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Uruguay-Saudi Arabia World Cup 2018

WORLD-CUP-Uruguay-NATIONAL-FOOTBALL-TEAM-LOGO-LIGHT-FOR-CHEERING-SOCCER-FANS-LUMINOUS-ELECTRONIC-CUSTOMIZED-CAR.jpg_640x640

URUGUAY

VS

MATSPORTS

SAUDI ARABIA

                                                20th June 2018  Rostov Arena

Day
Hour
Minute
Second

 URUGUAY

Uruguay first game was disappointing! They were trying to score a goal for 90 minutes, something very unusual when you have such a strong front line lead by Suarez and Cavani. Both of them had limited chances to shoot against the good Egyptian defence. The chances that Suarez had one on one against the goalkeeper were missed also and he got very frustrated because of them, he was not on top of his game for sure and now he has the chance to prove himself against Saudi Arabia. Cavani made couple good plays but he had never a clear chance to shoot the ball, the freekick that he made in the 88 minutes was with a perfect quality but he got unlucky to hit the crossbar. Godin and Gimenez didn't have that much work to do and they were trying their best to help in the attack especially form freekick and corner kick(the goal came exactly from a situation like this when Gimenez found a perfect position and with and very precise header he punished the Egyptians). Caceres, Varela and Bentacur made a good performance and they should be able to keep it against Saudi Arabia.

SAUDI ARABIA

There is not much to say about the performance for Saudi Arabia in their first game. They got totally overplayed by the strong team of Russia, who was waiting for them very patiently and punished them after every single mistake that they did. They had the possession of the ball (61% of the time) complete twice more passes than Russia (442) but they did not have a shot on goal for the whole game. Thier attack had no idea and no strength to pass the Russian defence line. Saudi Arabia announced that they will show their real face in the next game and prove that they are capable of playing world-class football.

 

PREDICITON

The two teams disappointed in their first game. Suarez and Cavani are two names that stayed in the shadow and now they have the chance to get out from there and show that they are world-class strikers. We expect both of them to create a lot of chances against the weak defence of Saudi Arabia. Godin and Gimenez will have a very calm day and will try to score a goal from a free kick or a corner kick. Saudi Arabia has nothing to expect from this game, they showed that their form and skills are not enough to play against a team like Russia, facing Uruguay will not be easier. We expect a goal for Uruguay in the first half and a couple more in the second. Will Saudi Arabia make a shot on goal? Probably yes. We don't want to disrespect the team of Saudi Arabia, but we don't think that they have a chance here against the pissed off Uruguayan strikers.

 

Uruguay to win at least with 2 goals (5 points at 2.0)

Uruguay to score in both halves (3 points at 2.0)

Highest scoring half - Second ( 3 points at 2.0)

Penalty to be scored in the match- Yes (2 points at 3.5)

 

ENJOY THE GAME!

GOOD LUCK!

 

 

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Portugal-Morocco World Cup 2018

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PORTUGAL

VS

Marrocos

MOROCCO

                                                20th June 2018  Stadion Luzhniki

Day
Hour
Minute
Second

 

PORTUGAL 

Cristiano Ronaldo and company made a fantastic show in their first match against Spain. They start the match in the perfect way and were leading after the fourth minute with a goal from a penalty kick made by Ronaldo. Their attack looked very good and they created few chances before Costa equalized for Spain.  Bernardo Silva and Guedes had a good rhythm and did their best to set Ronaldo for more chance. In the 44th minute, Guedes pass Ronaldo and with a shot outside the box he surprises De Gea and gave the lead to Portugal again. The horrible mistake from the Spanish goalkeeper showed that they are vulnerable and they fell under pressure. In the second half, La Furia Roja changed and with 2 goals for 3 minutes between 55th and 58th they took the lead and put the pressure back to The Navigators. Joao Mario and Quaresma went to play from the bench to bring more speed and pressure on the wings. They had a couple of chances before Ronaldo scores his hattrick. The free kick in the 88th minutes was a world-class goal, De Gea has no chance to save it and Ronaldo again proved that he is a top player who will always be there for his country. Portugal still needs improvement in their game and their coach Fernando Santos said that they should bring the form that they had on Euro 2016 as soon as possible so they can be able to pass the group and continue their run for the title.

