Argentines still confident

June 11, 2002

An overwhelming majority of Argentines believe their team will beat Sweden on Wednesday, according to a newspaper opinion poll.

The newspaper Pagina 12 reports that only 3% of those surveyed said that Argentina would not reach the last 16.

But supporters are less confident than before that the team will win their third World Cup title in South Korea and Japan.

Some 44% of the respondents said they believe Argentina will win the World Cup compared with 65% two weeks ago.

And 39% of the respondents said they think Argentina will not get passed the second round.

The optimism in Argentina about Wednesday's crunch match is apparently shared by coach Marcelo Bielsa in Japan.

Defensive

"I am sure we are going to win. A first-round exit would make me totally miserable," he said on Tuesday.

Bielsa predicts that Sweden will play in a strong defensive system, but Argentina will be able to break them down.

"We are used to playing against teams that leave six players inside their box," Bielsa said.

"I don't want to criticise them, but that's the reality and we have to overcome it."

BBC Sport Online