SPAIN

Fixtures

Spain v Slovenia 2 June Gwangju 8.30pm
Spain v Paraguay 7 June Jeonju 8.30pm
Spain v S. Africa 12 June Daejeon 3.30pm

Coach: Jose Antonio Camacho

Record: 1962, 1966, 1978, 1998 First Round; 1982, 1990 Second Round; 1934, 1986, 1994 Quarter Finals; 1950 Fourth place

FIFA Ranking: 7

The so-called ‘underachievers’ of world football. Was it a Spaniard with wishful thinking who gave them this moniker? We always thought either you achieved or you didn’t. OK, so they were unlucky to lose to England at Euro 96, and the Primera Liga produces some pretty football, but does the squad have sufficient self-belief to win and keep winning? Raul, Tristan and Luque will be trying their best to make sure it does. Came through undefeated in qualifying and placed in a weak group this time round so should progress easily to the second round.

On the sidelines

Striker Diego Tristan on his off-the field activities: ‘If what you want is a nun rather than a football player, then you’ve got the wrong man.’

The squad

Goalkeepers
1 Iker Casillas (Real Madrid) Age 20, 13 caps
13 Ricardo Lopez (Valladolid) Age 30, 1 cap
23 Pedro Contreras (Malaga) Age 30, 0 caps
Defenders
2 Curro Torres (Valencia) Age 25, 4 caps
3 Juanfran Garcia (Celta Vigo) Age 25, 7 caps
5 Carles Puyol (Barcelona) Age 24, 8 caps
6 Fernando Hierro (Real Madrid) Age 34, 85 caps
15 Enrique Romero (Deportivo La Coruna) Age 30, 3 caps
20 Miguel Angel Nadal (Real Mallorca) Age 35, 59 caps
Midfielders
4 Ivan Helguera (Real Madrid) Age 27, 22 caps
8 Ruben Baraja (Valencia) Age 26, 10 caps
11 Javi de Pedro (Real Sociedad) Age 28, 5 caps
14 David Albelda (Valencia) Age 24, 2 caps
16 Gaizka Mendieta (Lazio) Age 28, 32 caps
17 Juan Carlos Valeron (Deportivo La Coruna) Age 26, 21 caps
18 Sergio Gonzalez (Deportivo La Coruna) Age 25, 5 caps
19 Xavi (Barcelona) Age 22, 3 caps
21 Luis Enrique (Barcelona) Age 32, 57 caps
22 Joaquin Sanchez (Real Betis) Age 20, 3 caps
Forwards
7 Raul (Real Madrid) Age 24, 51 caps
9 Fernando Morientes (Real Madrid) Age 26, 19 caps
10 Diego Tristan (Deportivo La Coruna) Age 26, 7 caps
12 Albert Luque (Mallorca) Age 24, 0 caps

SLOVENIA

Fixtures

Slovenia v Spain 2 June Gwangju 8.30pm
Slovenia v S. Africa 8 June Daegu 3.30pm
Slovenia v Paraguay 12 June Seogwipo 8.30pm

Coach: Srecko Katanec

Record: First time qualifiers

FIFA Ranking: 25

With only around 300,000 active footballers in a nation of 2 million, Slovenia have performed miracles to even reach its first World Cup, leaving more powerful Yugoslavia and Romania in its wake in qualifying. Young coach Katanec has molded a well-organized defensive team that plays on the break and is undefeated in competitive games since Euro 2000. Benfica’s Zlatko Zahovic is the team’s only true star.

On the sidelines

The second smallest country to make a World Cup after Northern Ireland.

The squad

Goalkeepers
12 Mladen Dabanovic (Lokeren) Age 30, 20 caps
22 Dejan Nemec (Bruges) Age 25, 1 cap
1 Marko Simeunovic (Maribor) Age 34, 42 caps
Defenders
23 Spasoje Bulajic (Cologne) Age 26, 15 caps
5 Marinko Galic (Koper) Age 32, 64 caps
6 Aleksander Knavs (Kaiserslautern) Age 26, 37 caps
3 Zeljko Milinovic (JEF United, Japan) Age 32, 34 caps
2 Goran Sankovic (Slavia Prague) Age 22, 4 caps
4 Muamer Vugdalic (Maribor) Age 24, 12 caps
Midfielders
18 Milenko Acimovic (Tottenham Hotspur) Age 25, 38 caps
8 Ales Ceh (Graz AK, Austria) Age 34, 71 caps
20 Nastja Ceh (Bruges) Age 24, 5 caps
14 Sasa Gajser (Ghent) Age 28, 19 caps
19 Amir Karic (Maribor) Age 28, 42 caps
7 Dzoni Novak (Unterhaching, Germany) Age 32, 67 caps
11 Miran Pavlin (Porto, Portugal) Age 30, 44 caps
17 Zoran Pavlovic (Austria Vienna) Age 25, 21 caps
15 Rajko Tavcar (Nuremberg) Age 27, 6 caps
Forwards
21 Sebastjan Cimirotic (Lecce) Age 27, 11 caps
9 Milan Osterc (Hapoel Tel Aviv, Israel) Age 26, 40 caps
13 Mladen Rudonja (Portsmouth) Age 30, 57 caps
16 Senad Tiganj (Olimpija) Age 26, 3 caps
10 Zlatko Zahovic (Benfica) Age 31, 63 caps

PARAGUAY

Fixtures

Paraguay v South Africa 2 June, Busan 6pm
Paraguay v Spain 7 June Jeonju 8.30pm
Paraguay v Slovenia 12 June Seogwipo 3.30pm

Coach: Cesare Maldini

Record: 1986, 1998 Second Round

FIFA Ranking: 18

Paraguay qualified with some ease from the South American group beating Brazil and having the better of two draws with Argentina, but things have turned sour since. Popular coach Sergio Markarian has been replaced by Cesare Maldini and captain and goalkeeper extraordinaire Jose Luis Chilavert, already a cult figure in Japan, is banned for the opening game after a literal spat with Roberto Carlos.
Strong in defence, Paraguay relies on Bayern’s Roque Santa Cruz and occasionally Chilavert for goals and should advance from Group B.