 

MOROCCO

Morocco is probably one of the most unlucky team in the first round. They had the control of the game against Iran, they had 63% ball possession, twice more goal attempts(14) and 3 times more completed passes (374) than their opponent. They were the faster team with the better plan how to score a goal and they did! Unfortunately, it was an own goal made by the substitution Bouhaddouz who last very unlucky to make a header and put the ball in his own net. A goal like this in the extra time was heartbreaking for the whole team especially after the whole performance and the work that they put on the field. Morocco had 3 days to recover and now they are about to face the European Champions lead by the great Cristiano Ronaldo. Are they ready for that challenge?

 

PREDICTION

The win is an essential result for both teams here. Morocco will face Spain in their last game and they know that they will not have many chances to beat them. Portugal on the other side will play with Iran in their last match of the group and they definitely don't want to have all the pressure to win the game. The Navigators will depend on their captain a lot in this game to do his magic again and bring a positive result for the team. Ronaldo is on fire and he should score at least a goal in this game, we expect another good performance from Guedes- the young star prove that he is ready for a match of that high level and he might score a goal as well. Morocco on the other side could only hope that they will find a weak spot in Portugal defence and surprise them, which is not very possible(we all remember how good was the defensive performance in the Euro 2016 for The Navigators). If Morocco risk to bring a high pace game in the beginning and put a lot of pressure on the wings they might have a chance, but they have to be very careful with the empty spaces that they will leave for Ronaldo and Guedes. The two teams showed that they can play good attacking football but only one of them will go to the next stage.

 

Portugal to win (5 points at 1.55)

First-half draw (2 points at 2.1)

Penalty in the match (2 points at 2.85)

Both teams to score in the second half (1 point at 4.15)

 

ENJOY THE GAME!

GOOD LUCK!

 

 

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Poland-Senegal World Cup 2018

poland-national-football-team-logo-FC480DE3D3-seeklogo.com

POLAND

VS

FSF_Nouveau_Logo

SENEGAL

                                                19th June 2018 Otkrytiye Arena

 

Nickname(s):

Poland: The White and Reds

Senegal: The Lions of Teranga

 

The road to the World Cup:

 

 

Poland will be at the World Cup finals for the eighth time in their nation’s history and for the first time in 12 years. The Poles have finished third on two different occasions but haven’t progressed past the Group Stage since 1986. Poland started their campaign away at Kazakhstan and only managed to achieve a 2–2 draw after leading by 2–0 by the end of the first half. Poland won their next match against group leaders Denmark by 3–2 with a Robert Lewandowski hat-trick. Their next opponent was Armenia and Poland won by 2–1 after Robert Lewandowski scored a header in the 5th minute of injury time. On 11 November 2016, Poland defeated Romania in a 3–0 away win, leading the group by 3 points over Montenegro, their following opponent. At Montenegro, Poland won by 2–1. By the end of the first half of matches, Poland was on top of the group with 13 points, followed by Denmark and Montenegro (7 points each). They had only one loss against Denmark with 4-0 and won all of their matches until the end. Robert Lewandowski put his name in the history books after scored 16 goals in the qualifications and become the first player ever to do this.

 

Senegal is back at the World Cup finals after a 16-year absence and if they perform anywhere near as good as they did last time, we are in for a treat. The Senegalese qualified comfortably from their group, winning 4 of their 6 matches and drawing the remaining two. Senegal’s match against South Africa during qualification will go down in football history as one of the most controversial of all time. The referee awarded South Africa a penalty for a ‘handball’ that never happened. South Africa won the match 2-1 but Senegal won the replay of the match, 2-0. Joseph Lamprey, the referee of the first match, was banned for life from refereeing by FIFA. 16 years ago, Senegal shocked the world by beating World Champions France in the inaugural match of the tournament before reaching the quarterfinals. Can they do it again?

 

 

FIFA Rankings

Poland:

  • Current - 8
  • Highest - 5
  • Lowest - 78

 

Senegal:

  • Current - 27
  • Highest - 23
  • Lowest - 99

Coaches & Captains

Poland: Adam Nawalka & Robert Lewandowski

Senegal: Aliou Cisse & Cheikhou Kouyate

 

 

Performance and key’s players:

 

Poland

Poland was impressive at Euro 2016 and was unlucky to lose on penalties to the eventual Champions, Portugal in the quarterfinals. Poland hasn't had much success at international tournaments in recent years but like England, thrive in the qualifiers. Robert Lewandowski is one of the best-attacking players and will be marked closely by every opposition team. The goalkeeping duties were split between two former Arsenal goalkeepers in qualification; Wojciech Szczesny and Lukasz Fabianski who are both very reliable as Poland's last line of defence. Napoli forward Arkadiusz Milik, Monaco defender Kamil Gik, and veteran midfielder Jakub Blaszczykowski were also in the squad. Milik is widely expected to become one of football’s best players and already has double figures for goals for his country. At 23 years old, Milik has a chance to get his name known worldwide this summer and we think he will grasp the opportunity.

