delio Toledo; 16-Cristian Riveros, 10-Roberto Acuna, 13-Carlos Paredes, 6-Carlos Bonet; 18-Nelson Valdez, 23-Nelson Cuevas
