With Ronaldo and Rivaldo in sparkling form the Brazilians have scored an impressive 13 goals in four matches while England’s miserly rearguard have leaked just one in the same number of games.

If England can beat the multi-talented South Americans they have an excellent chance to win the trophy they won for the first and only time back in 1966.

But Sven-Goran Eriksson’s side, conquerors of pre-tournament favourites Argentina in the group stages, first have to tame five-goal Ronaldo and four-goal Rivaldo if they are to set up a semi-final clash against Senegal or Turkey.

Gritty midfielder Nicky Butt, who has stepped out of the shadows to help steer England to the last eight, believes every player has to be aware of his defensive responsibilities if they are to silence the samba kings.

“The game can be won if we defend right and that applies to the whole team,” he said.

“The midfield and the forwards will have to come back and help out as well. Generally it’s going to be a team effort because Brazil have so many world class players who change a game in a second”.

“It’s going to be difficult but if we defend well as a team we can get at them,” Butt said.

Veteran striker Teddy Sheringham said Brazil would provide England with their toughest test yet but was encouraged by what he saw when the South Americans beat Belgium 2-0 in the previous round.

“They’re very good going forward with plenty of flair and the crowd love seeing them. They’re always likely to score goals,” he said.

“They all showed glimpses of brilliance and that gives us something to think about. We have to be wary all over the pitch.

“But the Belgians had a lot of opportunities against them and that gives you a lot of hope. They had a goal disallowed that looked good enough to us and that would have changed the game.

“We have to be on top of our game from the very start. We have to attack and be positive and not let them come on to us or we will be in trouble.

“We also have to make sure we fare ready for everything they throw at us and give as good as get.”

Ronaldo believes Brazil must not change their tactics and stick to their natural attacking game against England.

The tournament’s joint top-scorer said that it would be a mistake to adapt the way they play to counter the main English threat from David Beckham or Michael Owen.

“We shouldn’t worry ourselves too much about how the English are going to play against us,” he said. “At the end of the day it’s up to us to go out there and win the match on the field.

“We must go on to the attack and keep them under pressure and not get too concerned about the players that are on the other side and what they are going to do to us,” said the Inter Milan forward.

“England have made a lot of progress in the last few years. They have a talented midfield with good ball-winners and they are capable of quickly moving from one end of the field to the other.

“I think it looks like being a very open game and as for me what matters is that the team scores not that I finish as top scorer.”

England’s Owen and Paul Scholes are both expected to be fit after recovering from minor injuries.

Owen suffered a groin strain in the second round win over Denmark while Scholes bruised his foot.

Fears over Owen in particular had been running high after he pulled out of a scheduled press conference on Tuesday.

The Liverpool striker’s pace and ability to run at defenders would be severely missed by England if he were to be ruled out.

Scholes would also be huge loss having been one of England’s most influential players in midfield.

Bayer Leverkusen central defender Lucio will be fit in time to take his place in the Brazil side after recovering from a sore knee.

Tomorrow’s clash rekindles memories of their epic first round clash at the 1970 finals in Mexico.

The incomparable Pele had a header stopped by English goalkeeper Gordon Banks in the ‘save of the century’ and Jairzinho’s drive gave Brazil victory in a match which has entered footballing legend.

The clash, a replay of the two countries’ 1970 classic, has all the makings of a World Cup epic and Beckham’s personal head-to-head with the marauding Roberto Carlos is one of its richest sub-plots.

With Beckham occupying the right of midfield for England and Roberto Carlos on the left for Brazil, the pair will be directly pitted against each other in open play as well as striving to outdo each other from any free kicks their respective teams manage to win around the penalty box.

Beckham admits that the Brazilian’s whirlwind style and outstanding athleticism makes him a difficult opponent.

“I’ve played against him a few times now and its always quite a battle,” Beckham said.

“I’ve always said I think he is the best left back in the world. He runs forward a lot more than any other fullback I’ve played against and that is why he is very difficult to play against.

