On the pitch

29 Jun 2006

Argentina unlucky to draw us says Klose

Germany striker Miroslav Klose said Argentina would be up against it when the two meet in the World Cup quarter finals on Friday.

"Argentina are a strong team and were one of the favourites to win the World Cup before it started, but they have had the misfortune of coming up against us," Klose said.

"We hope to send them home on Friday. We know how important it is to win against Argentina.

"We want to progress in this tournament so that is what we have to do."

Klose is the World Cup's top scorer so far with four strikes.

Neville fit for Portugal clash

Gary Neville declared himself fit on Thursday and desperate to play against Portugal in the quarter-finals.

The 31-year-old showed no signs of the calf injury that has kept him out of the last three matches during Thursday's training.

"I'm confident that my calf is fully fit. I've trained the last two days and have no problems with my calf," said the Manchester United captain.

Coach Sven-Goran Eriksson considers Neville's experience crucial to the England team.

"His experience over many years might be very important in a game like this against Portugal," Eriksson said this week.

"I don't think there is any risk in playing him as things stand."

Brazil are below par says Gilberto Silva

Defender Gilberto Silva has joined the chorus of those who say that Brazil are under-performing at the World Cup.

The reigning champions have won all four games they have played and scored 10 goals for just one against, but even coach Carlos Alberto Parriera has been critical of their form to date.

Gilberto Silva said he agreed and that further progress had to be made if the South Americans were to win a record sixth crown in Berlin on July 9.

"I really believe that we are not playing to the best of our ability right now," the Arsenal player told the FIFA World Cup website.

"We can play much, much better than this and we will need to if we want to go to the final."

Brazil play France in the quarter-finals in Frankfurt on Saturday.

We don't have a Brazil complex: Henry

Thierry Henry made plain on Thursday the fact that it was the five time world champions Brazil waiting for France in the quarter-finals was largely irrelevant for him and his teammates.

"Whether it's against Brazil or whoever it's still a match we have to go out and win," the 28-year-old Arsenal striker argued ahead of Saturday's last eight clash in Frankfurt.

"But if you want to win the World Cup you've got to make it happen, just because it's Brazil it doesn't mean it's more difficult or more exciting.

"We're not thinking in our minds the whole time that we're facing Brazil.

"A lot of people were saying we'd lose to Spain on Tuesday, and it'll be the same this time.

Germany will beat Argentina says Beckenbauer

Two-time World Cup winner Franz Beckenbauer said on Thursday he was confident Germany would be able to beat Argentina in the quarter-finals and said home advantage could be the key.

"This match will be interesting because both teams are at the same level," said Beckenbauer, who is the chief organiser for this World Cup.

"Argentina played excellently in their first three matches and our team was able to improve with each game.

"Perhaps home advantage will make a difference tomorrow but I am pretty confident that Germany will make it to the semi-finals," he concluded.

The eagerly awaited quarter-final on Friday will take place in the 72,000-capacity Olympic Stadium in Berlin.

Figo hoping for one over 'good friend' Beckham

Portugal captain Luis Figo has vowed to put personal friendship with his England counterpart David Beckham to one side when the two teams clash in Saturday's quarter-final.

Figo played with Beckham at Real Madrid before he moved on to Inter Milan last season.

"David's a very good friend of mine," the 33-year-old said on Thursday.

"I spent a good time with him in Madrid. I respect him as a player and I don't pay attention to his critics.

"He always gives his best for his country. He's the captain of England and one of the best players we have in football at the moment."

"I just expect that on Saturday night I'll be more happy than him," smiled the Portuguese midfielder.

Zizou and Ronny a sideshow says Juninho

The Brazil and France World Cup quarter-final is much more than just a clash between two of the game's giants, Brazilian midfielder Juninho said on Thursday.

"It is not the Zidane-Ronaldo match, it is France-Brazil," insisted 31-year-old Juninho, who may start Saturday's match if Kaka does not recover from a right ankle injury.

