France and South Korea head into the first round of the World Cup with something to prove.
The other two teams in Group G, Switzerland and Togo, just hope to survive.
France, the favorite in the group at this year's tournament in Germany, went into the last World Cup as defending champion, then failed to score a goal before being sent home with two losses and a tie.
South Korea served as co-host in 2002, but had never won a World Cup match in its five previous appearances. That changed with an amazing run to the semifinals.
In Germany, the French hope to prove their poor '02 showing was a fluke, while the South Koreans try to show they still are a team to be feared, even on the road.
Since Raymond Domenech took over as France coach in July 2004, the team has lost only one of 18 matches, 2-1 against visiting Slovakia in March. But it does struggle to score.
Zinedine Zidane, who retired from international soccer but came back to help France qualify for the World Cup, will lead the team in Germany. It's certain to be his last appearance on the biggest stage in soccer.
Most of the team has recognizable names: Thierry Henry, Patrick Vieira, David Trezeguet, Fabien Barthez. Others, such as Franck Ribery and Pascal Chimbonda, will be with the national team for the first time, while Robert Pires, Nicolas Anelka and Johan Micoud were passed over.
"I know the weight of this responsibility, it was not easy," Domenech said after selecting his squad. "Nights and nights of doubt and insomnia. This list will not please everybody."
What might please the fans back home is a spot in the second round, and the same goes for South Korea.
"We are going with full confidence to a tournament in Germany because I think every player wants to bring the best out of him," South Korea coach Dick Advocaat said. "Expectations are high in Korea, but . . . expectations are high with the coaching staff."
Advocaat chose 10 veterans from the last World Cup to his squad, led by Manchester United midfielder Park Ji-sung and Tottenham defender Lee Young-pyo.
Ahn Jung-hwan, who scored the winning goal against Italy in the second round of 2002, will lead the offense with Seol Ki-hyun and Cho Jae-jin.
"We have a very balanced squad and a squad that can surprise a lot of people in the world," Advocaat said.
Switzerland is back after a 12-year absence, and it will bring a new crop of players to the World Cup.
Philipp Senderos, Tranquillo Barnetta and Johan Vonlanthen — all 21 or under — play abroad and could push the team beyond the first round.
"Our young players in particular have learned that we can beat the big teams," Switzerland coach Koebi Kuhn said. "We've beaten the big nations, like Italy, Germany, England and France, in the under-17s and under-21s. In the past we've been accused of lacking confidence, but our young players aren't afraid of anyone."
The forward line also features Alexander Frei, who scored seven goals in qualifying and was the top scorer in France last season.
Switzerland qualified by beating 2002 semifinalist Turkey on away goals in a playoff. The second leg in Istanbul ended in violence, with players and coaching staff fighting in the tunnel on the way to the locker room.
Togo is led by forward Emmanuel Adebayor, who plays for Arsenal. Sheriff Toure of Metz is also expected to be a key player. But Togo isn't expected to have much chance to advance past the group stage in its World Cup debut.
A better showing than its woeful performance at the African Cup of Nations would be helpful.
The Sparrow Hawks lost to Cameroon, Congo and Angola in the first round of the African Cup and went home early despite beating well-regarded Senegal to first place in their World Cup qualifying group.
Togo coach Otto Pfister, who replaced Stephen Keshi in March, is optimistic.
"We will put up a better performance against South Korea at the World Cup," Pfister said. "I accepted the challenging job as national coach at this difficult period to win for Togo. Not to lose."
Group G
France
FIFA World Ranking: 8
Coach: Raymond Domenech
2006 qualifying: Finished first in UEFA Group 4, 5-0-5
2002 Finish: Eliminated in group play
Key Players: Thierry Henry (Arsenal/England), Claude Makelele (Chelsea/England)
Outlook: Don't be mistaken, this is not the same dominant French team from the past decade. The once brilliant Zinedine Zidane, 33, was lured out of international retirement for one last hurrah, as was Lilian Thuram. Though the players are still talented, it makes you wonder if coach Raymond Domenech is stuck in the past, particularly 1998 and 2000 when France won the World Cup and Euro, respectively. Led by 28-year-old Arsenal striker Thierry Henry, will France duplicate its 1998 success, or woefully bow out like it did in 2002 without scoring a goal in three group games.
South Korea
FIFA World Ranking: 29
Coach: Dick Advocaat
2006 qualifying: Finished first in Asia preliminary Group 7, 4-0-2, and then second in Group A, 3-2-1
2002 Finish: Lost to Germany in semifinals.
Key Players: Park Ji-Sung (Manchester United/England), Ahn Jung-hwan (Duisburg/Germany)
Outlook: Duplicating 2002 seems impossible. With a raucous home crowd behind them, the Koreans advanced to the semis four years ago. Four years later, South Korea won't have a homefield advantage — or momentum. South Korea barely qualified for the World Cup, losing twice to Saudi Arabia. If coach Dick Advocaat can get everyone on the same page, the creativity of midfielder Park Ji-Sung might be enough to help South Korea eke into the second round.
Switzerland
FIFA World Ranking: 35
Coach: Jakob Kuhn
2006 qualifying: Finished second in UEFA Group 4, 4-0-6, then eliminated Turkey in home-and-away playoff
2002 Finish: Didn't participate
Key Players: Philippe Senderos (Arsenal/England), Pascal Zuberbuhler (FC Basel/Switzerland)
Outlook: An outstanding core of young players helped lead the Swiss to their first World Cup in 12 years. Realistically, that core might be too inexperienced to make a huge dent at the World Cup, but two years from now when Switzerland hosts Euro 2008, it could be a completely different story. For now, veteran midfielders Johann Vogel and Raphael Wicky will be the strength of the squad, but scoring goals isn't. Neither Daniel Gygas nor Alexander Frei are huge scoring threats up top, so it might take something special from the midfield to get on the scoresheet.
Togo
FIFA World Ranking: 61
Coach: Otto Pfister
2006 qualifying: Won Africa's Group 1, 7-2-1
2002 Finish: Didn't participate
Key Players: Emmanuel Adebayor (Arsenal/England), Jean-Paul Abalo (Dunkerque/France)
Outlook: Nobody expects much out of this first-time participant, and it realistically has itself to blame. After Togo's impressive qualification that included edging out 2002 World Cup darling Senegal, Togo bowed out of the this year's African Nations Cup without scoring a goal in three games. That doesn't bode well in a World Cup group with three formidable opponents. If Togo has any hope of securing a point, let alone advancing, Arsenal striker Emmanuel Adebayor must have an outstanding tournament. Captain Jean-Paul Abalo, who's played in France for 10 seasons, will anchor the defense.
Deseret Morning News Predictions:June 13 — France 2, Switzerland 1; South Korea 1, Togo 0. June 18 —France 1, South Korea 1. June 19 — Switzerland 3, Togo 1. June 23 — France 3, Togo 1; Switzerland 2, South Korea 2
Deseret Morning News World Cup Previews
This is the eighth 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
Today — Group G
Friday — Group H