Paraguay is treating its opening World Cup match against England like it’s the final.
“It’s necessary to win this first game. We have to give everything we have, we can’t concede any advantages. It’s like a final,” Paraguay midfielder Roberto Acuna said. “Without exaggerating, I think our life (in the tournament) is on the line.”
England are also looking to make a good start and end their poor run of tournament openers – they have not won their first game since the 1998 World Cup. Captain David Beckham is counting on England’s aggressive style to overcome the South American team’s creative play.
“I think the physical side always scares South American teams and other teams in Europe that we come up against,” Beckham said. “They counter-attack but we are very lucky in our team that we have got ... some of the best defenders in the world and that is reassuring. But we still have to be very careful.”
Both sides have injury worries to key players ahead of the match in Frankfurt.
Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard said he’s “50-50” to play in England’s midfield after getting spasms in his back when he hurt his hip in training. Paraguay’s main scorer, Roque Santa Cruz, is struggling to overcome tendinitis in the right knee he’s had two operations on in the last 18 months.
Regardless, both want to make a good start to Group B, which also includes Sweden and Trinidad and Tobago, who play in Dortmund later today.
“If we win this first match I’m sure the team will survive the first round,” Paraguay defender Delio Toledo said.
Beckham wants a strong start to avoid a battle with Sweden.
“I hope we hit the ground running,” he said. “We haven’t done that in other competitions but hopefully it changes this one.”
For Gerrard, it’s about setting a marker for the tournament. England have won the World Cup only once – in 1966 – and last got close in 1990 when they exited in the semi-finals on penalties.
“It all comes down to the right message,” Gerrard said. “We need to let everyone here know we’re here to win it.”
But Paraguay believes it has the ability to deliver a shock defeat and advance to the second round for the first time.
“We hope to clear this hurdle that we’ve always had, but obviously we have to take it step by step, win the first match, win the next one, each one, as if it was our last game in the World Cup,” Paraguay defender Denis Caniza said.
The two teams have met only twice before and England have won both times – 3-0 at the 1986 World Cup and a 4-0 friendly in Liverpool in April 2002. Both squads have several veterans from that game, in which Michael Owen scored.
England got a boost on Thursday when striker Wayne Rooney was declared “injury free” by England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson. Rooney returned to Manchester on Wednesday for a scan on the bone he broke in his right foot on 29 April.
Luckily for Paraguay, Rooney won’t be ready for today. But they’ve got plenty of other players to worry about.
“If Rooney recovers and plays, I will be glad for him, but I am concerned about all English players,” Toledo said.