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Group D of the world cup consists of former winners and last year's runners-up Argentina from CONMEBOL, Iceland, and Croatia as part of the European contingent and finally, Argentina's inseparable mates Nigeria from Africa.
This could qualify as a group of death at the world cup, considering just how unpredictable the teams are. Argentina is not in the best of forms, Croatia is Croatia, Iceland are a roller-coaster ride that only goes up and Nigeria can never be written off.
Most likely to go through to the RO16: Argentina, Croatia. Unless you're Jose Mourinho, in which case it is Argentina and Nigeria.
Argentina
If 4 years ago, someone had told you that Argentina would struggle to qualify for the 2018 World Cup, and it would require Messi grabbing them by the scruff of their necks on the last match day, you would have declared them crazy.
That is precisely what happened. Argentina qualified in third place from the CONMEBOL qualifiers, way behind Brazil and 3 points behind Uruguay in second place. It took a hat-trick from the little magician on the last day to secure qualification for La Albiceleste, who for some reason still place him below Maradona in terms of national hero status.
Coach: Jorge Sampaoli
After leading Chile to the 2015 Copa America, and a stint at Sevilla where he was praised for his high-press tactics, he took over the position of manager at Argentina in May 2017. His sole job was to salvage the dumpster fire that was Argentina's qualifying campaign and considering the time he had at hand, Sampaoli has done the best he can.
Sampaoli's tactics with the national team are here and there for the most part. Sometimes, it resembles his Sevilla team with his fast-paced type of football, and sometimes they pass the ball to Messi and hope for the best.
The goalkeeper's spot was locked down for Argentina with Sergio Romero, but an injury has ensured that he won't be part of the squad. In place of him will be Nahuel Guzman of Tigres as the third keeper.
Usually, Caballero will be the one starting but after a string of poor outings, culminating in a 1-6 defeat to Spain, most fans feel that it might be time for Armani to start in goal. There is no clear decision between the two from Sampaoli's camp, so we have to wait.
A back 4 like most teams will see Manchester City's Otamendi and Roma's Fazio play as CBs. The two will be coming off excellent seasons with their respective clubs, meaning that Marcus Rojo will have to settle for the bench.
Rojo plays as a left back for Argentina, and even in that position, he will be eclipsed by Ajax's Tagliafico. Tagliafico is a very dynamic attacker and clever defender and will be partnered by Mercado on the right wing.
Sampaoli is still not very sure about the formation, as he has gone from a 4-3-3 to a 4-2-3-1, or at times to even a 3-5-2. The 4-2-3-1 is what is most likely to be played, with 2 of Banega, Biglia, Mascherano and Lo Celso taking up the role.
Despite being Argentina's most capped player, Mascarenho is not the player he was at Barcelona and his legs are shot. Banega and Lo Celso are the best pairing possible, as Banega has a very good work rate to go with his attacking talents.
This is Argentina's biggest weakness, as the midfield can be easily passed by teams that have the pace or have someone capable of delivering pinpoint passes from the back. It will be interesting to see how they cope against Croatia and their world-class midfield.
Messi, as usual, will play as the man behind the striker, with Di Maria on the left and Lanzini or Pavon on the other side of him. Pavon's chemistry with Messi during their friendlies was very evident and it might be the deciding factor in choosing the player on the right.
Where is Dybala, you ask? There is the problem. If Argentina want to play Dybala, they have to use him as a striker, where Aguero/Higuain are much better than him. The other option is to play him as another attacking midfielder alongside Messi behind the striker, but that exposes the flanks.
The answer is to use Dybala as a super-sub, with Messi moving to the right once Dybala comes in as the attacking central midfielder. There is the final question of whether to play Higuain or Aguero as the striker.
If the friendlies are anything to go by, Argentina work much (no exaggeration) with Aguero than they do with Higuain. No offense to Pipita, but even at Juventus he has had a relatively mellow season and it won't make too many heads turn if he is dropped from the starting XI.
Player to watch out for: Lionel Messi
After coming so close yet so far last tournament, this is Messi's chance to silence people back home who say his heart doesn't beat for Argentina as it does for Barcelona. Messi might even play the next edition, but why wait 4 more years?
