World Cup 2018: 5 intriguing games from the group stage

Portugal v Spain - UEFA EURO 2012 Semi Final
Cristiano Ronaldo will face off against Spain once again

After months of anticipation the WC 2018 is finally upon us, and while host nation Russia’s 5-0 victory over Saudi Arabia was relatively entertaining in the end, let’s be honest, the more appetising games in the group stage are yet to come.

For the most part, we’ll have to wait until the later rounds for clashes between true heavyweights as the likes of Germany, France and Brazil have all been drawn in different groups, but that doesn’t mean the group stage hasn’t thrown up some absolutely mouth-watering games. Here are 5 of the best clashes to come in the opening stage of the World Cup.


#1: Spain vs. Portugal – Group B – 15th June

Portugal v Spain - UEFA EURO 2012 Semi Final
Can Spain recreate their Euro 2012 win over Portugal?

This match already sounded great prior to this week’s wild controversy around Spain deciding to sack manager Julen Lopetegui on the eve of the tournament. Before that, Spain were largely considered hot favourites to beat their neighbours, but with their camp now in disarray, Cristiano Ronaldo and company have to like their chances.

Recent matches between the two have firmly been in Spain’s favour though, as they sent Portugal packing in both World Cup 2010 and Euro 2012, although the games between the two were always close. In this tournament, Spain are coming in as one of the favourites while Portugal – the reigning European champions – are largely seen as dark horses.

With talent such as Ronaldo, Bernardo Silva, Gelson Martins and William Carvalho at their disposal Portugal look stronger than they have done in recent tournaments, but Spain have more proven talent in the form of Sergio Busquets, Isco and David Silva. Expect fireworks from this one as both sides love to attack.

#2: Argentina vs Iceland - Group D - 16 June

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Can Lionel Messi power Argentina past underdogs Iceland?

Iceland were, of course, the surprise package at Euro 2016, as they kept Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal quiet before upsetting a David Alaba-led Austria and most famously, England, en route to a Quarter-Final defeat by France.

Russia 2018 will be their first World Cup but their organisation, heart and willingness to work hard makes them a tricky side for anyone to handle. More of their players are now plying their trade in top European leagues, and don’t forget they finished above Croatia in qualifying.

Argentina meanwhile are usually considered amongst the favourites for any World Cup, but even with Lionel Messi leading the line that doesn’t seem to be the case this time. They stumbled through qualification, losing to Ecuador, Bolivia and Paraguay along the way, and had to rely on a Messi hat-trick in their final game to avoid being condemned to a playoff spot.

While they do have one of the world’s best in Messi – as well as other huge talents like Sergio Aguero and Paulo Dybala – their defence this time is notably weak and they recently lost goalkeeper Sergio Romero to injury too. Could a big upset in favour of Iceland be on the cards on the opening weekend of the World Cup? Stranger things have happened.

#3: France vs. Australia – Group C – 16th June

France v Netherlands - FIFA 2018 World Cup Qualifier
Kylian Mbappe will be looking to open his World Cup account against Australia

France are coming into the tournament with a lot of hype behind them and quite rightfully so – in the form of Antoine Griezmann, Kylian Mbappe, Nabil Fekir and Ousmane Dembele they have one of the most formidable attacking lines of any of the World Cup’s squads. Add in other top-class players in other areas – Paul Pogba, Raphael Varane, Thomas Lemar and Samuel Umtiti to name four – and it’s easy to see why they’re amongst the favourites.

Perhaps the biggest question mark around the hopes of Les Bleus this time hangs over manager Didier Deschamps – who captained France to their first World Cup victory in 1998. Known as a somewhat conservative manager, whether he’ll truly be able to unleash the awesome attacking power of his side is a bit of an unknown right now.

That’s why their opening game with Australia is so interesting. One of the weaker squads in the tournament, the Socceroos are big on heart but short on talent – their most outstanding player being Huddersfield’s Aaron Mooy. But boss Bert van Marwijk is renowned for putting together well-organised, tough-to-beat sides, and the Aussies lost just once in qualifying.

If France can set their stall early and tear Australia apart, then the rest of the field will sit up and take notice. But if they stutter – as they did at times at Euro 2016 – then anything is possible – including an upset for the Socceroos.

#4: Colombia vs. Poland – Group H – June 24th

FBL-WC-2018-QUALIFIER-POL-MNE
Robert Lewandowski hit 16 goals for Poland in qualification

It’s a little harsh to call any side in the World Cup a one-man team, but Poland and Colombia come closer than most simply because their two best players are equally fantastic. Colombia can call upon the talents of James Rodriguez – arguably the best player at the 2014 World Cup and a man who looked rejuvenated at Bayern Munich this season – while Poland have his Bayern teammate Robert Lewandowski, recognised as one of the world’s best strikers for the best part of a decade now.

Colombia made the quarter-finals of the 2014 tournament and their squad remains largely unchanged – alongside Rodriguez will be the likes of Carlos Bacca and Juan Cuadrado, as well as emerging Tottenham super-talent Davinson Sanchez. Qualification wasn’t perfect as they lost 5 games, but it never felt likely that they wouldn’t be in Russia.

Poland meanwhile have a tremendous goalkeeper in Wojciech Szczesny and other talented players like Jan Bednarek and Arkadiusz Milik. They won their qualification group and scored 28 goals along the way – only a handful of European sides scored more.

Let’s be honest, though – this game is massively intriguing because it’s James vs. Lewandowski, one of the most mouth-watering sounding clashes in the entire group stage. If the respective defences can’t keep either man out then we might be in for a goal-fest here.

#5: England vs. Belgium – Group G – June 28th

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Can Harry Kane get the upper hand over Spurs teammates Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen?

The last time England faced Belgium at a major tournament was at Italia 1990, a game that looked to be heading for penalties before David Platt’s famous swivelling volley won it for England at the last possible moment. Both countries have seen mixed fortunes since, and it’s Belgium who come into this clash as favourites, as they have a ton of world-class players to call upon – the likes of Vincent Kompany, Kevin de Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku.

But England might fancy their chances here simply because the majority of Belgium’s stars play in the Premier League, most of them alongside the members of England’s squad. Gareth Southgate’s side will probably know no other side better than the Belgians, and with question marks over Belgium’s manager Roberto Martinez and how he can utilise all of the talent at his disposal, things might not be so bleak for the Three Lions after all.

Can Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld keep out their Spurs teammates Harry Kane and Dele Alli? Can John Stones put a stop to the creativity of Kevin de Bruyne? Do England really have the defensive strength to stand up to the brute power of Romelu Lukaku? These are all questions that will hopefully be answered on June 28th – and as it’s the last group game, if either side slips up in their previous games, everything could be at stake


Which is the team you are backing? Let us know in the comments section below!.

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Edited by Kishan Prasad