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The UEFA Qualifiers of the 2018 FIFA World Cup are on the verge of ending, and this November, we will find out which the remaining four teams that will represent Europe in the FIFA World Cup next year will be. Italy, Sweden, Ireland, Denmark, Croatia, Greece, Switzerland and Northern Ireland are all vying for a World Cup berth.
The matches that will determine which teams will advance and which ones will go home were decided weeks ago, and we are going to see some epic battles and some intense matches all over the continent.
Italy will square off against Sweden, trying to maintain their streak of World Cup appearances alive, Ireland will play against Denmark in a battle of two evenly-matched teams, Croatia will battle against Greece, looking to translate their on-paper superiority to the pitch, and Switzerland will meet with Northern Ireland hoping to re-validate everything they did in the group stage, where they registered nine wins and just one defeat.
All eight teams have quality players, but there are a few names that stand out above the rest and that should lead their teams in the respective draws.
Names that, either due to their immense international experience, their presence in a top-tier club, or simply due to what they mean for their respective countries, are ticketed to play a huge role for their respective countries.
Without further ado, here are 5 players to watch during the 2018 UEFA World Cup playoff round.
#5 Sokratis Papastathopoulos (Greece)
Let's be honest. Greece do not have much of a realistic chance to reach the 2018 World Cup, considering they must defeat Croatia if they want to advance. The Hellenic side simply do not have the talent, the experience, or the overall quality to the attacking firepower to potentially upset one of the most balanced teams in the continent.
But let's take a trip down to memory lane, shall we? Experts said the exact same thing about Greece prior to the 2004 European Championship, and they won the title.
Therefore, they must repeat their focus in this two-legged playoff tie against Croatia and rely on their defence - as well as Kostas Mitroglou upfront - if they want to pull the upset. And Greece's defensive line starts with one name: Sokratis Papastathopoulos
The Borussia Dortmund centre-back has been one of the most reliable and consistent defenders in the Bundesliga over the past few seasons, and he has emerged as the undisputed leader of Greece's defensive line over the past five years.
His partnership at the back alongside AS Roma's Kostas Manolas is an impressive one, and together, both have enough experience to deal with the threat of players such as Mario Mandzukic, Ivan Perisic and Ivan Rakitic, among others.
Greece's focus can't be to solely defend during both matches. But they know where their strengths and weaknesses lie, so they can't lie to themselves about it. They know they must limit Croatia's attacking power just to have a chance. And Sokratis will play a huge role in that department.
#4 Xherdan Shaqiri (Switzerland)
Switzerland were quite unlucky during their 2018 FIFA World Cup Qualifying campaign. Despite winning their first nine matches, they had to decide their fate in the final contest of the group stage against Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal. And a 0-2 loss forced them to settle with a playoff berth, where they will face Northern Ireland.
The Swiss side have several interesting players on their squad such as Ricardo Rodriguez, Roman Burki and Haris Seferovic, among others. But the team's most decisive player should be Xherdan Shaqiri. The former Bayern Munich and current Stoke City playmaker is the team's most important playmaker, and he is usually the one pulling the strings on the side in the final third.
His creativity in the final third is one of his best aspects and, even though he might struggle a bit with the physicality of the opposing defenders, he is quite used to that since he has been playing in the Premier League for a decent amount of time now. He can battle that with his pace and skill.
Considering Northern Ireland are likely to play with a defensive style, Switzerland will need creativity to penetrate the opposing defensive line. And while the attackers need to be sharp and the defence needs to be at their best, Shaqiri will be extremely important.
He must carry the team on his back and show his teammates the way if Switzerland want to clinch another World Cup appearance.
#3 Christian Eriksen (Denmark)
Denmark are not the star-studded side they used to be during the 1990s, but they are living a rebuilding process that should give them quite a few satisfactions. They are not a top side in Europe, but have enough talent to upset almost any team in the world.
And while their playoff tie against Republic Ireland puts them as favourites on paper, there is no question that Denmark must perform at the top of their game to advance to the World Cup next year.
The Danish side has an interesting core featuring Kasper Schmeichel, Simon Kjaer, Yussuf Poulsen, and youngster Kasper Dolberg. But the one player that must lead the side is Christian Eriksen.
The former Ajax and current Tottenham star is considered to be one of the best attacking midfielders in the English Premier League, and he is the engine that keeps the Danish team going.
His play will be key for the Danish side, and all eyes will be on him to see if he can lead his country to the promised land.
Eriksen already has put in a lot of interesting displays with his country in recent years. He led the team in terms of scoring during the World Cup Qualifiers, with eight goals in ten matches, a sum that ranked him fifth in the entire UEFA region and one that lifted him as the most productive scoring midfielder in the qualifying run.
Ireland defeated Wales on their way to the playoffs so they won't be easy opponents. But, if Eriksen is sharp, Denmark have a huge chance of making it to the World Cup after missing out four years ago.
#2 Luka Modric (Croatia)
Along with Sweden and Italy, Croatia must be one of the most talented teams in the UEFA World Cup Qualifiers. Even though, sometimes, names do not necessarily form a competent national team, Croatia have enough players to compete against any team in the world.
And who would argue otherwise? It only takes one look to their squad to see elements such as Ivan Rakitic, Mario Mandzukic, Darijo Srna, Ivan Perisic, Marcelo Brozovic and Mateo Kovacic as some of the names that Croatia usually field on a regular basis.
But even if we consider that insane amount of talent, there is little doubt that the most important player on the Balkan side is no other than Real Madrid's midfielder Luka Modric. The former Tottenham playmaker has somehow improved further since joining Los Blancos, and he is arguably among the best midfielders in the world at the moment.
Croatia are one of the heavy favourites to snag a World Cup berth, since they will play against Greece, but they can't get complacent. The Greek side have enough talent to complicate any team in Europe, and Croatia need to be at their best offensively.
And if they want to reach the tournament next year, Luka Modric must play a huge role. He will be in charge of connecting the defence with the attack, in a similar role to what he does at Real Madrid, but with fewer defensive responsibilities.
Let's be honest, though. If he can do half of what he does at Real Madrid, then Croatia have a big chance of making it to the World Cup.
#1 Ciro Immobile (Italy)
Italy are, without a doubt, the most talented team to take part in the UEFA World Cup Qualifiers' playoff round. But they will also engage in one of the most difficult battles to reach the tournament next year, as they will play against Sweden, another difficult team in their own right, and one with lots of interesting players (even if they don't have Zlatan Ibrahimovic anymore).
Gli Azzurri need to be at their best if they want to reach the World Cup. We know their stout defence gives them quite an edge against less experienced sides, as the combined experience between Gianluigi Buffon, Giorgio Chiellini, Andrea Barzagli and Leonardo Bonucci is certainly a plus.
But, they can't rely solely on their defence, and they must be at full capacity of their attacking talent to defeat the Scandinavian side. And one player that needs to shine is Ciro Immobile.
The Lazio striker has been one of the most productive players in Europe during the current term, and already has 18 goals in 15 appearances across all competitions. If those numbers do not look impressive, what would you say if we tell you that he has been more productive than players such as Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Robert Lewandowski?
Yes, he has been THAT good. If he can replicate that form for his national team - something that has not quite happened yet - then Italy should breeze their way into yet another World Cup.