Without any quantum of doubt, it will be his job to guide the team through. The world cup trophy is the one thing that is missing from that envious cabinet of his, and helping Argentina will also bring with it one more Ballon d'Or.
Despite being an excellent team on paper, the qualifiers took away a lot of hype surrounding the team. Maybe it was intentional all along.
Iceland
Look away England fans, because this is going to bring back some painful memories.
Iceland rose to prominence with their upset win over England in the Euro 2016 and kept that place in people's hearts with the Viking clap, and a first-time appearance in the World Cup is just the icing on that cake.
Surprisingly, Iceland qualified as the toppers from their qualification group ahead of the likes of Croatia and Turkey. Unlike what most people believe, Iceland are no pushovers and at the same time, they won't be winning the World Cup.
What we will be getting is three entertaining games and the constant reminder of how 10-20% of Iceland's population is there watching the WC. But the logistics of traveling from their home country to Russia is harder than to France, so not a lot of Vikings is expected this time around.
Coach: Heimir Hallgrimsson
Hallgrimsson is certainly the most interesting manager to be at the WC. He has managed several women's teams, before serving as an assistant to the coach of the National team. While he was the assistant to then-manager Lagerback, Iceland qualified for the 2014 WC playoffs, losing out to Croatia.
Shortly after that, Heimir signed on as joint-coach but took complete control over the team after the success of the Euros. Amidst all this, he worked as a part-time dentist in his village and only now has he let go of that profession. There's a man who won't be bogged down by pressure anytime soon.
Hanes Halldorsson is the keeper most likely to start in goal for the Icelanders, despite Schram being the only player on the team whose name doesn't end with -son. Iceland play a 4-4-2 at times but switching to a more effective 4-2-3-1 when necessary.
A backline of Saevarsson, Sigurdsson, Magnusson, and Arnason is most likely to be employed, with Skluason fighting it out with Magnusson for a spot as the full-back. Magnusson has made the spot his own in recent times, and he is capable of long runs while also being an astute defender.
The midfield will see Everton's Gylfi Sigurdsson playing as the No.10 behind the striker(s), a role he is best suited for. Assisting him will be the captain, Aron Gunnarsson and those famous long throws of his.
It was one of the key tools for Iceland during their Euros, as they use their physicality and strength to get on the end of his dangerous balls and catch the opposition by surprise.
Burnley's Gudmundsson had one of the best impacts in the PL this season, and he will be Iceland's wild card this time around. Finnbogason and Bodvarson are the two strikers in the team, with the former scoring 3 goals during the qualifiers.
Iceland were a largely defensive team during the Euros, but whether that will work during the WC against teams that like to go on the attack is not certain. Iceland might try to change their tactics as well, but as things stand now, they are not notorious for attacking.
Player to watch out for: Johann Berg Gudmundsson
Although Sigurdsson is whom most people know, Gudmundsson is in fantastic form, and enough to be mentioned. Playing for a side as defensive as Burnley, he managed 2 goals and 8 assists this season - and that is pretty much how Iceland play as well.
His long balls from midfield are absolutely lethal, and he also occasionally pops into the box on set-pieces.
Croatia
The perennial dark horses of the WC are back once more, and this time in a group that will do nothing to help them get rid of that tag. After missing out in 2010, and getting in last time after winning their play-offs against fellow group mates Iceland in 2014, this is one last chance for Croatia's golden generation to come good.
Croatia qualified as the runner-up of their European qualifier group, behind Iceland and were drawn together in the same group. A lot of fans hate their own team because of just how corrupt and shady their FA is, but hopefully, they can find it in their hearts to support their team during the WC.
Coach: Zlatko Dalic
Dalic was granted the job only in October 2017, and he immediately repaid their faith in him by leading Croatia to a 4-1 playoff win over Greece in order to secure their qualification to Russia.
Dalic has proved to be tactically astute - his greatest decision was to employ Modric in a more advanced role than he usually plays at Real Madrid. Before this appointment, he had a very successful career in UAE with Al-Ain and Dalic might be the coach who finally helps Croatia break free of their potential.
Croatia make use of a classic 4-2-3-1 system, with Monaco's Subasic as their goalkeeper. Corluka, Vida, Strinic/Lovren and Atletico Madrid's Vrsaljko complete their defensive line, with Vrsaljko as their most dynamic player.