 

 

 

Senegal

Senegal has a very exciting team, filled with many Premier League players but the best of the bunch is Liverpool's, Sadio Mane. Mane wasn’t so prolific in qualification, scoring just one goal for his country but has been on fire for Liverpool over the past two years and if he brings his club form with him to Russia, the world will be able to sit back and watch his brilliance. Napoli’s Koulibaly was the victim of the infamous “handball” incident against South Africa but he is better known as one of football’s best defenders. The 26-year-old is a tough tackling, ball playing centre back and he will have a great battle against Lewandowski when the two sides meet on the 19th of June. Monaco’s Keita Balde Diao is one of the best up and coming youngsters in world football. The 22-year-old is pacey and skilful and has all the assets required to be a top professional footballer in this day and age. Ismaila Sarr, Cheikhou Kouyate, Idrisa Gana Gueye are very talented players and they will do their best to provide Mane with good passes and create a chance from where he will be able to score.

 

 

Prediction

Poland is the favourite in this game and with a world class striker like Lewandowski, everyone expects them to take the win. Lewandowski was on fire during the qualifications but he did not finish the season in the best possible way. Very poor performance at the end with his club Bayern Munich and there was even rumours that he will leave the club. Couple injuries in the Polish squad may cause them troubles in the beginning against Senegal. The Africans were waiting for this chance since 2002 and they know very well how to play against European teams. Mane, Diao, and Kouyate will definitely make polish defence run a lot after them and will cause them a lot of troubles. Both teams have even chances to qualified in the next stage that is why they need a good result in the first game and none of the teams will want to lose an opening game. Poland and Senegal will try to play calm and wait for their chances but the speed is on the side of Mane and company.

 

Match result Draw(2 points at 3.1) ❌

First-half Draw (3 points at 1.95) ❌

Both teams to score -YES (2 points at 2.15) ✅

Lewandowski to score a goal (2 points at 2.1)  ❌

Penalty in the match for Poland - YES (1 point)  (5.0 ) ❌

 

ENJOY THE GAME!

GOOD LUCK!

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Colombia-Japan World Cup 2018

Federacion_Colombiana_de_Futbol_logo.svg

COLOMBIA

VS

JFA_Japan_national_team_logo_2017

JAPAN

                                                19th June 2018 Mordovia Arena

 Nickname(s):

Columbia: La Tricolor (The Tricolors)

Japan: Samurai Blue

 

The road to the World Cup:

 

Columbia qualified for Russia by a solitary point, ahead of Peru and Chile. Both Brazil and Uruguay were held to draws by the Colombians which demonstrates the side’s ability to shut out the so-called “bigger” sides. Colombia was one of the most entertaining sides to watch four years ago in Brazil as James Rodriguez announced himself to the world with a series of stunning performances and goals. Colombia went on to defeat Uruguay 2–0 in the knockout round, securing a spot in the quarter-finals for the first time in their history. Colombia then fell to hosts Brazil 2–1 in the quarter-final. Despite the elimination, the national team was greeted by tens of thousands of Colombians in Bogotá, welcoming them back as heroes and restoring pride to the nation. Colombia would then receive the FIFA Fair Play Trophy and have James Rodriguez and Juan Cuadrado end as the World Cup's leading goal scorer and assist leader, respectively.

 

 Japan started on a rough note during qualification, losing to the UAE 1-2 at home. They then picked up the pace in their other qualifier games against Iraq, Australia, and Thailand, picking up 5 wins and 2 draws. Then, on August 31, 2017, Japan defeated Australia 2-0 at home thus qualifying them for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, making it their sixth successive World Cup. They finished a single point above second-placed Saudi Arabia and third-placed Australia.The Japanese conceded just 7 goals throughout qualification, keeping four clean sheets in their ten matches. They were beaten 4-1 by Colombia in the group stages in Brazil and they will be eager to get their revenge this summer.