On the sidelines

Goalkeeper Jose Luis Chilavert has scored 8 times for his country.

The Squad

Goalkeepers
1 Jose Luis Chilavert (Strasbourg, France) Age 36, 69 caps
12 Justo Villar (Libertad) Age 24, 0 caps
22 Ricardo Tavarelli (Olimpia) Age 31, 20 caps
Defenders
2 Francisco Arce (Palmeiras) Age 31, 54 caps
3 Pedro Sarabia (River Plate) Age 26, 42 caps
4 Carlos Gamarra (AEK Athens) Age 31, 78 caps
5 Celso Ayala (River Plate) Age 31, 76 caps
18 Julio Caceres (Olimpia) Age 22, 1 cap
19 Daniel Sanabria (Libertad) Age 25, 5 caps
21 Denis Caniza (Santos Laguna, Mexico) Age 27, 51 caps
Midfielders
6 Estanislao Struway (Libertad) Age 33, 45 caps
8 Guido Alvarenga (Leon, Mexico) Age 31, 17 caps
10 Roberto Acuna (Real Zaragoza) Age 30, 77 caps
13 Carlos Paredes (Porto) Age 25, 39 caps
14 Diego Gavilan (Los Tecos, Mexico) Age 22, 21 caps
15 Carlos Bonet (Libertad) Age 26, 3 caps
16 Gustavo Morinigo (Libertad) Age 25, 11 caps
17 Juan Carlos Franco (Olimpia) Age 29, 3 caps
Forwards
7 Richart Baez (Olimpia) Age 28, 4 caps
9 Roque Santa Cruz (Bayern Munich) Age 20, 24 caps
11 Jorge Campos (Universidad Catolica, Chile) Age 31, 30 caps
20 Jose Cardozo (Toluca, Mexico) Age 31, 57 caps
23 Nelson Cuevas (River Plate) Age 22, 9 caps

SOUTH AFRICA

Fixtures

South Africa v Paraguay 2 June Busan 6pm
South Africa v Slovenia 8 June Daegu 8.30pm
South Africa v Spain 12 June Daejeon 3.30pm

Coach: Jomo Sono

Record: 1998 First Round
FIFA Ranking: 37
The Bafana Bafana have really struggled since qualifying. Poor displays at the African Nations Cup in Mali cost Carlos Queiroz his job as coach. New man Jomo Sono was accused of stabbing the Portuguese coach in the back and his eccentric methods are unlikely to get South Africa out of the group especially with the withdrawal of striker Shaun Barlett and worries over the fitness of defender Lucas Radebe. South Africa will look to Benni McCarthy for goals and inspiration.

On the sidelines

MacBeth Sibaya should enjoy the ‘thunder, lightening and rain’ of Korea’s monsoon season.

Squad

Goalkeepers
16 Andre Arendse (Santos) Age 34, 50 caps
20 Calvin Marlin (Ajax Cape Town) Age 26, 2 caps
1 Hans Vonk (Heerenveen) Age 32, 28 caps
Defenders
5 Jacob Lekgetho (Lokomotiv Moscow) Age 28, 15 caps
3 Bradley Carnell (Stuttgart) Age 25, 20 caps
13 Pierre Issa (Watford) Age 26, 41 caps
4 Aaron Mokoena (Germinal Beerschot, Bel) Age 21, 21 caps
22 Thabang Molefe (Jomo Cosmos) Age 23, 5 caps
2 Cyril Nzama (Kaizer Chiefs) Age 27, 18 caps
19 Lucas Radebe (Leeds United) Age 32, 64 caps
Midfielders
18 Delron Buckley (Bochum) Age 24, 31 caps
7 Quinton Fortune (Man United) Age 25, 38 caps
8 Thabo Mngomeni (Orlando Pirates) Age 32, 37 caps
10 Bennett Mnguni (Lokomotiv Moscow) Age 28, 7 caps
12 Teboho Mokoena (St Gallen) Age 24, 9 caps
9 McDonald Mukansi (Lokomotiv Sofia) Age 27, 6 caps
21 Steven Pienaar (Ajax) Age 20, 0 caps
11 Jabu Pule (Kaizer Chiefs) Age 21, 8 caps
6 MacBeth Sibaya (Jomo Cosmos) Age 24, 9 caps
15 Sibusiso Zuma (FC Copenhagen) Age 26, 22 caps
Forwards
17 Benni McCarthy (Porto) Age 24, 42 caps
23 George Koumantarakis (FC Basle) Age 28, 5 caps
14 Siyabonga Nomvete (Udinese) Age 24, 31 caps