Ivory Coast coach Henri Michel claims his team can beat any opponent at the 2006 World Cup finals in Germany, including tournament favorites Argentina. Spanish newspaper Marca quoted Michel as saying that his players "will take the pitch unafraid of any rival." Ivory Coast kick-off their World Cup campaign by facing two-time world champions Argentina on June 10th in Hamburg. "There are six days left to sharpen everything and arrive ready to maximize our opportunities Saturday against Argentina."
Henry Michel The Ivorians, who will be making their World Cup debut in Germany, have played three international friendlies in their build-up for the tournament. The West Africans held World Cup hopefuls Switzerland and Chile to 1-1 draws before crushing Slovenia 3-0 in their final rehearsal on Sunday. "We've done everything we could to prepare," Michel said. "We have not lost and there are no serious injuries. At the moment we are where we should be." Michel said he is working on helping his players reach "the highest level of confidence before taking the field on D-day." Ivory Coast and Argentina play in Group C that also includes Holland and Serbia and Montenegro.