 

 

 

 

FIFA Rankings

 

Columbia:

  • Current - 16
  • Highest - 3
  • Lowest – 54

 

Japan:

  • Current - 61
  • Highest - 9
  • Lowest - 62

 

Coaches & Captains

Columbia: Jose Pekerman & Radamel Falcao

Japan: Akira Nishino & Makoto Hasebe

 

Performance and key’s players:

 

Columbia

Colombia reached the quarter-finals four years ago in Brazil and they will be hoping to go even further this summer in Russia. James Rodriguez was relatively unknown before the 2014 World Cup but finished the tournament as top scorer with 6 goals in Brazil. Four years on, James is one of football’s biggest names, winning 2 Champions League titles with Real Madrid before moving to Bayern Munich on loan in the summer where he has blossomed once again. Nobody can quite understand why Radamel Falco was unable to perform in the Premier League but the Colombian captain will be a vital figure for his country on and off the pitch. Falcao missed out on the last World Cup in heartbreaking fashion after rupturing his cruciate ligaments just days ahead of the tournament. Juan Cuadrado and Arsenal's David Ospina will play their second World Cup finals. Carlos Bacca and Carlos Sanchez are the other players who will be ready to show their skills in the tournament.

Japan

New Japan coach Akira Nishino has named his final 23-man squad for the World Cup, with Kento Misao, Yosuke Ideguchi and Takuma Asano cut from the provisional group. Japan's preparations for the tournament have been far from perfect, as they sacked coach Vahid Halilhodzic in April despite the Bosnian presiding over their successful qualification campaign – a lack of "communication and trust" cited as the Japanese Football Association's (JFA) reason. Nishino was announced as his replacement and took charge of his first match on Wednesday, a 2-0 home loss in their World Cup send-off match against Ghana, a side who failed to qualify. Eiji Kawashima (Goalkeeper) has proved to be a very reliable player for the Japanese national side and has amassed over 80 caps for his country so far. Inter Milan’s Yūto Nagatomo plays alongside Southampton’s Maya Yoshida at the back whilst Eintracht Frankfurt midfielder Makoto Hasebe captains the side. Shinji Okazaki is Japan’s biggest star, especially after winning the Premier League with Leicester in 2016. Okazaki has bursts of energy and is a very difficult player to mark which suggests he will play a key part in the end result of Group H.Asano has scored 3 goals for Japan and will be hoping to add to his tally in Russia.Genki Haraguchi was Japan’s top scorer in qualification with 4 goals. The 26-year-old is an established Bundesliga forward, playing over 100 matches in Germany since 2014. Japan’s attacking options aren’t exactly the best at the World Cup, but they are certainly strong enough to give themselves a chance of progressing through the group stage.

 

 

 

Prediction

 

Columbia is the big favourite here and they will need a win in their first match in the group. Japan looks like the easiest opponent that they will play against. The next matches with Senegal and Poland will be a challenge that is why James and company have to make sure that they will take a comforting lead and a good result. Japan looks like a team that has serious problems right now, changing the coach before the tournament it is not a good sign. Will they surprise Columbia? We think not! Columbia has players with more class and experience and they already know how to make a good run in the finals. We believe that The Tricolors will have control of the game at all time and will create twice more goal chances, and score 3 goals easy. Japan may have scored a goal only if the Columbian defence is not concentrated in certain moments.

 

Columbia to win (7 points at 1.7) ❌

More corner kicks - Colombia (3 points at 1.6) ❌

 

ENJOY THE GAME!

GOOD LUCK!

 

 

 

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Tunisia – England World Cup 2018

180px-Logo_federation_tunisienne_de_football-copy.svg

TUNISIA

VS

0b961fb2ec43796db92224904900309d

ENGLAND

                                                18th June 2018 Volgograd Arena

 

Nickname(s):

Tunisia: The Eagles of Carthage

England: The Three Lions

 

The road to the World Cup:

Tunisia qualified for the World Cup without losing a match. The Tunisians conceded just 4 goals in the process and beat Congo, Libya, and Guinea to a spot in Russia. This will be Tunisia’s fifth time at the World Cup finals but they have never progressed out of the group stage. Tunisia manager Nabil Maâloul has 74 caps for his country and played for German club Hannover in the late eighties to the early nineties. In his whole managerial career, Maâloul has lost just 26 matches and even led ES Tunis to African Champions League glory in 2011. Tunisia won the 2004 African Cup of Nations but have had no such luck since then. The core of Tunisia’s team plays their football in France’s first and second divisions.