“You think his runs are going to give you a bit more space but he’s athletic enough to make the runs forward and still get back into position.”

The Americans reached the last eight this time round by first shocking Portugal and holding co-hosts South Korea before slumping to Poland.

Two goals on the counter-attack against Mexico were enough to give them a shot at an unlikely semi-final spot against either Spain or the Koreans in Seoul on Tuesday.

Germany crushed the Saudis before grappling with Ireland and Cameroon and wearing down Paraguay to maintain their hopes of reaching the semi-finals for the first time since 1990 when they went on to beat Argentina in the final.

Germany’s assistant coach Michael Skibbe admits the match could be a struggle.

“It’s not going to be high-level stuff,” he said yesterday. “We are no longer in the situation where we can control the game for 90 minutes and pick and choose our chances to score.”

It is no secret that Germany will aim to supply crosses for Polish-born striker Miroslav Klose to add to his tally of five headed goal, which have made him the tournament’s joint leading scorer.

“When it comes to headers, we can beat virtually any team,” said Skibbe.

US coach Bruce Arena thinks he knows what to expect and admitted his side’s lack of height was a problem.

“We know how the Germans play, they have a way of playing so that even if they don’t play well they get results,” Arena said yesterday. “The defenders are going to have to position themselves for those crosses.

“We’re not going to get bigger or thicker overnight. We don’t have the sort of size they have so we have to make up for that with speed and positioning.”

So speedy midfielder Landon Donovan, rumoured to be returning to German club Bayer Leverkusen after the finals, is likely to be told to run at the defence and Brian McBride will use his pace to pose a threat.

US captain Claudio Reyna, now with English Premiership club Sunderland but once a player in Germany, said he was expecting a physical battle. “Their power and strength are their plus points. Basically what you see is what you get. They are not going to be playing like Brazil.”

His coach has been saying all week that the pressure will be on Germany. The US team, a blend of youngsters like 20-year-olds Donovan and DaMacus Beasley and grizzled veterans like goalkeeper Brad Friedel, have already exceeded all expectations.

At the 1998 finals, a bitterly divided US team under coach Steve Sampson failed to win a single point, going down 2-0 to Germany on their way out.

This year they have joined Senegal, Turkey and South Korea as one of the four unfancied teams who have shaken football’s established order.

Told that the German media rated his team’s chances of winning at 20 per cent, Arena replied: “That sounds about right. They are supposed to win, right? But we’re going into this game thinking we can win.

“There is enough evidence there to suggest the big boys can be upset. There are no givens in this World Cup.”

But Skibbe and head coach Rudi Voller are convinced their team, run from midfield by Bayern Munich-bound midfielder Michael Ballack and anchored by world-class goalkeeper Oliver Kahn, will not fall prey to the giant-killers.

“The players and I are 100 per cent convinced that we will reach the semi-finals,” said Skibbe.

“You have to respect your opponent but you also have to have confidence in yourself.”

Confidence is something Voller, a World Cup winner as player in 1990, has been building this week, defending his team against accusation they are inferior to great German teams of the past.

One of the most illustrious German players of all time Franz Beckenbauer, lambasted the team when they needed the back door of a playoff to qualify for the finals.

"The chances of beating the United States are good," and the team also could progress from a semifinal clash with Spain or South Korea, Mr Schroeder said in an interview with NDR-Info radio.

Team coach Rudi Voeller "has done a good job," he added.

The Chancellor, who took time out from a labour union congress to watch Germany’s 1-0 win against Paraguay last weekend, said he plans to watch tomorrow’s match on the sidelines of a summit of European Union leaders in Seville, Spain. AP

The sacking has also enraged Asian and South Korean soccer chiefs with Asian Football Confederation general secretary Peter Velappan today calling for a boycott of Perugia.

South Korea’s national team coach Guus Hiddink said the Perugia president had been "childish" for blaming Ahn for Italy’s defeat in the World Cup second round - one of the great upsets in the tournament’s history.

