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Group B
Portugal - Quarter Finals
As we've always discussed, Portugal's path out of the groups should be fairly straightforward, and their progress in the tournament will depend largely on whether or not they win group B.
If Spain are to take the top spot, which seems likely, then Portugal will likely come up against Uruguay in the round of 16. A tough game, no doubt, but one they should probably win.
If everything else goes as most people are predicting, then this will lead to a rematch of the Euro 2016 final, with Portugal coming up against France.
The Portuguese got the best of France that night, but Les Bleus seem more motivated this tournament, and Portugal are solely relying on the 33-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo.
Ronaldo has never shone in the World Cup in the way he should, and the Portuguese fans will be hoping that they can rely on him to pull out the stops in Russia. It will be his last chance at World Cup glory, and the Portuguese team are largely dependent on him.
Spain - Semi Finals
Spain are one of the four favourites to win the tournament in Russia, along with Germany, France, and Brazil.
The Spaniards should have a fairly easy path to the quarter-finals of the tournament, with only Portugal being viable threats to them in a group which also features Iran and Morocco.
Spain will probably face the runner-up or the winner of Group A in the round of 16, and while Uruguay or Egypt could cause some problems, it seems fairly reasonable to presume Spain will get past them.
That brings us to the quarters, where Spain's most likely opponents are going to be Argentina. Spain destroyed Argentina in Madrid a few months, racking up an impressive six goals to Argentina's one.
That being said, Argentina were without Messi that day, and the Barcelona star is going to be desperate to finally get his hands on the World Cup in Russia. Spain will likely prove too strong for them though, and a semi-final encounter with Germany looks likely.
Germany are the reigning champions, and with one of the most impressive squads in the tournament, they will likely have too much for Spain on the day. Of course, at that stage of the tournament, it really is anyone's game, but I'm hedging my bets here and predicting Spain leave the tournament in the penultimate stage.
Morocco - Group Stage
Like Iran, Morocco have little to no hope of getting out of Group B, though, they have to be considered favourites to take the third spot.
The Moroccans have a slightly better World Cup record than Iran, having won two games in their history in the tournament, and they even managed to progress to the knock-out stages back in 1986.
Juventus defender, Medhi Benatia, the team's captain, could be key for them in Russia, but the experienced centre-back will have his hands full dealing with Portugal and Spain.
A victory over Iran and a humiliating defeat for one of Spain or Portugal in the opening games could see them try to mount some sort of upset here, but it seems highly improbable.
Iran - Group Stage
Poor Iran. Their World Cup journey is not likely to last very long, with the top 2 spots in Group B almost guaranteed to be occupied by Spain and Portugal.
The Iranians will battle it out for the third spot with Morocco, and their game against the African nation will likely determine who takes it. A draw means it will likely come down to whichever team concedes the least goals in the games against Portugal and Spain.
The Iranians have only won one World Cup game in their history, so a second victory over Morocco would be considered a good World Cup for them.
