England's hopes rest on bum foot

FIFA World Ranking: 16

Coach: Lars Lagerback

2006 qualifying: Finished second in UEFA Group 8, 8-0-2

2002 finish: Lost to Senegal in second round

Key Players: Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Juventus/Italy), Fredrik Ljungberg (Arsenal/England)

Outlook: Juventus striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic is one of the elite goal scorers in the world, and whenever he's suiting up for his national team, the Swedes are a threat to win. Sweden's other striker is none other than the legendary Henrik Larsson. If the duo can feed off each other, and injured Arsenal midfielder Fredrik Ljungberg fights through the pain associated with his foot injury, Sweden could easily win Group B, and perhaps duplicate its quarterfinal appearance at Euro 2004.

Trinidad & Tobago

FIFA World Ranking: 47

Coach: Leo Beenhakker

2006 qualifying: Finished fourth in CONCACAF, 4-1-5; Won a two-leg playoff with Asia's Bahrain

2002 Finish: Didn't participate

Key Players: Dwight Yorke (Sydney FC/Australia), Stern John (Coventry City/England)

Outlook: A first-time participant, simply qualifying is a huge accomplishment for the tiny Caribbean nation. Two players, as well as a savvy coach, have Trinidad believing in miracles. Leo Beenhakker is the reason T & T are in the World Cup. When he took over the team in early 2005, the prospects of qualifying looked bleak, but the former Real Madrid and Ajax coach worked his magic down the stretch. Dwight Yorke is a former English Premiere League striker, who is still in great shape at age 34. His strike partner, Stern John, just finished a fantastic year in the English second division.

Deseret Morning News Predictions: June 10 — England 1, Paraguay 1; Sweden 2, Trinidad & Tobago 0 . June 15 — England 3, Trinidad & Tobago 1; Sweden 2, Paraguay 1. June 20 — Sweden 1, England 1; Paraguay 2, Trinidad & Tobago 0.

Deseret Morning News World Cup Preview

This is the third in a nine-part series previewing the 2006 World Cup soccer tournament in Germany.

Thurs., June 1 — Overview

Fri., June 2 — Group A

Sat., June 3 — Group B

Sun., June 4 — Group C

Mon., June 5 — Group D

Tues., June 6 — Group E

Wed., June 7 — Group F

Thurs., June 8 — Group G

Fri., June 9 — Group H

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E-mail: jedward@desnews.com