Fri 30th Jun 2006

Brazil legend Pele admits he has a bad feeling about his country's quarter-final clash with France on Saturday.

Pele is concerned that recent history has favoured the French, who have been triumphant in their last two World Cup encounters with Brazil - including the final in 1998.

"France won the last two matches against Brazil in a World Cup," Pele said. "Moreover, a South American national team has only once won the World Cup in Europe (Brazil in Sweden 1958)."

The 65-year-old also warns that World Cup favourites often fail to live up to that billing in the tournament.

"The main candidate never wins the World Cup. And Brazil are the favourite," he added.

Former national team goalkeeper Claudio Taffarel, who played in the 1998 final defeat in Paris, visited the current squad with his wife and two children to wish them good luck ahead of the game, and revealed he has asked Cafu to help Brazil get their own back on the French.

"I always remember both goals of Zidane and I cannot forget that final (in 1998). I asked Cafu to take revenge," Taffarel said.

"We can not lose again."

Meanwhile, former Argentina star Diego Maradona believes Brazil coach Carlos Alberto Parreira must pick Ronaldo in his starting XI whatever condition the Real Madrid striker is in.

"If I was the coach, I would select Ronaldo in the starting XI. It does not matter to me if he is fat, a drunkard or in a coma. I always want to have Ronaldo in my team," Maradona told Argentinian sports channel TyC Sports.

Maradona was in Berlin to watch his country lose 4-2 on penalties against hosts Germany.