Two-time World Cup winners Argentina and dark horses the Netherlands will be out to book their passage into the next round by winning their respective matches on Friday.
BERLIN: Two-time World Cup winners Argentina and dark horses the Netherlands will be out to book their passage into the next round by winning their respective matches on Friday.
Germany, England and Ecuador are already into the last 16 knockout phase with a 100 per cent record in their games and will now be jockeying for position to finish top of their groups.
The Argentinians go into their match against Serbia and Montenegro in Gelsenkirchen with confidence growing that they are mounting a serious challenge after 2002's disastrous campaign.
Coach Jose Pekerman has a host of attacking options at his disposal, but has yet to unleash teenage prodigy Lionel Messi on the tournament.
The 18-year-old starts on the bench on Friday. In Stuttgart, the Dutch face an Ivory Coast side who were beaten by Argentina in their opener, but not before showing they have the potential to shock the big guns. Ivorian striker Bonaventure Kalou said he was feeling the pressure to avoid a defeat which would almost certainly end the west African nation's hopes in their World Cup debut.
"Football is like the first religion there," he said. "Everyone stops work to watch our matches, so we can't disappoint.
"This match carries the greatest importance," said Kalou, who plays in France for Paris St Germain. Dutch defender Giovanni van Bronckhorst said he wanted to get the job done.
"We want to qualify as soon as possible, and don't want to have to go into the third game having to secure a win." Arjen Robben was the difference between the sides when the Dutch beat the Serbs by a single goal in sweltering Leipzig on Sunday, his slashing runs suggesting he could be one of the stars of this World Cup.
Mexico are outsiders for the title, but they impressed in beating Iran in their Group D opener and razor-sharp striker Omar Bravo will be looking to add to his two goals so far when he lines up against Angola in Hanover.
Angola are simply aiming to avoid a second consecutive defeat which would end their interest in their first World Cup. "Our aim is to complicate the life of the major footballing powers here," coach Luis Oliveira Goncalves said.
England were breathing a sigh of relief after their challenge spluttered into life with a laboured 2-0 win over Trinidad and Tobago on Thursday, but the coach of the Caribbean minnows said that Sven-Goran Eriksson needed a rethink if his team was to win their first World Cup for 40 years.
The experienced Leo Beenhakker said an over-reliance on lanky striker Peter Crouch, whose scored with a close-range header, was preventing the talent-filled English midfield from operating to deadly effect.
"Use the big guys by all means, but remember that it's only one option and not the only option," Beenhakker said.
"When they meet the big teams or the better teams they will probably have to show more than they have done so far."
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