 

England first appeared at the 1950 FIFA World Cup and have subsequently qualified for a total of 15 FIFA World Cup Finals tournaments, tied for sixth best by a number of appearances. They are also tied for sixth by a number of wins, alongside France and Spain. The national team is one of eight national teams to have won at least one FIFA World Cup title. The England team won their first and only World Cup title in 1966.  The World Cup brings many different emotions to the 53 million people living in England. Some may remember The Three Lions famous triumph in 1966. Whereas others can only remember the agonizing losses to Portugal on penalties, the unjust decision against Germany, the group stage exit in Brazil four years ago or David Beckham’s red card in 98′. However, everyone in England, whether they like to admit it or not, is filled with a tiny bit of optimism believing that England can win the World Cup once again. England are the only side to not have a single player in their squad who plays their club football outside their country.

 

FIFA Rankings

 

Tunisia:

 

  • Current - 21
  • Highest - 14
  • Lowest – 65

 

 

England:

 

  • Current - 12
  • Highest - 3
  • Lowest - 27

 

 

Coaches & Captains

Tunisia: Nabil Maâloul & Wahbi Khazri

England: Gareth Southgate & Harry Kane

 

Performance and key’s players:

 

Tunisia

Judging by the looks of things, it is unlikely that Tunisia will progress out of the group stage at the World Cup for the first time in their history. Seven home-based players made the list while pacy winger Youssef Msakni and talisman Yassine Khenissi were omitted due to injuries. Leicester City's Yohan Benalouane, Esperance's Anice Badri, Kasimpasa's Siyam Ben Youssef and Rennes' Wahbi Khazri joined players from the Saudi Professional League and French Ligue 1 to complete the selection. Former Sunderland midfielder Wahbi Khazri is Tunisia’s star man. The 26-year-old is enjoying his football again in Ligue 1 this season. Few can forget his stunning goal against Chelsea in 2016.

Abdennour is a very solid centre back and is an established defender in France. He will be the one marking Harry Kane. Youssef Msakni is Tunisia’s current top scorer with 14 goals. The 27-year-old will want to score Tunisia’s first goal at the World Cup finals since Jawhar Mnari’s strike against Spain in 2006.

 

 

England

 

England will be playing at their sixth consecutive World Cup this summer and will be hoping to progress past the Last 16 for the first time since 2006. The Premier League is known to be the best in the world and every single player in the England squad plays in English football’s top flight. England's greatest ever goalscorer, Wayne Rooney, retired from international football in 2017 which means that this summer, Harry Kane will lead the line for his country. Former first-choice goalkeeper Hart has been dropped from the squad following poor form at West Ham for Burnley's Nick Pope, while Arsenal midfielder Wilshere has also been omitted from the group that will travel to Russia. Southgate has opted to go with John Stones, Kieran Trippier, Kyle Walker, Gary Cahill, Harry Maguire, Danny Rose, Phil Jones, and  Ashley Young for his defensive options. Jordan Henderson is likely to anchor the midfield, with Dele Alli, Eric Dier and Raheem Sterling also selected. Adam Lallana failed to make the cut following his recent fitness issues, while Jesse Lingard and Fabian Delph will also form the heart of the Three Lions squad.

Tottenham striker Harry Kane will once again lead the England line and is tipped to be captain, with support from Jamie Vardy, Danny Welbeck, and Marcus Rashford, at the expense of Bournemouth's Jermain Defoe.

 

 

Prediction

Is this going to be England’s year? How many times have we heard this question? This England team is different, they don’t have the super-star players like Beckham, Rooney, Lampard, Gerard, Schools, Terry, Ferdinand. They are the young team and nobody will put any unreal predictions that they can win the title. The main point is that for the first time England can play football without any pressure on their shoulders, they can go on the pitch and try to win as many games as possible. Here it comes Tunisia- a team with no loss of the qualifications ready to surprise them. We expect a low scoring first half, maybe even 0-0 and way more interesting second half in which England will try to take the win. The defence line of England is built from very talented and fast players, but they have no experience in games like this. Tunisia on the other side can wait for the whole game for their best chance to score and put a high pressure on the Tre Lions. It will be interesting to watch how this teams will perform because after that they have to face Belgium and then they will have to defend much better.

