With the 2006 FIFA World Cup Germany only 15 days away, time is of the essence as the participating nations set about their last-minute preparations. As a result, no fewer than 22 friendly games are taking place this week, including 15 this weekend and four between sides soon to face each other on German soil.

Czech Republic coach Karel Bruckner will no doubt be hoping to draw a number of lessons from Friday’s match with Saudi Arabia in Innsbruck. Key to his plans is the condition of striker Jan Koller, who only returned to action on 2 May after seven months out with a knee injury. With 44 goals in 66 games, Koller is the most prolific striker currently available to his coach, who must also make a decision on the fate of attacking midfielder Vladimir Smicer, dogged by a thigh strain since February.

On Saturday, the Stade de France will give a rapturous reception to Zinedine Zidane, who will be saying his goodbyes to a ground he christened on 28 January 1998 with a winning goal against Spain. When he runs out against Mexico, the France legend, set to retire after Germany 2006, will earn his 100th cap. Raymond Domenech is also likely to test out his new central defensive pairing of Lilian Thuram and William Gallas and unleash the attacking system he will be adopting in Germany.

Read a profile of Zinedine Zidane

After recent narrow wins over Venezuela (1-0) and the Democratic Republic of Congo (2-1), Mexico are now ready to test themselves against two real heavyweights of European football. Their two games in five days against first France and then the Netherlands should reveal a lot about their FIFA World Cup credentials.

In the third meeting between tournament participants, Kobi Kuhn’s Switzerland face a stern test in the shape of ambitious Africans Côte d’Ivoire. Back in the side after a serious injury, Swiss hotshot Alexander Frei still needs more match practice to regain his full sharpness. Elephants coach Henri Michel, meanwhile, will be reunited with the squad which narrowly missed out on glory at the CAF African Cup of Nations. With 13 Ivorians plying their trade in the French championship, they will be more than familiar with Frei’s goalscoring prowess.

To Osijek finally, where Croatia are looking to confirm their excellent pre-tournament form against fellow qualifiers Iran following victories over Argentina in March (3-2) and Austria on Tuesday (4-1).

Americans aim to bounce back After their surprise 1-0 defeat by Morocco in Nashville - and the accompanying injury to their captain Claudio Reyna - the United States’ next two warm-up matches against Venezuela on Friday and Latvia on Sunday have taken on added significance. Meanwhile, having been held 1-1 at home by Senegal, the Korea Republic also badly need to return to winning ways against Bosnia-Herzegovina, or their confidence for the tournament could be seriously sapped.

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Against a strong Russia side, Luis Aragones’s Spain (average age only 24) will be experimenting with an ambitious 4-3-3 formation, while Portugal have opted for a gentler work-out against the Cape Verde Islands. Ghana, for their part, should face a stern test away to Turkey, who finished third at Korea/Japan 2002â„¢ only to miss out this time around. Cameroon, meanwhile, visit Rotterdam seeking to show the Netherlands that they were worthy of a place in Germany.

Having come away from Norway with a 2-2 draw, Paraguay will continue their refresher course in European football against Denmark, while Trinidad and Tobago are keen to take their game up a notch against Wales following the recent home draw with Peru.

The remaining two friendly games are scarcely short on points of interest either. Against a solid Uruguay side still smarting from their failure to qualify, Serbia and Montenegro intend to provide another defensive masterclass, their backline having been breached just once in their entire qualifying campaign.

In the other encounter, hosts Germany will be keen to start building up a head of steam for the tournament with a convincing victory over minnows Luxembourg after two starkly contrasting friendlies in March - a 4-1 defeat in Italy and a win by the same score over the United States.

Source:Fifaworldcup