ACTUALITE |
07.01.2002
Pele`s World Cup favorites: Portugal, Spain, Italy and Brazil
RIO DE JANEIRO (EFE) - Pele looked beyond Brazil`s lackluster performance in the qualifiers and predicted that the national team would face either Italy, Portugal or Spain in the World Cup final.
Pele said in his Sunday column in the O Globo newspaper that Brazil would easily finish on top of Group C, which also features Turkey, China and Costa Rica.
The former national team captain said Brazil would face either Belgium or Russia in the round of 16 and then take on France in the quarterfinals.
Brazil could face either Argentina or England in the quarterfinals, but Pele said he was betting on a rematch against the defending World Cup champion.
"If we advance past those two difficult rounds, then we could play in the final against Portugal or Italy," Pele said, adding that "another remote possibility is that Brazil plays for the title against Spain."
Pele said he based his predictions on information he had about the participating teams and the results of the group draws.
"I also looked into how the teams played in the qualifiers and friendly matches," Pele noted, although he pointed out that "many things can change in five months."
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