WORLD CUP: Group C Preview

Argentina to be tested in deepest group

ARGENTINA
Odds: 8-1 (t4/32 teams). FIFA Ranking: 9 (9/32).
Previous appearances: 13. Podium finishes: 1st (1978, 1986), 2nd (1930, 1990).

Few teams enter this World Cup as experienced and talented as Argentina, yet for a team rated so highly and with a tradition so rich, in the toughest World Cup group so many questions remain: How will Coach Jose Pekerman, who inherited the team from Marcelo Bielsa in September 2004 after great success at the U-20 level, handle this assignment?
Defender Roberto Ayala's injury layoff gave Fabricio Coloccini numerous starts, and Pekerman left behind veterans Javier Zanetti and Walter Samuel. Ayala is healthy, and Gabriel Heinze's recent return from injury fills a hole on the left side. Maybe.
Pekerman has used a slew of midfielders in different combinations. Juan Pablo Sorin is a fixture on the left side and can play in the back and midfield. Esteban Cambiasso has great gifts of touch and toughness. Can playmaker Juan Roman Riquelme excel in the harsh demands of the modern game? His skills are superb, his repertoire vast, yet he's prone to wilting in tough times, as shown by his failed penalty kick for Villarreal in the Champions League semifinals against Arsenal.
Will keeper Roberto Abbondanzieri put aside some shaky showings? Who will be paired up top with Hernan Crespo, top scorer in the qualifiers with seven? Carlos Tevez? Javier Saviola? What role will Barcelona wonderboy Lionel Messi play?
Regardless of tactics, Sorin believes returning the tournament to Europe will eradicate many of the problems that tripped up Argentina four years ago. An economic crisis back home magnified the shocks of playing in Asia as the Argentines scored just one goal while collapsing in the first round.
''I believe it's always better to play in the environment where you are based,'' says the veteran of several Spanish league seasons with Villarreal as well as stints with Juventus, Paris St. Germain, Lazio and Barcelona. ''Not just because it's familiar and you have your family around you, but also because it helps the squad to adapt better. It will be easier here than in Japan.''
Pekerman won three U-20 titles before taking over the national team and has coached 17 of 23 of his players at that level. That experience and familiarity with the psyches of his players will be critical.

NETHERLANDS
Odds: 12-1 (t6/32 teams). FIFA Ranking: 3 (3/32).
Previous appearances: 7. Podium finishes: 2nd (1974, 1978).

For the Netherlands, too, there are concerns. The Dutch won their qualifying group, which included the Czech Republic, with a 27-3 goal difference. Yet the gauntlet of tough matches in Group C will stretch the Oranje.
In the attack there is firepower, with English Premier League veterans Ruud van Nistelrooy, Robert van Persie and Arjen Robben. But Robben, 21, was streaky and injured this past club season, as was Wesley Sneijder. To succeed, the Dutch need leadership from Phillip Cocu, stability and savvy from midfielders Mark Van Bommel and Rafael van der Vaart, who has also been injured, and consistency from goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar.

SERBIA & MONTENEGRO
Odds: 100-1 (t16/32 teams). FIFA Ranking: 44 (27/32).
Previous appearances: 9. Podium finishes: -.

If there's a group that can trip up the Dutch, or even the Argentines, this is it. Serbia & Montenegro, the former Yugoslavia, conceded just one goal in qualifying play and will be a frustrating opponent.
There's true quality with striker Mateja Kezman, midfielders Dejan Stankovic, Sasa Ilic and Pedrag Djordevic, and forward Savo Milosevic, his country's most-capped player with 97 appearances. Stankovic often plays on the right for Inter Milan, and his penchant to attack from deeper positions can unhinge defenses.
The foreboding back line is anchored by central defenders Mladen Krstajic of Schalke and Nemanja Vidic of Manchester United. This team bears watching.

IVORY COAST
Odds: 66-1 (14/32 teams). FIFA Ranking: 32 (21/32).
Previous appearances: 0. Podium finishes: -.

Ivory Coast is probably the best of the five African World Cup teams and in any other group would have a good chance to advance. Here, it will be hard-pressed to amass points against three good teams.
Still, its back line boasts two vital members of Arsenal's squad, Kolo Toure and Emmanuel Eboue, its midfield is imposing with defensive stoppers Didier ''Maestro'' Zokora and Yaya Toure, Kolo's brother, and its attack features the deceptive Chelsea striker Didier Drogba, who scored nine qualifying goals.
All the pressure will be on Argentina, which opens against Ivory Coast. Four years ago, the Argentines conked out in the first round. Also on their mind will be their opening game of the 1990 tournament when, as defending champions, they were beaten, 1-0, by Cameroon, another West African team.

Odds are Ladbrokes odds as of May 30.
FIFA/Coca Cola rankings are as of May 17.