SOCCER/Germany v Costa Rica: Does anybody ever get tired of "soccer legend" Pele? Not the highlight reels of his golden youth, but the cheesy, grinning version who turns up in his suit at every Fifa event the way chips always turn up with smoked fish. Has Pele nothing better to be doing?

For those who haven't seen enough of him, you can see Pele in a meaningful encounter with supermodel Claudia Schiffer and a cast of hundreds in tonight's opening ceremony of the World Cup here in Munich.

Thankfully, the Germans promise a brief preamble before Germany and Costa Rica get the actual tournament under way. Viewers are threatened with native Bavarian music, "flying women" who will be lifted magically to the top of Munich's novel stadium and, um, hip-hop songs. Also thankfully, the pitch is apparently quite heavy and there will be no stages built upon it. Neither will there be a chance for Diana Ross to atone for her shocking penalty miss in the opening ceremony of US '94.

There will, however, be a bit part for 170 previous World Cup medal winners, and it is promised that FAI officials will be on hand to inquire about any tenuous Irish connections the grandees of the game may have.

Commendably, the organisers promise just one speech. This to be made by Horst Köhler. No guarantees so far as to the length of the speech or whether there will be any jokes in it.

And in another break with tradition, the tournament will mark the first time in 32 years when the holders haven't kicked off the action. Instead, the host nation plays Costa Rica in a game which holds out a slender chance of a reprise of such opening day shocks as Cameroon's win over Argentina back in 1990, or Senegal's mugging of France last time out in 2002.

A slender chance though, nothing more. Most of us will settle for a couple of goals and a half-decent match. Even the Germans, as enthusiastic as missionaries in their propaganda for the game and the tournament, are finding it hard to make outlandish promises to neutrals. In the cavernous press centre yesterday, a doleful release noted that the most common scoreline in opening games is 1-0. Four of the last six tournaments have opened with a 1-0. Back in 1954 they began with a 1-0 also.

You think that's bad? Consider that from 1966 to 1978 the opening games of four tournaments remained stubbornly scoreless. It took Belgium's extravagant 1-0 whopping of Argentina in 1982 to end that sequence.

The problem seems to lie with Fifa's endless meddling. They were on to a good thing with the opening game mullarkey back when it all started. In 1930, France and Mexico faced off in the first World Cup opening match in Montevideo, Uruguay. The French won 4-1 and everyone (except the Mexicans) went home happy.

Next time out Fifa opted for extra opening matches and began the tournament in the manner of the Grand National, with eight games kicking off at once. It was a disaster and the magic was gone. Opening games have been cursed since.

So, with not a lot of hope in our hearts we take the U-Bahn to the Allianz Arena (or as the Fifa lyricists have renamed it for the World Cup, the Fifa World Cup Stadium, Munich) for tonight's offering. A young German team without Michael Ballack, playing at home in front of 66,000 screaming fans. It's practically the dictionary definition of caution.

Have Costa Rica the wherewithal to ruffle the Germans, to muss with their hair, to flick their ears? When you hear that their ace goalscorer is none other than former Manchester City beanpole Paolo Wanchope, you will think not. When you hear that Paolo is injured and unlikely to play, you will be inclined to bet the house on 1-0 Germany.

It's hard to make an argument against that. Weigh up the following: the Costa Ricans (or, as they like to be called, The Ticos) have never played Germany in senior football but have beaten them on the two occasions the nations met at the Fifa Under-20 World Championships in 1995 and 1999. On the other hand, The Ticos lost four out of their 10 qualifying games on the way to Germany, finishing third in a section behind the US and Mexico.

Apart from Wanchope's lingering knee problems which have necessitated special training regime, there are also concerns about full back Gilberto Martinez, goalie Alvaro Mesen and defender Michael Umana.

Wanchope may end up playing, but at the other end of the field the situation looks serious too. Mesen is Costa Rica's second-choice goalkeeper. He has been standing in for the injured Jose Francisco Porras through warm-up matches. Neither is fit at the moment, and that could mean a call for third-stringer Wardy Alfaro. Wardy is not a name to conjure with.

The Germans without Ballack may give a run to boy wonder Bastien Schweinsteiger, who is actually a name to conjure with. His surname translates as PigMounter. He is one of the PigMounters of Munich and plays with Bayern, so his inclusion would be popular.

Up front, Germany should have just sufficient a cutting edge to fashion a narrow win. Miroslav Klose is partnered by the young star Lukas Podolski. Klose opens well. He scored a hat-trick in his side's first game at the last World Cup (an 8-0 thrashing of Saudi Arabia), and was the Bundesliga's top scorer this season, but it is Podolski that all eyes are on. If Germany are to go far this summer it is players of his vintage who must grow into the tournament.

So. Prediction time. What the hell, let's go crazy. 2-1 to Germany.