World Cup 2018: 5 players to watch out for on matchday 9

The 2018 FIFA World Cup has been phenomenal thus far. We have had 8 days of scintillating football and there have been a lot of upsets caused. A couple of the teams that caused the upsets will be in action on Matchday 9. Teams like Morocco and Egypt have already been eliminated, whereas the likes of Uruguay, France, Croatia and Russia have already qualified.

The first match of the day will take place between Brazil and Costa Rica in which the loser could face elimination. Iceland will take on Nigeria in the second game of the match day.

Switzerland and Serbia will play each other in the last match of the day. If Serbia manage to win it, they will seal qualification.

With a number of crucial games on the cards today, players on all teams will look to put in their best. On that note, here's a look at 5 players to watch out for on Matchday 9:

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#5 Gylfi Sigurdsson - Iceland

The Icelandic player had a pretty good game against Argentina. The attacking midfielder is one of the best players that Iceland have. He has won 7 out of the last 8 Icelandic Footballer of the Year awards.

He linked up very well with the likes of Birkir Bjarnason and Alfreð Finnbogason in the attack against Argentina. Notably, the former Spurs player has scored 19 goals in 58 matches for Iceland.

He scored 4 times in the qualification campaign for them and initiates the attack for his team. He often contributes with pre-assists, assists, and crosses, and he also scores goals for Iceland whenever required. He will certainly be the main man for Iceland against a physically strong Nigerian defence.

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#4 Nemanja Matic - Serbia

Nemanja Matic will have to be solid for Serbia

The Serbian is a quality footballer and is unarguably one of the best that the country has right now. He is a defensive midfielder but has the ability to score some extraordinary goals.

He also got the award for the best Manchester United goal in the recently concluded 2017-18 season. He is used in a holding position and is very effective with his distribution which allows his attacking teammates to flourish.

He has scored 2 goals in 41 appearances for his country. He had a decent game against Costa Rica but will have to perform better against a stronger looking Swiss attack. His experience will come in handy against the Swiss team that will do their best to defeat Serbia.

#3 Xherdan Shaqiri - Switzerland

Xherdan Shaqiri will play a crucial role

for

Switzerland

The Swiss winger is a key player for his team. He is perhaps the best Swiss player at the moment. He was very good against Brazil and also contributed with an assist. The goal came from his corner and it was well finished by Steven Zuber. He was handy in the defence as well and he can play well with both his feet and is very good in front of the goal.

He has scored 20 times in 71 appearances for his team. He will be expected to play a key role for the Swiss against the Serbians and help them inch them closer to a last 16 berth. The 'Alpine Messi' will be one of the best players on show during this match and his performance could well decide the match.

#2 Philippe Coutinho - Brazil

Philippe Coutinho scored a stunning goal against the Swiss

Philippe Coutinho plays for Barcelona and can play as a winger or an attacking midfielder. He is a creative playmaker and excels at dribbling. He is very quick on his feet and can strike the ball well from a distance. He scored a fantastic goal against Switzerland and was always able to find pockets of spaces. He has already scored 3 goals in 5 matches this year for Brazil.

Overall, he has scored 11 goals in 37 matches for Brazil and will be important for them against Costa Rica. He will look to deliver another fine performance and look to help his team to a victory.

He will be a strong contender for the Man of the Match award along with Neymar, due to his fantastic playmaking ability and superb goalscoring ability.

#1 Neymar

Neymar is capable of deciding games on his own

Who else could be on top of this list? Neymar is one of the best in the world and he has shown it to everyone already. Although he had a terrible game against Switzerland, he will still be the biggest threat to any opposition he plays against. He was fouled 10 times in the game against the Swiss and hardly had possession of the ball.

He will look to bounce back and deliver a match-winning performance for Brazil against Costa Rica. He is perfect at almost everything and will look to deliver the good this time around.

The world's most expensive player will look to add to his tally of 55 goals from 86 matches. Neymar is, without a doubt, the best player who will feature on matchday 9 and will surely look to grab the spotlight.