There were already clutches of Argentina supporters milling around Hamburg's towering AOL Arena when I arrived here this morning, some searching hopefully for tickets, most just happy to bask in the prospect of what they assume will prove a comfortably victory this evening. The Ivory Coast await with the South American supporters, clad in familiar blue and white stripes, ever eager to predict a 2-0 or 3-0 victory for their own.
Perhaps they had just spied the 'Guardian (ENG)' on my accreditation and were seizing an opportunity to taunt (more on account of me being English rather than the photograph, on which I appear to have just emerged from a particularly riotous darts tournament), but their confidence struck me as verging on the complacent; the Elephants might just cause a shock here tonight.
The Ivory Coast are something of an unknown quantity for regular World Cup finalists such as Argentina, but, in Germany, they could reinforce their progress as an emerging force in the global game. Didier Drogba may infuriate as much as delight with Chelsea in the Premiership, but he is an imposing figure in the flesh and a national icon back home in west Africa. His barnstorming performances with Olympique de Marseille have not been forgotten on the continent. After all, he boasts 23 goals in 34 international matches to date.
At the back, Henri Michel's side boast familiar faces in the Arsenal pair Kolo Touré and Emmanuel Eboué, but it is in midfield where they could wrest the advantage from their much vaunted opponents. Premiership scouts will presumably be here in their numbers to spy on the progress of Olympiakos' Yaya Touré (Kolo's brother) and the Saint-Etienne midfielder Didier Zokora.
The latter has been continually linked with Tottenham Hotspur, who could yet need to replace Michael Carrick this summer, but, as a pair, they boast the power and presence to dominate. The worry is that they could freeze on an occasion such as this, their country's debut in this tournament. But should they flourish, then their team could just prove to be this year's Senegal or Cameroon.
Success would mean much to a nation wracked by civil conflict such as the Ivory Coast. In the past, the Elephants should perhaps have already graced this stage - there were years of relative economic prosperity and political stability, after all, before the recent troubles - especially as they won the African Cup of Nations back in 1992.
Now, however, the team's progress will offer a brighter focus for a country of 17m people on edge with the latest civil war having petered out some six months ago, elections still on hold and large swathes of the north of the country still under the authority of rebel forces.
The nation is essentially divided between the southerners, who are mainly indigenous Christians, and the large Muslim population in the north, many of whom are immigrants originally encouraged to come to the country to work in the agricultural industry. The squad includes players from both sides of the divide.
"The political situation back home is not in our hands and I am not sure anything we achieve on the pitch can help," said Drogba this week. "But what we can do is give a signal to the people that we are unified and try to make them proud of us. If we are together, we can do well and ultimately show the strength of our country."
"This is D-day for us, this will be our final," added Michel, a veteran of four World Cups with France (1986), Cameroon (1994) and Morocco (1998) previously. "But we are ready for D-day and ready to make history. This is the key game for us. If we beat Argentina we can go a long way. This group is special and is maybe the most talented I've coached since I was in charge of France, so we can do very well. But we need to keep our feet on the ground. There is a lot of talent, but one needs a little more than talent. The stress, the emotions - all the players will feel this as it's their first World Cup."
Argentina will presumably be hoping to exploit any naivety in their opponents tonight. José Pekerman took the unusual step of naming his side for this fixture some 24 hours early, confirming that the livewire youngster Lionel Messi will start on the bench with Javier Saviola - resurgent at Sevilla last term - and Chelsea's Hernan Crespo up front.
Theirs is an exciting side, with Juan Roman Riquelme dictating play from the centre and the wily Pablo Aimar and Carlos Tevez ready to make their mark as substitutes if required.
Yet they arrive still saddled with the memory of their abject failure four years ago, humbled by David Beckham's penalty and an inability to overcome Sweden. Argentina will not countenance a repeat but, should they underestimate the Elephants in Hamburg tonight then the city known as the "Gateway to the World" could prove to be their a passageway to further ignominy.
