FIFA World Cup 2018: Matches to watch out for in the final round of group stages

It’s safe to say that the 2018 edition of the FIFA World Cup has lived up to all expectations. While some of the pre-tournament favourites including Germany, Spain & Argentina have floundered, minnows such as Mexico, Russia & Iran have risen to the occasion. The tournament has also unearthed some great young talents including Hirving Lozano of Mexico & Quintero of Colombia. Harry Kane currently leads the race for the golden boot with 5 goals but is closely followed by Cristiano Ronaldo & Romelu Lukaku, both of whom have 4 goals to their name.

Heading into the final round of group games only have a handful of teams have cemented their berth in the quarters. While none of the "favourites" are yet to be knocked out, the fates of Argentina, Portugal, Brazil, and Germany are dependent on the outcomes of their final games.

In this article, we’ll be looking at some of the key fixtures in the final round of group games.

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#1 Iran vs Portugal

Coming into their final group stage tie against Iran, Portugal has 4 points from their two games and will need at least a point to cement a place in the round of 16. Iran, on the other hand, will most definitely need a win to qualify for the knockouts for the first time in their history. A draw may also be enough for Iran but would then have to hope for Spain to lose against Morocco by two or more goals.

It’s fair to say that Portugal has heavily relied on their captain, Cristiano Ronaldo up to this point. The 33-year-old has scored all 4 goals for Portugal so far and will once again need to step up against Iran. Against Morocco, the Portuguese were poor on the ball, turning over possession one too many times. Iran needed a slice of luck to overcome the Moroccans with an injury-time own-goal giving them the three points. Against Spain, the Asian giants put in a gutsy defensive display but were undone by a second-half goal by Diego Costa.

The game promises to be an enthralling encounter and one in which Portugal should come out on top.

#2 Nigeria vs Argentina

It can be said without a doubt that Argentina has been the biggest disappointment of the tournament so far. Heading into their final group game, they sit bottom of the table with just a single point and a goal difference of -3 to show for their efforts. Simply said, Argentina will need to win and win well at that, a mere 3 points will not be enough if Iceland manages to upset Croatia in their final group game. As for Nigeria, a win will cement their place in the round of 16 while a draw will see them depending on the Croatia-Iceland game.

Frustration was visible on the faces of Messi and his men as they struggled to break down the Croatian ranks. Defensively they’ve been poor and will need to up their game drastically against a young Nigerian attack. Argentina hasn’t had much luck in front of the goal as well, Messi himself has had 12 attempts on goal till now but has failed to convert any of them. Nigeria had a poor start to the tournament as they were completely outplayed by the Croats. Iceland also gave them some trouble but an inspired second-half performance saw them coming away as 2-0 winners.

The previous encounter between these two sides saw Nigeria coming out on top as 4-2 winners. Super Eagles will be hoping for a repeat of that performance but Argentina might just get their act together.

#3 Brazil vs Serbia

Unlike their South American rivals, Brazil has shown glimpses of quality in their two games so far. After starting out strong against Switzerland in their opener, they were pegged back as the game went on and ultimately held to a 1-1 draw. Costa Rica proved to be equally stubborn opponents but the Little Canaries came out on top thanks to late goals from Coutinho and Neymar. A draw would be sufficient for the Brazilians to book themselves a place in the round of 16.

For many, the Serbians were the dark-horses heading into the tournament. While they gave a good account of themselves in their 1-0 win over Costa Rica, Serbia struggled against the pace of the Swiss of the attack, ultimately going down 2-1. It has to be seen how the ageing Serbian defense will cope with the pace of the Brazilian attack. The Eagles will need a win against Brazil to book a place in the knockouts; even a draw would do but will then have to depend on Costa Rica to beat the Swiss by two or more goals.

The last time Brazil made an exit in the group stages of the World Cup was in 1982.

#4 Mexico vs Sweden

When the groups were drawn ahead of the tournament, Germany was expected to come out on top of Group F and leave Mexico and Sweden to fight it out amongst each other for second place. One thing is for sure, Germany hasn’t had it easy. Mexico currently sit on top of the table with two wins, one of which came against the Germans. Sweden were agonizingly close to repeating Mexico’s heroics against the Germans but were undone by some late Toni Kroos magic.

Mexico needs just a draw while Sweden can only rest easy with a win. A draw may be enough for Sweden as well, but will then have to hope for Germany to lose to South Korea. The last time these two teams met in the WC was back in 1958 when Sweden hosted the tournament; the hosts on that day came away as 3-0 winners and will be hoping for a similar result on Wednesday.