Lucic remains relaxed about marking Beckham

David Beckham admitted this week he had never heard of Teddy Lucic. By tomorrow lunchtime he is likely to be much better acquainted with the 29-year-old defender.

Lucic is expected to line up against Beckham as Sweden's left-back. It will be a meeting of opposites. For months Beckham has been obsessed with this World Cup. Not Lucic.

"The World Cup is not that important for me," he said earlier this year, demonstrating his languid personality. While Beckham's work ethic is legendary, Lucic is viewed in Sweden as a player who has failed to reach his potential because of a lack of desire. "He has all the tools," said one observer. "He is quick, a good tackler, and can handle the ball with both feet. But he needs a kick up the backside before every game."

This was illustrated when AIK Stockholm brought Lucic back from a disappointing nine-match sojourn at Bologna in 1999. Their intention was that he would command their defence from his preferred position of centre-back. Instead his inability to impose himself on either his team-mates or opponents meant they moved him to left-back and played two youngsters in the centre.

"It's going to be important to stop his [Beckham's] long passes and crosses... but he makes them in every game," Lucic said yesterday. "I don't really know what to do. His precision is exact. He can be a match- winner with his free-kicks."

Lucic does not believe that Sweden will make changes just because Beckham is playing. "We'll play as usual," he said. "It's not only my role to stop him – it's the whole team's responsibility. But I think it will be a big challenge. He's well known, but when you're playing you don't think much about that."

Born to a Swedish mother and Croatian father, Lucic's hobby is trotting – chariot racing without the bloodlust. Highly regarded as a youngster, he was called into Sweden's 1994 World Cup squad but had to wait until the Umbro Cup, in 1995, to make his debut. He has since won more than 40 caps without, as Beckham inadvertently underlined, making any impression on the global stage. England will hope that remains the case.