France beat Brazil on penalties in the 1986 quarter-finals and 3-0 in the 1998 final.

Juninho, whose Lyon clubmates Florent Malouda and Eric Abidal are likely starters for France, said he thought the two teams had different thoughts about what winning the match might mean.

"For France at the moment it would be a huge result to be in the last four whereas for Brazil it would be an under-achievement."

We have to raise our game again insists Thuram

France played their best football for some years to beat Spain in the second round, but Lilian Thuram says they'll have to improve further if they are to have any chance of derailing Brazil's title defence on Saturday.

"It was good to come up against a talented team in Spain in the second round, we had to raise our game," said the 34-year-old Juventus defender of the 3-1 last-16 win over Spain.

"Now we have to raise it again for Brazil, not only in terms of quality of play but also our level of concentration."

France are something of a bogey team for Brazil who lost to les Bleus in the 98 final and at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico on penalties.

Portugal's Ronaldo back in training

Portugal winger Cristiano Ronaldo resumed training here Wednesday after picking up a thigh injury in the second round win over the Nethlerlands on the weekend.

Ronaldo caught a boot from Dutch defender Khalid Boulahrouz early in the ill-tempered 1-0 win on Sunday - which saw four sendings-off and 16 yellow cards - and was replaced after 34 minutes.

At the Portuguese training camp here on Wednesday, the Manchester United player went through a rigorous stretching regime with the team physio, apart from the rest of the players.

Team-mate Pauleta earlier said that he was confident coach Luis Felipe Scolari would have a full squad to pick from come Saturday's quarter-final against England, although playmaker Deco and influential holding anchorman Costinha are out after being sent off in the win over the Netherlands.

"We're all going to be fit for Saturday. We've had six days to rest and prepare for the match," insisted Pauleta.

Zidane misses training

French skipper Zinedine Zidane missed training on Thursday due to a leg injury but was expected to be fully fit in time for Saturday's quarter-final clash against Brazil.

Team officials said the 34-year-old playmaker spent the morning getting treatment on the injury at the team hotel instead of joining the rest of the squad for a workout.

Zidane scored the final goal in the 3-1 win over Spain that took the French into the last eight after missing the previous match due to suspension.

The only other player to miss training was reserve defender Gael Givet who was said to be feeling unwell.

First choice full-back Will Sagnol started the session but did not finish it apparently protecting an injured right ankle.

Everyone must pull their weight, says Eriksson

A bullish Sven-Goran Eriksson says everyone must pull their weight if England are to make the World Cup semi-finals, but said he was confident they can beat Portugal on Saturday.

"I strongly believe that we will win. I always believe that and we are in the quarter-final and we want to play in the semi-final and the final," he said.

"I said a long time ago that England would have a very good World Cup.

"We are going the right way, we are in the quarter-final and I think we can do better and we can play better and we will stay in Germany for a long time still."

"In every way we can do better and we know it. You haven't seen the best of us yet and hopefully you will see it on Saturday," he said.

"The key is that everything must work out well. Everyone will be important and I expect everyone to do their job out there for 90 minutes.

"Before I finish this job I would like to go further than the quarter-finals and the England fans deserve to see their team going further."

World Cup quarter-finals referees named

FIFA on Wednesday announced the referees to take charge of the World Cup quarter-finals.

Lubos Michel of Slovakia will referee Germany v Argentina on Friday and Frank De Bleeckere of Belgium will take charge of Italy v Ukraine on the same day.

England's quarter-final against Portugal on Saturday will be officiated by Horacio Elizondo of Argentina, while Luis Medina Cantalejo of Spain will officiate the Brazil v France game that day.

Those four referees are among 12 named by FIFA's referees' committee who are in contention to take charge of the semi-finals, third-place playoff and final.

English referee Graham Poll, who mistakenly awarded three yellow cards to Croatian player Josip Simunic in the first-round match against Australia, failed to make the cut when the original list of 26 was cut down.

The same fate befell Russian referee Valentin Ivanov who officiated in the brutal Portugal v Netherlands last 16 round game which saw him hand out a record four red and 16 yellow cards.

