| Nigel Bell - Uruguay |
| How is your country preparing for the World Cup? |
| They were the last team to qualify for the competition, beating Australia in a two-legged play-off. They've had mixed preparations for Japan and Korea, losing to the USA but beating Chile 2-0. |
| How do you think Uruguay will do in the World Cup? |
| From a financial point of view I'd like them to meet England in the final (then my loyalties would be stretched). Realistically they should reach the second stage. They're in Group A with France (who should top the group) but given the climate they should be too strong for Denmark and Senegal. |
| Who's your best player and why? |
Alvaro Recoba is a forward for Internazionale who's found his form of late. They could do with him firing on all cylinders because scoring goals has been a problem for the team.
There aren't many Uruguayan's that are well known in Britain. The best is probably Manchester United's Diego Forlan, although he's not yet guaranteed a place to the finals (and he hasn't scored for United yet). |
| What do you think to the England side? |
Beckham's fitness will be crucial. He's the player who can turn games. From a Uruguayan point of view I'd consider the defence suspect and also the forward line. Owen's a bit injury prone, Heskey and Fowler are hit and miss, Sheringham will only come on as a sub. I'd be more worried about Darius Vassell - he's young and an unknown quantity.
Apart from the Beckham factor I think the biggest problem England will have is adapting to the climate. |
| Where will you be watching the matches? |
| Probably at work. Have a few early starts to the day. Maybe hope the computer system crashes so we have to go to the pub while the technical bods fix it. |