The Croatian has firmly established himself at Atletico and makes use of that organization and discipline in the national team as well. At right back, he constantly bombs forward while the other fullback is content to remain back.
Objectively, Croatia has one of the best midfields in the tournament and is their greatest strength. With Badelj and Rakitic as the deep-lying play-makers, all Croatia needs to do is make runs into the box and wait for the ball to find them.
Rakitic is the more industrious of the two, and will play a role similar to Busquets at Barcelona. Modric is free to roam forward, playing as the No.10 or the attacking midfielder, just behind the striker
The flanks are taken up by Perisic and Kramaric - again one of Dalic's plans. He was the one who stuck with Kramaric as the right winger, and the Hoffenheim player has taken to the position like a duck to water.
The striker is usually Mandzukic, but the Juventus player doesn't suit Croatia's system that well. The alternative is Milan's Kalinic - who is very good when playing for the national team. Another option is to start Kramaric as striker, and play one of Kovacic/Brozovic as the central midfielder.
Player to watch out for: Luka Modric
LM10, as Real Madrid fans have taken to calling him, is one of the best midfielders ever and is one of the best footballers in the world at the moment. A role where he is encouraged to go even forward and try things simply cannot go wrong.
Modric also has an excellent support cast around him to make things happen. It will be up to him to ensure that Croatia's greatest generation in possibly their last WC do not return as another also-ran.
Nigeria
As mentioned before, Jose Mourinho's surprise pick to get out of the group along with Argentina. Honestly, when has he ever been wrong? This will be Nigeria's third straight appearance in the WC finals, and their third straight time being drawn together with Argentina.
Nigeria qualified as the winners of their third round qualification group from Africa, and have one of the best kits in the tournament. Seriously, look it up. It would be a pleasure simply watching them strut around the field.
Coach: Gernot Rohr
Rohr is a very experienced coach, having managed teams all across the globe before ending up at the Super Eagles. He has been Nigeria's national coach since August 2016, guiding them through their qualification process.
His style is based on his team's strengths, high pressing football and beating the defenders with pace. Because Nigeria is a very young team at the WC, they are severely underrated and come into the group as underdogs.
The goalkeeper's squad is what most fans consider to be Nigeria's biggest weakness, and the one thing standing between them and a premature exit. None of the called-up goalkeepers play at the elite levels or have the required experience in a high-level tournament.
The job will most likely go to Uzoho, who is very underwhelming and shaky most of the time for the club during his limited playing time. He even made a mistake during their last friendly with England, when he misjudged a shot from Harry Kane and the ball went between him and the ground.
Shehu, Ekong, Balogun, and Echieljile are most likely to start as the defensive line, but even that is not without troubles. Echieljile is 30 years old, and somehow gives off the air of someone much older. He will be the vulnerable point in the defense, as wingers can skip past him with considerable ease.
Nigeria switch between a 4-3-3 or a 4-2-3-1, both featuring John Obi Mikel and Onazi as the holding midfielders. If it is a three-man midfield, Leicester City's Ndidi comes into the midfield.
Mikel and Onazi are extremely solid and provide very good cover for their team for the entire 90 minutes. Ndidi adds a dimension to the attack when he is chosen, even if he comes in late as a substitute.
Unlike at Chelsea, Victor Moses plays a very forward role - as a winger or even behind the striker when necessary. Leicester's Iheanacho and China-settled Ighalo share their duties as striker depending upon the opponent.
Iheanacho is employed when Nigeria need to hold up the ball and beat teams with their pace. Against teams that they can beat from the air, Ighalo is preferred because of his strength on the ball.
Arsenal's Alex Iwobi is the other winger and is a much better player for the national team than he is at Arsenal. He combines brilliantly with the other forwards, and his late runs into the box are scary on their own. He can score a lot of goals off rebounds, using his pace to outrun the defenders - similar to the one he scored against England.
Player to watch out for: Alex Iwobi
Iwobi might look out of his depth most of the time he plays for Arsenal, but he is an entirely different player for the national team. He goes for the audacious at every possible turn, and more often than not, it works.
Some fans even complain that he might be doing more than necessary and in the process ruining their attacks, but Iwobi is the best player on the side. If it is stupid and it works, it is not stupid.