Ahn, a pin-up hero who has become known as the "Lord of the Rings" because of the way he kisses his ring after scoring has not directly commented on Perugia’s decision not to renew his contract which ends on July 1.

But he said: "I will do my best to play for a better league and for a better team."

Comments by Perugia president Luciano Gaucci about Ahn have set off a global soccer controversy.

"Ahn will never play for Perugia again," said an enraged Gaucci who blamed his South Korean striker for Italy’s defeat on Monday night.

"What did you expect me to do? That I would keep a player who ruined Italian football. He should have shown his talent while he was with us. He’ll just have to go back to Korea and earn 100,000 lire (about $48) a month."

"I am not extending his contract, he does not merit it," Gaucci said. "When he arrived, he was like a little lost goat who didn’t even have the money to buy a sandwich. He became rich without doing anything exceptional and then, at the World Cup, he denigrated Italian football."

Incensed Asian football chief Velappan proposed an Asian boycott of the Italian club in support of Ahn.

Velappan told the Singapore newspaper "Today" that he had asked Asia’s World Cup finalists China, South Korea and Japan to avoid Perugia.

"I have warned soccer officials in China, Korea and Japan not to send players to Perugia, because all they are interested in is making money from merchandising these Asian players," Velappan said. "Anyway, who the hell cares about Perugia?"

Velappan accused Gaucci of poor sportsmanship.

What this World Cup has proved is that football has spread so effectively, so fast and so far around the planet that almost any country with ambition can now be at least competitive on the international stage.

This “globalisation” of world football is, for anyone who loves the game, one of the most positive signs to emerge from, appropriately, the first World Cup of the new century. Countries such as France, Argentina and Portugal who went home early should also be humble enough to learn the lessons. They should not hide behind excuses about injuries or referees.

In truth, they were punished for being complacent. The days are long gone when each. World Cup group contained a weak little team for everyone to crush. The World Cup qualifying competition is long — perhaps too long — and tough. To win through you must be strong, mentally and technically. You insult the opposition if you do not concentrate as hard before a game against, say, Senegal as you would before a game against Brazil.

Senegal set the pattern for these finals by defeating France in the opening match. That was just the first shock. It would, of course, be entirely in keeping with the tournament in general if the quarter-finals brought us more upsets. Of course, I do not hopes for a surprise when England play Brazil because Brazil are the favourites. But England are perhaps the most difficult, opponents possible. Their defence is the best in the World Cup yet those defenders are also young enough and fit enough to support attack. Look at how Rio Ferdinand forced the first goal for England after only four minutes against Denmark.

Brazil possess the two finest strikers in the world in Ronaldo and Rivaldo. It is important they live up to their teputations because I fear for Brazil’s defence under pressure from David Bechkam’s crosses when Michael Owen is so quick around the goal area.

Brazil, who have played England three times in the finals before, have never lost. Each time they have also gone on to win the World Cup. I think, if Brazil can beat England again, then they will be able to believe they can win a historic fifth time — no matter who else comes through the quarter-finals. As for the other quarter-final Friday I find it hard to believe that the USA can beat Germany. They have done so in friendlies but not with World Cup status on the line. There is a great family feeling among the Americans — you only had to see their wives, children and parents celebrating in the crowd after the win over Mexico. The US is developing an impressive production line of young players like Landon Donovan. But this time I think the experience of Germany’s own newcomers, such as Michael Ballack, should prove decisive. He is expert at finding space around the edges of attack and the Americans may have difficulty tracking him down.

Another shock, of course, could be in store in the Spain-Korea game. After seeing Korea defeat Italy on that dramatic golden goal it is clear the remaining co-hosts are carried into action by a huge amount of emotional energy. That should not mislead Spain into thinking they lack skill. Ahn Jung Hwan is one of the finest Asian players I have ever seen and Hong Myung Bo has all the experience you need for a World Cup quarter-final. Spain have more than enough great players, too, of course. But they looked fragile in midfield against Ireland. They controlled a lot of the game without being able to turn that control into goals. They will have to raise their game onto a different plane to cope with Korea.

