Ivory Coast coach Sven-Goran Eriksson is confident his team have the ability to progress from the World Cup's 'group of death'.

Eriksson has been getting to know his players at a training base in Switzerland and has two warm-up friendlies - against Paraguay on Sunday and Japan on Friday - before facing Portugal, Brazil and North Korea in Group G.

"We know that we are in a very difficult group, but I really believe we have a good chance to move on," he told Swedish newspaper Sportbladet. "It is a golden opportunity (for an African nation) to go far in the World Cup in Africa."