By John Plunkett
As the summer rapidly approaches and the hype for the World Cup continues to rise, there are quite a few key questions on everyone’s minds – Who is going to lift the trophy? Who will be crowned with the golden boot? What teams should I place my bets on? This guide will give you all of the important knowledge necessary to survive the coming World Cup, so read on to find out!
Group A
In Group A, Saudi Arabia have found their way back to the World Cup since failing to qualify for the previous two World Cup tournaments in South Africa and Brazil. They are accompanied by the home side Russia, Egypt and Uruguay. The favourite to win from this group is Uruguay due to their impressive high calibre players including team captain Diego Godin, who is looking to lead his country to victory, and PSG’s leading goal scorer Edinson Cavani, who will be looking to bag the blue’s crucial goals. Second place is contested by the home side Russia, who have the local support on their side which we all know can be like having a 12th man on the pitch but Egypt have their own secret weapon. In reality it’s no secret, but Liverpool’s leading goal scorer and Ballon d’or contester Mohammed Salah will be looking to net his country’s way to victory.
Group B
Group B is going to be a hard fought battle between giants Spain and Portugal. Despite Spain being the favourites of this group, Portugal shouldn’t be ruled out as they certainly proved their strength when they lifted the Euro’s trophy in 2016. Morocco and Iran will be using the World Cup to prove themselves as a nation who can produce talent individually and as a team, having leading players at their dispense such as Mehdi Benatia who plays for Juventus. Iran will be looking to take the tournament by surprise as they attempt to obtain the countries first ever World Cup trophy, but the group they have been given will certainly be a challenge.
Group C
France is looking to take first place in group C and are the bookies favourite to finish in the top spot. Their squad depth is a tier above the rest in this tournament, so they can certainly use this to their advantage during the group stages. Most likely to come second is Denmark; however this isn’t certain as both Peru and Australia have squads capable of beating the Danes. Denmark will look to take advantage of midfield wonder man Christen Eriksen and his super strikes from around the box. Peru have forward Jefferson Farfan who has pace and great finishing and could make all the difference to keeping Peru’s dreams alive. The infamous Tim Cahill will also be representing Australia for another World Cup and his expertise will help the Socceroo’s find a way to the round of 16.
Group D
The ‘group of death’ is the name given to group D, despite it having been given to other groups in the past, as it is classed the hardest group to tackle out of the eight. Argentina and Messi are the favourites to secure the number 1 spot in this group, however Croatia, Iceland and Nigeria are all as equally likely to reach the number 2 spot and could even pinch first place. Croatia will utilise Madrid’s middle man Modric, who will likely provided assists to the superstar striker Mario Mandzukic as he tries to recreate last year UCL final wonder goal. Iceland will look to continue their run of form which they carried throughout the 2016 Euros, where they beat England 2-1 in the round of 16 as underdogs despite going 1-0 down in the fourth minute. Finally, Nigeria are also looking strong as they didn’t lose a single qualifier, winning 4 out of 5. Alex Iwobi, the young gunner, has found himself on the scoresheet a couple of times; will he continue his run of international form?
Group E
Brazil is favourite to not only win the group stage, but the competition as a whole as they’ve introduced a ferocious four of Neymar, Gabriel Jesus, Coutinho and Roberto Firmino. As first place seems inevitable, second place is contested evenly between Switzerland and Serbia who both look to use their key players including Shaqiri for Switzerland and Matic for Serbia. Costa Rica have their work cut out for them in the early stages of their World Cup, but Madrid shot stopper Keylor Navas is likely to keep the ball out of their net and their hopes alive. Of course, it’s important to remember that first games traditionally get off to a conservative start so there’s no need to be disappointed if there’s no edge-of-seat gameplay to tackle just yet but make sure you adjust your World Cup betting strategy according to these dynamics regardless.
Group F
Title defenders Germany are among the favourites with Brazil to win the competition, so first place in the group stages is, of course, what the bookies are predicting. The 2014 World Cup showcased Mexican goalkeeper Ochoa as he made extraordinary saves to keep the team away from defeat and as a result, the team are most likely to finish second according to the odds. Sweden will be attending the World Cup without Zlatan Ibrahimovic, which is a huge loss to the nation but they will still be battling it out with Mexico and South Korea for second. Korea have Tottenham star Son Heung-min who has the ability to create goals from nothing, so he is certainly a worthy threat to the other team’s qualification.
Group G
England can be found in group G, but the favourites aren’t our beloved nation but instead European counterpart Belgium. This will certainly be a fierce battle for first place, as both squads are looking strong. Panama and Tunisia are both unlikely to reach the round of 16 as their other competition are highly experienced in important competitions and wield a stronger squad depth, however football is unpredictable so no one can rule the sides out!
Group H
The final group of the competition sees Columbia and Poland with similar odds to win within their group. However, Senegal and Japan aren’t far behind and are also strong competitors in this group. Out of all eight groups, this one is going to be the most unpredictable as all teams are the same calibre. You can find out plenty more information about all of the teams in the groups online and make sure you keep an eye on the odds as the season progresses.
Golden Boot Winner
As expected with odds of 9/1, Leo Messi is the most likely to take the top goal scorer price home. When you are looking to place a bet on the player who you think is going to be the top goal scorer you should take into consideration that teams usually play more conservative and look after possession rather than playing direct. This is because the group stages aren’t as intense and the competition isn’t going to be as dangerous as it would be in later stages of the tournament. However, while betting on a golden boot winner before the tournament really starts is risky, the reward is certainly greater.
Regardless of the above, Neymar is currently 10/1 to win the Golden Boot, as Brazil is the bookies favourite to win the competition and so this would arguably be a sensible bet. However, with his recent injury, this could put a lot of bettors off.
Golden Glove Winner
Deciding upon the goalkeeper who could win the Golden Glove before the competition stats is a tough one. Like with the Golden Boot you need to take into consideration group stage games, as this is when they should be expected to keep the cleanest sheets. Manuel Neuer is favourite to win this award, recognised as one of the best; if not the best goal keeper in the world this is strong choice. However, David de Gea will also be tough competition for this prize as Spain are also favourites to do well in the competition.
World Cup Winner
The odds for the World Cup winner are the same 4/1 for both Germany and Brazil. As Germany are set to defend their title Brazil are set to get their own back from the devastating 7-1 loss to the Germans. The team who are third most likely to win the world Spain with a 6/1, their squad depth and the standard of players they have makes them one of the strongest contenders every time there is a competition. Set to take 4th at 13/2 is France, out of every team in the world France have the most highly rated selection of players, they are able to make a world cup contending squad three times over with the vast amount of players they have.
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