Kahn puts team glory first

Germany's former first-choice goalkeeper Oliver Kahn admits it will hurt him to be on the substitutes bench for Friday's World Cup quarter-final clash with Argentina but promised to do everything in his power to help his country lift a fourth World Cup title.

"I am only human and I want to be active. If a player is happy to be on the substitutes bench you should send him home from the World Cup straight away," Kahn said.

"However I will do everything for this team to win the trophy. I have always said I wanted to be world champion.

"I came close in 2002. If I can do that now - even though I am not playing - it will be a major achievement."

"I am obsessed by winning titles and being the number one so helping the team is giving me a new perspective," Kahn revealed.

Of course I want to play. But Jurgen Klinsmann chose Jens Lehmann and I have to accept that."

Pauleta not rushing to write off England

Portugal's all-time leading scorer Pauleta has refused to write off England ahead of Saturday's quarter-final, saying critics of Sven-Goran Eriksson's team should look at the fate suffered by Spain.

Pauleta insisted: "England are not playing badly.

"People were saying Spain were playing the best football in the tournament and now they're out," said the 33-year-old Paris St Germain striker.

"The game is equal and it will be decided by who takes the smallest of chances.

"But we think we can beat them again, as in Euro 2004, because we're the same group of players but with more experience."

"We will show our country they can be proud of us. We're going to leave our soul down on the field."

Henry hits back at cheat slurs

France striker Theirry Henry insisted on Wednesday that he did not cheat to help clinch his country's World Cup win over Spain.

The Spanish captain Carlos Puyol claimed Henry had dived to win the free-kick that led to France's decisive second goal in Les Bleus' 3-1 triumph in Hanover on Tuesday night.

Puyol was furious as Patrick Vieira headed France into the lead from Zinedine Zidane's resulting set-piece, but Arsenal star Henry maintained he was fouled by the Barcelona defender.

"Spain's left-back Mariano Pernia was going to win the ball so I don't know why Puyol cut across me, but he did. I don't cheat."

Henry believes Raymond Domenech's side could repeat their 1998 World Cup victory thanks to their indomitable team spirit.

He added: "I think we have got a lot of stick, but we have shown that we are a team.

"Now, no matter what happens, and you never know what can happen later on during the competition, we showed to our fans and to our people back in France that we are a team."

Fit Rooney looking ahead to Portugal

Wayne Rooney is feeling no pressure from the weight of expectations on his young shoulders and says he is willing to play anywhere if it means England win the World Cup.

"It's good to be here and back with the lads and we have done well so far. I'm just really pleased to be here and want to just try and help win the competition," he said.

"I've always been positive from the day I got injured. My main aim was to take part and I've played in three or four games already. I'm really happy with that and hopefully I can play another three games."

"In the previous games we haven't really played to our best and we have managed to get the results we needed, and hopefully that will continue and we keep getting the results," he said.

"We've got a lot of match winners in the team -- Joe Cole, Steve Gerrard, Frank Lampard, there's a lot of players who can take the game by the scruff of the neck and win the game for us.

Nesta ruled out of Ukraine quarter-final

Italy's central defender Alessandro Nesta confirmed Wednesday he will not play in their World Cup quarter-final against the Ukraine after failing to recover from a groin injury.

The 30-year-old, who missed Italy's 1-0 second round win against Australia, is hopeful of being fit for the semi-finals should the Azzurri advance.

"I visited a clinic here in Duisburg and there's still something not right," Nesta said at a press conference here two days ahead of their last eight clash against Ukraine in Hamburg.

"It has improved a great deal, but I can't play in this match. However I'm confident of making the next one if we get there. The doctor has given me some hope," added the AC Milan defensive bedrock.

Nesta's replacement Marco Materazzi was sent off against Australia and is suspended for the Ukraine match.

That means Palermo's inexperienced 25-year-old Andrea Barzagli will come in at centre-back to play alongside Italy captain Fabio Cannavaro.