World Cup 2018: 5 players to watch out for on Matchday 7

At the end of the first round of fixtures for every team in the WC, it is time to head into the next. The second round will leave the teams with knowing exactly what they need to do, and no room for error whatsoever.

Matchday 7 of the World Cup will see Portugal take on Morocco (17:30 IST) and Spain face off against Iran (23:30 IST) from Group B, while in Group A Uruguay take on Saudi Arabia (20:30 IST) in their quest to qualify for the next round.

A win for Uruguay here will see them and Russia become the first teams to qualify for the next round, while Portugal and Spain will want to get to the coveted No.1 spot in the group.

There are several stars in the line-ups who are capable of turning the game on its head, and here's a look at 5 of them:

---

#5 Hakim Ziyech

Ziyech was the heartbeat of the attack in the game against Iran

The creative star from Morocco, he had a brilliant first half against Iran in the opener, but a below-par second half ensured that Morocco did not run away with the match like they threatened to in the first 30 odd minutes.

Ziyech was the most likely to score for the team, but had his attempts brilliantly thwarted by the Iranian keeper, and will find Rui Patricio just as annoyingly hard to score against. But his pace and creativity will surely to be a handful for the ageing Portuguese defence, especially the centre backs.

Ziyech is more of a playmaker than he is a goal-scorer, and his biggest strength is to find his teammates on the flanks with his teasing long balls. The full backs will have to take that into account, as Ziyech is capable of making things happen out of nothing and will release a teammate just as it looked like it was a normal play.

#4 Bernardo Silva

The playmaker will have his hands full against a solid Morocco side

Bernardo Silva flew under the radar in Portugal's first game because of Ronaldo's heroics, but looking at the way Iran was set up against Morocco, his creativity in midfield will be vital to Portugal getting all 3 points here.

Operating on the right, Silva will come up against Saiss and Hakimi, both of whom are much more physical than him and will not be afraid to use that to their advantage to stop the play-maker.

However, Pep Guardiola's confidence in the youngster seems to have made him even better, as he is now more inclined to go on the attack than during his excellent spell at Monaco. He is not afraid to venture forward with the ball at his feet and dribble his way around the defence, which is one of his strongest traits.

#3 Edinson Cavani

Cavani had an excellent game against Egypt, and it is only a matter of time before he scores

After seeing what Russia did to Saudi Arabia in their opener, Cavani would have rubbed his hands in glee at the thought of facing the Saudi defence, and rightly so. If Cavani can even perform at half the level he does at Paris Saint Germain, that should be a painful 90 minutes in store for them.

The Uruguayan attack did not look at its best in their first game against Egypt, and despite that it was Cavani at his best. He set up Suarez for 3 great balls, and almost scored a superb volley, only to be denied by the keeper, and on the other occasions, being let down by Suarez.

Saudi Arabia is the shortest team in this year's tournament, and if Uruguay can get their crosses right to Cavani, there is a chance for a flurry of goals, and then some more. There is no sight of salvation for the Saudi defence, and the best they can hope for is to not concede too many.

Then again, just how many is too many?

#2 Isco

The driving force of the Spanish attack

Diego Costa might have been the one who got on the scoresheet for Spain in their opener, but the Iranian defence is much more physical than what the Portuguese put up, and against them, a technical player like Isco is much more likely to be the star.

Isco's thunderous shot rattled the crossbar against Portugal, and he was unlucky not to score there. Against Iran however, the game will not be as open and chances will be few and far between.

He will have to deal with the wily Jahanbakhsh and Rezaeian in defence, both of whom are not that easy to trick. This is where Isco's passing comes into play, as he can lay up the ball to the much better Spanish midfield - Iniesta, Koke and Busquets - and run into spaces between the defences.

While Isco still may not be able to score, he will be the one the Iranian defence focuses on, thus providing the other attackers to get space ahead of them. And if that means Costa gets space ahead, it will be a job well done.

#1 Cristiano Ronaldo

Morocco will prove a tough nut to crack, which will only make Ronaldo try harder.

You knew this was coming all along.

Cristiano Ronaldo is as pumped up as he can be for this World Cup, and after decimating his way through Spain, now it is time for Morocco to face the fury. However, it will not be a matter of simple undertaking.

The Moroccans are a solid bunch at the back and like to keep the ball with them instead of relying on counters. Portugal are not likely to have a lot of time on the ball as they would like, and when they do it will have to be a quick, fluid motion before the Moroccan defence can sort themselves out.

Ronaldo's pace here will be a major difference, as well as his ability to get physical with the defence. Guedes alongside him showed a tendency to look for Ronaldo against Spain, and that might not be such a good idea against a much more defensive side.

In Benatia and Saiss, Morocco has solid centre-backs and their gameplan will be to ensure that Ronaldo gets as little of the ball as possible. Do not be surprised if there are always two men marking him, but as Ronaldo showed - all he needs is free-kick outside the box to change things around.