11.   Both Batistuta and Emerson, who struggled with injuries last season, have looked in top form in preseason warmup matches.

12.   China faces Portugal in their final warmup match on Saturday but the question many Chinese fans are asking is if their team will finally score a goal.

13.   China, a newcomer that has warned its fans not to expect too much, was the only World Cup squad that lost in six warmup matches Saturday.

14.   Defenders Mark Iuliano and Marco Materazzi were also ruled out of the World Cup warmup match for Italy with injuries.

15.   El Ouaer has recently been hampered by pain in his spine that forced him to miss a World Cup warmup match against Slovenia last month.

16.   Ecuador and South Africa played to a drab scoreless tie Wednesday in a friendly warmup match for both sides for the World Cup.

17.   Even so, Senegal was considered too lowly by big-name teams looking for sparring partners in the World Cup warmup matches.

18.   France can expect its toughest World Cup warmup match to date when it faces Russia on Wednesday.

19.   Gabriel Batistuta headed to Argentina Thursday for a World Cup warmup match after his Italian club said it would let the striker go.

20.   He has since scored three goals in seven World Cup warmup matches.