Argentina the best bet to move on By PAUL TURENNE -- Winnipeg Sun Sat, June 24, 2006

So the group stage is done. The Czechs and Americans lost out to Ghana, but other than that, there were no real surprises.

For those keeping score, I called 13 of the 16 teams that advanced to the round of 16. That's 81%, or an 'A' as they call it at university. Let's see if I can keep it up with today's Group A-D picks and tomorrow's Group E-H selections.

GERMANY VS. SWEDEN

(At Munich, 10 a.m., TSN)

Can Sweden beat Germany? Absolutely. Will Sweden beat Germany? Maybe.

While the Germans looked good breezing through the first round, taking advantage of home soil and weak opposition, the Swedes were held to a tie by Trinidad, barely beat Paraguay, then needed a last-minute goal to tie England. But they have yet to lose a game, and could have scored three or four goals in each of their games, but kept hitting posts and goalkeepers' chests.

If the Swedes can finish their chances, they will win, if not Miroslav Klose will bury them.

SWEDEN 2-1

ARGENTINA VS. MEXICO

(At Leipzig, 2 p.m., TSN)

The Mexicans will be bidding adios to the World Cup after this tilt with a team that looks like it could be poised to go all the way.

While Mexico beat only Iran in its first three games, Argentina crushed Serbia, topped a strong Ivory Coast team, and tied the highly-ranked Dutch with its two starting strikers on the bench.

Mexico has not impressed at all, and Argentina should roll over them easily on their way to a long run towards the cup final.

ARGENTINA 2-0

ENGLAND VS. ECUADOR

(Tomorrow at Stuttart, 10 a.m., Sportsnet)

On paper, this game looks like a real mismatch, but unfortunately for England, the game will be played on grass, not paper.

England aren't looking anything like a threat to go all the way, especially when you compare their performances to those of teams like Spain and Argentina.

The South Americans played very well in their 2-0 defeats of Poland and Costa Rica, but even though they rested their two starting strikers in their 3-0 loss to Germany, it's tough to ignore the result of that game--their only real test.

If Ecuador wins, I won't be surprised, but I'll take England, albeit in a very tight game.

ENGLAND 2-1

PORTUGAL VS. NETHERLANDS

(Tomorrow at Nuremberg, 2 p.m., TSN)

If you watch only one second round game, watch this one.

The Dutch came into the tournament as one of the favorites, and have done nothing to lose that ranking after going undefeated in the first round.

The Portuguese on the other hand, came in as a diamond-studded question mark, with tons of star quality and potential but the lingering feeling that they might not try hard enough.

But they have, winning all three games--including a win over Mexico--and putting in solid efforts every time.

The look on Cristiano Ronaldo's face when he scored that penalty against Iran was enough to prove that Portugal is serious about this thing.

PORTUGAL 1-0