World Cup: Matches to savour this weekend

Chris Rattue and Michael Brown are in South Africa covering the World Cup for the Herald. They join the office-bound Winston Aldworth in picking the top matches from the opening days of competition.

USA v England

Sunday 6.30am

A New World versus Old World clash brings together two teams from one of the best-remembered World Cup games, when the Americans won by a single goal in 1950.

The United States sit among the top-ranked sides in world soccer and could go a long way in the tournament.

The Major League Soccer competition is no longer the wild and wacky animal of earlier days when flamboyant foreign stars made headlines.

But those who are familiar with the scene, including our own Ryan Nelsen, say the MLS is stacked with fine technical players and is a little underestimated around the world.

Yet, despite advances, America still have the image of new boys while England are old soccer money.

England always attract a lot of World Cup attention, a travelling roadshow of intrigue, triumph and pain. Controversy and injuries have knocked them around.

Fabio Capello's men should win but another famous upset is not out of the question.

- Chris Rattue

Germany vs Australia

Monday 6.30am

It was Gary Lineker who famously said soccer was a game played by two teams of 11 players and in the end Germany wins.

It's not strictly true but the Germans have a brilliant World Cup record, having won the competition three times (1954, 1974, 1990), finished runners-up four times, finished third three times and fourth once.

At this World Cup few genuinely expect Germany to win but, like Italy, they know how to win.

They have been weakened by the absence of captain Michael Ballack, and strikers Miroslav Klose and Lukas Podolski had lean seasons for their club sides, scoring just five goals between them.

Australia are no longer the side that were unlucky to be beaten by eventual champions Italy at the last World Cup.

Harry Kewell's usual "will-he-play-or-will-he-cry-out-of-training" saga has already played out. And while there's a feeling the Australians lack the potency of 2006, they are still a good side. They sit 20th in the Fifa rankings and strolled through World Cup qualification.

There have been few personnel changes, but Australia's players are all four years older.

- Michael Brown

Argentina vs Nigeria

Sunday 2am

Most attention from this match will centre not on what 22 players do on the pitch but rather on Diego Maradona.

The Argentina coach should charge admission to his own performance because he makes Sideshow Bob look normal.

Some of the stuff you can't make up: he sports a goatee because his dog bit him, he promised to run through the streets of Buenos Aires naked if Argentina win the World Cup and he recently drove over the foot of a journalist who dared to get in his way.

The soccer in this game won't be too bad, either.

Argentina have one of the most talented sides at the World Cup, led by World Player of the Year Lionel Messi, but it's a question of whether Maradona can get the best out of him.

Messi has often failed at international level to live up to his feats for Barcelona and Nigeria will be difficult opponents.

With the World Cup on African soil for the first time, the African nations are determined to go further than ever before.

Ivory Coast were seen to offer the best hope before Didier Drogba injured his elbow, but with Nwankwo Kanu, Obafemi Martins and Yakubu Aiyegbeni the Super Eagles of Nigeria will have plenty of power and pace up front.

- Michael Brown