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Al-Nassr
The Saudi Arabian team go into the tournament on the back of an unbeaten run of 10 games and with a reinforced squad. Although their scoring record is not high it is consistent and their defense is strong, having conceded only 7 goals in 10 games. Their 4 recent purchases, 2 strikers and 2 midfielders, are all International players and include Moussa Sayeb, the Algerian known as a major playmaker. Despite struggling to find a regular 1st team position in England he has proved himself both in France and on an International level. Their team also contains Moroccan and Brazilian players and should not be underestimated. Although not favourites to win the CWC2000, Al-Nassr should by no means be underestimated.

UPDATE: Al-Nassr have selected a mainly Saudi Arabian squad, with a few exceptions. Brazilian Paulo de Santos has not been selected to play. All of the recent purchases are expected to be in the starting 11.

Corinthians
Corinthians will be playing at an advantage, first of all because the 2 stadiums involved are virtually homegrounds and second because this will be the first game they play since being crowned Brazilian champions for the 2nd year in succession. Corinthians have some very strong players with a lot of striking power, notably from Luizão, who is Brazils top striker this year with 21 goals under his belt, and Marcelinho Carioca, a midfielder who is the first choice for free kicks and corners and whose accuracy from spot kicks is legendary - he himself scored 15 goals this season. Corinthians' goalkeeper, Dida, is also first rate (he is also the Brazilian International team's goalkeeper) and can pull off spectacular saves. Add to that Vampeta, a lightning-quick midfielder, and Rincón, the team captain and midfield playmaker, and Corinthians must be looked upon as one of the favourites to win.

UPDATE: Some doubt has been cast over the Corinthians midfield by the news that Vampeta is ready to go on strike for more wages and Rincón may be leaving to join rivals Flamengo. Whether this will affect their ability remains to be seen.

Manchester United
Having won every title available this year (or so it seems), the English team will surely be the pundits pick to win. With top class players all through the side, including David Beckham whose pinpoint crosses from the right wing are already legendary, Ryan Giggs who runs free down the left and Roy Keane, a strong presence who controls the centre of the field, Manchester United will be seen as the team to beat. They have no shortage of goalscorers - the partnership of Dwight Yorke and Andy Cole at the front have scored 24 goals between them so far this season and should either of them be unplayable Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solsjkaer are both International strikers, plus England International Paul Scholes behind them also regularly gets his name on the scoresheet. Manchester United have struggled defensively in the past but with Jaap Stam they have a solid rock at the back. The only weakness they may have is the inability to cope with the fast Brazilian game - they struggled against Palmeiras recently, although even that encounter they won.

UPDATE: Midfielder Paul Scholes has been ruled out of the tournament with a hernia problem. His place in the starting 11 will probably be filled by Nicky Butt.

Necaxa
Last years Mexican Winter Championship winners have not had a great season, only winning half of their games and getting knocked out of the finals in quarter-final stage. However, they still managed an average of almost 2 goals per game and have some great goalscoring talent in the shape of Agustín Delgado, the Ecuatorian striker who scored 11 goals in 19 games, his fellow Ecuatorian strike partner Alex Aguinaga, and Uruguayan forward Sergio Vázquez. They also have a regular spot-kick taker, Sergio Almaguer, a defender who has scored 7 goals this season. Necaxa won this years CONCACAF (South American FA) cup, showing them to be one of the best teams in South America. It's doubtful that Necaxa will make it to the final, but they may well surprise a few people.

Raja Casablanca
Unfortunately I have little information about the African representative from Morocco other than they have a team composed of many different African players, including Nigerian and Algerian. They are currently 6th placed in their league, although they have 3 games in hand over the leaders. They are not great goalscorers, having only gleaned 10 goals from 9 games, but have only conceded 5 in the same time span - whether this is from good defending or poor attacking by the other Morrocan teams, who have a similarly low goalscoring record, is not known.

UPDATE: None of Raja's foreign International players will be taking part in the tournament - a completely Moroccan squad has been selected.

Real Madrid
One of Spain's (and Europe's) premier teams, Real have had a particularly poor season and are only now beginning to recover. Although their Champions League performances are solid, Real have won only 5 games from 17 in their home league. Currently without a permanent manager, Real Madrid have an astonishing range of talent - Rául is their leading striker, and is either paired with Fernando Morientes (the 2 of them have 16 goals between them) or Brazilian Savio. They also have French International striker Nicolas Anelka, although his performances have been uninspiring (to say the least) since moving from England in the summer. Christian Karembeu runs the midfield and is supported by English International Steve McManaman, who has been injured recently but will take part in the CWC2000 with his long runs down the left. With Brazilian International Roberto Carlos in defence, Real should also be ranked as one of the favourites - as long as they do not slip into decline again.

UPDATE: Real Madrid begin the tournament with a squad depleted through injury - strikers Fernando Morientes and Rául are both struggling to be fit, and the new strike partnership is expected to be composed of Savio and Nicolas Anelka, who last weekend scored his first goal for the club. Defender Fernando Hierro is also doubtful. It is hoped that all players will be fit for the second or third match.

South Melbourne
Having won both the Australian League and OFC Cup last year, Melbourne should present strong opposition. However, their league performances this year see them entering the tournament in a decline, having drawn 3 and lost 3 of their last 8 games. They have 3 good strikers in under-23 Australian International Michael Curcija, John Anastasiadis and Vaughan Coveney but seem to lack a strong defence - perhaps their recent acquisition of goalkeeper Chris Roche will help. South Melbourne cannot be anyone's favourites to win, but their aim is to play with pride and try to steal points from the bigger clubs.

Vasco da Gama
Vasco are one of the biggest clubs in Brazil but not one of the most successful. They have many high-quality players but don't seem to have the necessary stuff for winning. However, the ingredients are there for Vasco to really show what they can do. For a start, their new strike-pairing of Rómario and Edmundo, both Brazilian Internationals promises to be a fiery and impressive one. These two have played together before and have a tempestuous off-field relationship that translates into a dynamic on-field one - in between knocking in goals they can often be found screaming at each other. Donizete and Viola, the back-up strikers, are also very impressive. They also have Brazil's number 2 goalkeeper, Carlos Germano who, together with a strong defence from Odvan and Paulo César, helped give Vasco one of the best defensive records in Brazil last season. If the chemistry is there in 2000 they could come out as strong contenders - they are certainly taking the competition seriously, having signed former Brazilian Internationals Romário, Jorginho and Junior Baiano to reinforce their squad.

UPDATE: Defender Paulo César failed to recover from an injury in time to join the squad. Instead new purchase Jorginho will play in his place. Edmundo seems to be on course to recover from an injury in time for the tournament, as will new striker Romário, who scored 2 goals in a friendly against Al-Nassr of Saudi Arabia.