Hosts China are to kick off their campaign in the pending Women's World Cup with a crucial game against Denmark which, to some extent, will determine the sides for the knockout stage from the tricky Group D.

China, having sustained a continuous slump since the 1999 World Cup where they lost to the United States in a nerve-wrecking penalty shootout in the final, are resolved to reach at least the final four after undergoing a frenzy of coach sackings and appointments.

But before fulfilling their ambition, Marika Domanski-Lyfors, who took over the team in late March this year, and her side must clear their first hurdle in Denmark on September 12 when the two teams are to lock horns in their first group match.

"This game will be very important for China, as a win will not only get them three precious points but also boost their morale and confidence. A good start is the job half done," said China's former goalkeeper Gao Hong.

"Brazil and China in this group are favored to qualify for the next phase, but Denmark have what they take to spike their guns. They are a team that need to be reckoned with cautiously", she said.

Domanski, who guided her native side Sweden all the way to the final in the 2003 World Cup, admitted that Denmark are a team for China to beat.

"They are one of the best European teams, and the game against them will be very tough. For sure, they will make a lot of trouble for us," she said.

"But if we could advance to the quarterfinals, things will become easy for us. So I have the confidence to take the team to the semifinals," she said.

The spectacle for China in the World Cup, however, are not as rosy as Domanski expected, and her team's recent back-to-back losses to Australia in friendlies augur ill for them in the run-up to the World Cup.

"It showed that Domanski did a sloppy job in preparing China for the game against Denmark," said Chinese women's football pundit Wang Qi.

"And Denmark may be a physically and skillfully better team than Australia, how could we cope with them in our first World Cup game?" Wang said.

Neither side affords to lose the game as the loser will be placed in a precarious position and could be sent packing before the knockout stage.

Both teams are deemed able to take three points from their group games against underdog New Zealand, but their battle with star-studded Brazil could hardly go in their favor.

"We could say that Brazil, barring any aberration, will surely get a berth for the knockout stage, and the other berth up for grabs will be vied between China and Denmark. And the winner of their clash will win the berth," Wang said.

"This will be do-or-die situation, and if they play to a draw, the consequences will be rather complicated and their fate will be out of their own control," he said.

Denmark will be making their fourth appearance at the finals of the World Cup, having qualified for the tournaments in China in 1991, Sweden in 1995 and the United States in 1999.

What is guaranteed is that they will be looking to improve on their recent record at the World Cup when they arrive in the Far East.

Denmark failed to progress past the qualifying stages for the 2003 tournament in the United States, and four years earlier, also in the US, they only managed one goal in their three group phase matches - a Janni Johansen strike in a 3-1 loss to Korea DPR.

"Without question, we will be well prepared when the finals get underway. We have a good team that can hold its own against any opponent. So anything is possible in China," their coach Kenneth Heiner-Moller was quoted as saying by the FIFA.com.

Brazil are tipped as a hot favorite for the coveted World Cup title, the coast for them seems to be all clear for them in the group matches.

In fact, the Auriverde are the only side from the continent to have appeared at every Women's World Cup so far.

Even so, the Canarinha had to wait until the 1999 tournament in the United States to leave their mark where they stormed all the way to the podium with a deserved third-place finish.

Fours year on from that notable feat, a Brazil side now including exciting young talents Marta and Katia failed to build on their 1999 success, crashing out to Sweden in the Round of 16.

Despite this disappointment, the new generation of gifted Brazilian stars have since given their fans plenty of reasons to celebrate, such as a silver-medal winning performance at the Olympic Women's Football Tournament at Athens 2004, and third place at the FIFA U-20 Women's World Championship Russia 2006.

"We recently proved ourselves to be the world's third-best team at U-20 level, which was a great starting point for this squad. My sights are now set on taking these girls to the very top of world football over in China," coach Jorge Barcellos said.

Unlike Brazil, New Zealand took an unassuming attitude.

They have taken full advantage of Australia's move to the Asian Football Confederation in January 2006, with a 100 per cent record in Oceania World Cup qualifying tournaments since Australia's departure.

When talking about their spectacle in the upcoming World Cup, coach John Herdman was quoted as saying: "This is a crucial time for women's football in New Zealand. The women's game is on the cusp of something really special and we are hoping that with some credible performances on the world stage, our senior side can lead the game in New Zealand into a new era."

Source: Xinhua