Coach: Jose Pekerman
Tactics: Well organised with plenty of flair going forward.
Star Player: Juan Roman Riquelme - Villarreal playmaker who possesses the skill to carve open the tightest of defences.
Verdict: Rightly regarded as one of the favourites to lift the trophy. Strong at the back with the likes of Roberto Ayala and Fabricio Coloccini, clever in midfield with Riquelme operating alongside the more defensive-minded Esteban Cambiasso and potent up front with Hernan Crespo and Javier Saviola. Add the brilliance of teenager Lionel Messi and it makes for an intoxicating mix.
Ten things you didn’t know about Argentina
1. The name Argentina comes from the Latin word argentum, which means silver. The origin of the name goes back to the voyages made by the first Spanish conquistadores (conquerors) to the Río de la Plata. The shipwrecked survivors of the expedition mounted by Juan Díaz de Solís discovered Indians in the region who presented them with silver objects.
2. Argentina has an area of 2.77 million sq. km, which gives it a great variety of climates and landscapes. Known as the ‘land of ice and fire’ it can be simultaneously hot in one region and cold in another.
3. Laszlo Biro, the inventor of the modern ballpoint pen moved to Argentina in 1943 after fleeing anti-Jewish laws in home country of Hungary. He formed Biro Pens of Argentina and licensed his design to the British, to produce ballpoint pens for Royal Air Force aircrew, who found they worked much better than fountain pens at high altitude.
4. Many fans of Argentina's most popular soccer team, Boca Juniors, pledge eternal devotion to the club. Die-hard fans can even buy their own coffins decorated in Boca colours and symbols for between 2,000 pesos and 2,500 pesos ($650 to $800).
5. Argentina is the only country in the world where you can find both monkeys (in the North East jungles) and penguins (in Patagonia.)
6. In the 19th century a Welsh settlement began in Argentina. There is now an important Welsh-speaking colony in the province of Chubut, in Argentine Patagonia (Y Wladfa in Welsh).
7. The Falkland Islands are a self-governing and English speaking Overseas Territory of the United Kingdom. In 1982 Argentina invaded the islands, resulting in the Falklands War between Argentina and the United Kingdom. Although the UK and Argentina since resumed diplomatic relations in 1989, no further negotiations have taken place and Argentina continues to claim sovereignty over the islands.
8. In 1995, a skeleton of the largest carnivorous dinosaur was discovered in Neuquen, Patagonia, Argentina. The Giganotosaurus Carolinii was 12.5 m (40 ft) long, and weighed 8 tonnes. Although it resembled the Tyrannosaurus Rex it was in fact taller and more heavily built than T-Rex.
9. A local law states that horses are required to wear hats in hot weather in Rasario, Argentina.
10. Juan Perón, three times President of Argentina was also married three times. His second wife, Eva Perón, was hugely popular with the people of Argentina and was immortalised in several books, films and stage plays. Juan Perón died in 1974 and was buried in Buenos Aires. In 1987 his tomb was broken into and the hands of his corpse were stolen. To this date, who did it and why still remains a mystery.