The other quarter-final pairing no one could have predicted is Senegal against Turkey. Turkey were a mixture of good and bad against Brazil at the start of the finals but they had tightened up impressively on their discipline and self-control by the time they beat co-hosts Japan in the second round. As for Senegal, they have been the true revelation of the 2002 World Cup. They have shown no nerves and possess an intimidating mixture of skill, strength and confidence. El-Hadji Diouf has been one of my players of the finals. He reminds of a young Roger Milla, just as Senegal are blazing the sort of trail Cameroon did back in 1990.

Cameroon fell at the quarter-finals then, but nobody would bet against Senegal beating even Turkey and becoming the first African team to reach the semi-finals. Now that really would set the world game alight! Gameplan

Speaking at the team’s first Press conference on their tour of England today, Tendulkar said the fans in India wanted the team to regain the World Cup which it had won in 1983 and the English tour would prove to be the launching pad in this endeavour.

“The country wants us to bring back the World Cup. But to start with, we will first like to win the English Cup (the Test and one-day series in England),” Tendulkar told reporters.

And true to his commitment, Tendulkar said winning the World Cup was his main aim. “My top priority is to win matches for India. In the process, if I score hundreds, then it is doubly fine.”

The star batsman, who had relinquished the captaincy, two years back, parried a question whether he would like to take over the leadership again. “I have not ruled it out but I myself stepped down two years back. Things are going on well. I am enjoying my game.”

Tendulkar did not seem too concerned about England bowlers gunning for him and said this was something he was used to. “Every team has a special gameplan for me. Zimbabwe had a plan. Even Australia did that to me. We cannot be bothered about that. We must be prepared for it,” he said.

Tendulkar admitted he had not done very well in West Indies, but said it was good to be under pressure. “I enjoy playing cricket. I like it when I get runs. I enjoy getting runs whether in India or outside. But its not bad to be under pressure once in a while.

“Everyone has ups and downs. I am only 29 and I am just concentrating on my game. Every batsman should only concentrate on scoring runs.”

The National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) also announced a 26-member squad, including nine women, for the Commonwealth Games to be held in Manchester (England) from the last week of July.

The team for World Championship: Senior (men): Abhinav Bindra, Ashok Shahi, Sameer Ambekar, Samresh Jung, Ved Prakash, Jaspal Rana, Mahavir Singh, Ashok Pandit, Vivek Singh, Manavjit Sandhu, Mansher Singh and Anwar Sultan.

Women: Anjali Bhagwat, Suma Shirur, Anuja Tere.

Junior (men) Kuldeep Singh, Abhjit Konduskar, Gagan Narang, Ronak Pandit, Zakir Khan, Deepak Sharma.

(Women): Raj Kumari, Meena Kumari, Sindhu U, Chetanpreet Kaur, Shweta Chaudhary.

Officials: Chief coach: Sunny Thomas, Coach; Sanjeev Bahl, Foreign coaches: Tibor Gonezol, Marcello Dradi. Armourer; Randhir Singh.

The 26-member squad for the Commonwealth Games will be accompanied by eight officials.

The squad: Men: Charan Singh, A.P.Sabbiah, Abhijeet Konduskar, Abhinav Bindra, Sameer Ambekar, Samresh Jung, Vivek Singh, Jaspal Rana, B.L.Dhaka, Mukesh Kumar, Mahavir Singh, Manavjit Sandhu, Anwar Sultan, Naveen Jindal, Saravdeep Mann, R.V.S. Rathore, Moraad Ali Khan.

Women: Anjali Bhagwat, Raj Kumari, Meena Kumari, Kuheli Gangulee, Suma Shirur, Shweta Chaudhary, Sheila Kanungo, Sushma Rana, Arti Singh Rao.

Officials: Chief coach: Sunny Thomas, Coaches: Jagjit Singh, Deep Bhatia, Tibor Gonezol, Marcello Dradi, Joan Giha Yarur.