It takes a brave creature to disagree with Paul, Germany's soothsaying octopus, who has an impeccable track record on World Cup predictions to date.

But step (or swim) forward Sayco, the dolphin from the Argentine port city of Mar del Plata.

Sayco's keepers at the city aquarium decided on Thursday to see if the friendly creature preferred to play with a ball in German red-black-gold or Argentine sky blue and white.

Leaping four metres out of the water, Sayco unhesitatingly went for the Argentine ball placed on a platform above his pool.

Locals immediately saw a positive omen, with Argentina set to face Germany in the World Cup quarter-finals in Cape Town on Sunday.

Even so, Sayco does not have the track record of Paul, an eight-legged oracle in the Germany city of Oberhausen, who has shot to stardom for his spot-on predictions and who has forecast a German win.

Paul needed just eight seconds to make up his mind about the Germans' chances against England -- even though he was born in England -- and earlier in the tournament he correctly tipped wins over Ghana and Australia.

Not only that, he proved he is not just attracted by Germany's flag by correctly predicting a loss to Serbia in the group phase.

(Read by Nelly Min. Nelly Min is a journalist at the China Daily Web site.)

点击查看更多双语新闻

(Agencies)