Aston Villa defender Ulises de la Cruz claims Ecuador will knock England out when the two countries clash in Stuttgart on Sunday. After comfortably beating Poland and Costa Rica, Luis Fernando Suarez's team were well beaten by Germany but de la Cruz believes the 3-0 defeat will have no bearing on their chances of reaching the last eight.
"We lost but our confidence is strong and the focus is on the next match," he said. "Germany are a strong team, but we had six players not playing. They got a rest for the next match. That is not an excuse but the next match is important."
And the 32-year-old added: "It is difficult for us, England have good players and a good squad. But this match is difficult for both teams. There are no easy games in this competition. It was a great opportunity to learn something. We're making Ecuadorian football history and our aim is to stay in this competition for a long time."
Portugal coach Luiz Felipe Scolari claims his team will reach full throttle in the knock-out stages of the World Cup. 'Big Phil' has decided to rest all five of his players on yellow cards for today's final Group D fixture with Mexico, as Portugal are already through to the last 16.
However, he insists his team will reach full capacity when they face Holland or Argentina. Scolari said: "In the first game (a 1-0 win over Angola) the players were a little nervous. In the second game (a 2-0 win over Iran) we played better and produced a much better performance. We reached the objective, which was to qualify for the second phase, and now we must prepare fully for the knock-out stages.
"We are growing as the tournament goes on which is what I planned for. For the following round we need to take our game to a new level. We need to step things up and pick up even more confidence."
Meanwhile, Italy captain Fabio Cannavaro has identified playmaker Pavel Nedved as the biggest threat in their crucial clash against the Czech Republic on Thursday. Marcello Lippi's side lead Group E with four points after two games and anything but a defeat against the Czechs will see them through to the second round.
The Czechs, however, must bounce back from their surprising 2-0 defeat against Ghana, for only a win will guarantee them a place in the knock-out stages. "Nedved has a way of playing that is annoying for those who have to face him," said Cannavaro, who plays with Nedved at Juventus. "He gives his soul and he is an example of professionalism - and he has an interior strength superior to the average.
"Against the Americans we were passive and suffered their own strength. We weren't able to impose our play. Although we don't have the pressure to win, we will go out determined to get a victory in order to finish top of our group. We are optimistic."
Finally, Holland are preparing themselves for the acid test of their World Cup credentials, with Arjen Robben adamant there is more to come from Marco van Basten's men. Robben has been the star so far, picking up man-of-the-match awards in wins over Serbia and Montenegro and the Ivory Coast.
However, Robben and his teammates face their sternest test yet tonight when they face Argentina in Frankfurt. Yet Robben is confident they can prove their worth against a side that has emerged as the favourites after their stunning form so far.
"There is more to come from us," claimed Robben. "We have played two difficult opponents so far but we have to be satisfied with the way it has turned out. One problem we have had is that while we have started games well, we found it difficult to maintain the pressure.
"We should be able to push forward a bit more in the second half of matches, although we also have to recognise we have been playing against tough opponents who are capable of making things difficult.
"It would be nice to finish top but the main thing is to qualify, which is what we have done. Our results so far have taken the pressure off to an extent and it does mean we don't have to approach Argentina in quite the same way."