 

England to win the second half (3 points) ✅

First-half draw (2 points) ✅

Under 2.5 goals (3 points) ❌

 

ENJOY THE GAME!

GOOD LUCK!

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Belgium-Panama World Cup 2018

Belgian-Football-Federation-logo

BELGIUM

VS

c13da09e-5f24-4314-afe2-d35ac10779ab_75201_CUSTOM

PANAMA

                                              18th June 2018 Olimpiyskiy Stadion Fisht

 

Nickname(s):

Belgium: Die Roten Teufel (The Red Devils)

Panama: La Marea Roja (The Red Tide)

 

 

The road to the World Cup:

Belgium topped their qualification group in style, winning 9 out of their 10 matches, only dropping points in a 1-1 draw against Greece. Belgium scored 43 goals in qualification, 11 of which were scored by Man United’s Romelu Lukaku. Even PSG right back, Thomas Meunier scored 5 goals in their qualifying games which shows just how good the Belgium side really is. Belgium’s best result at the World Cup came in 1986 when they finished fourth. This summer’s tournament will be Belgium’s 13th World Cup (they say it’s a lucky number you know?) In 2014, Belgium beat all their group opponents with a single-goal difference. Thereafter, they played an entertaining round of 16 games against the United States, in which American goalkeeper Tim Howard made 15 saves. However, they defeated the US 2–1 in extra time. In a balanced quarter-final, Argentina eliminated Belgium, after a 1–0 victory. Former Wigan and Everton manager, Roberto Martinez is in charge of the Belgian Red Devils with Arsenal and France’s all-time leading goal scorer, Thierry Henry acting as his assistant.

 

Panama came close to advancing out of the fourth round of the qualifiers for the 2014 World Cup. In their last match, which was against the United States, they led 2–1 after 90 minutes and were poised to advance to a playoff against New Zealand, but they conceded two goals in stoppage time and were eliminated, with Mexico taking the playoff slot instead. Four years later Panama qualified for the World Cup in dramatic fashion, finishing one point ahead of the USA and beating Honduras to a spot in Russia through goal difference as the two countries were level on points. A national holiday was called throughout the country after Panama qualified for the World Cup for the first time in their history.

 

 

FIFA Rankings

 

Belgium:

  • Current - 3
  • Highest - 1
  • Lowest -71

 

Panama:

  • Current - 55
  • Highest - 29
  • Lowest - 150

 

Coaches & Captains

Belgium: Roberto Martinez & Eden Hazard 

Panama: Hernan Dario Gomez & Roman Torres

 

Performance and key’s players:

 

Belgium

Belgium is one of international football's best sides with many world-class Premier League players in their squad. The Red Devils one of the favourites for the tournament due to their brilliant squad. The Premier League is well represented in their side with players from Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea and Tottenham at the core of their team. Chelsea’s Thibaut Courtois starts in goal with Liverpool’s Simon Mignolet as his back-up. Tottenham centre-backs Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen are an essential part of the Belgium line-up whilst their midfield is something else.

Eden Hazard and Kevin De Bruyne, arguably the Premier League’s two best players, play in the attacking half of the team and they are joined by United striker Romelu Lukaku. Hazard is one of the most skilful players in the world he played a central role in Chelsea’s Premier League wins during the 204/15 and 2016/17 seasons. Kevin De Bruyne is the best midfielder in the world and that’s a fact.

The 26-year-old has been Manchester City’s main man this season and has scored some vital goals whilst assisting almost every other game. And finally, there is Romelu Lukaku. The former Everton striker became Belgium’s all-time leading goal-scorer when he netted against Japan in November 2017 aged just 24. Mousa Dembele (Tottenham), Yannick Carrasco (Dalian Yifang), Marouane Fellaini (Manchester United), Michy Batshuayi (Borussia Dortmund) and Dries Mertens (Napoli) are the others stars of the team and they will definitely be a big danger for all the teams that Belgium will face this summer.

 

 

Panama

 

The 2009 Copa Centro America Champions don’t have many big-name players in their team but qualified for this summer’s tournament ahead of Honduras and the USA. Panama scored just 9 goals throughout qualification which suggests that Belgium won’t need to worry about their attacking threats. A large number of Panama’s players are currently based in America, playing their football in the MLS. Panama goalkeeper Jaime Penedo is an established stopper with over 130 caps for his country. Panama kept four clean sheets in qualification and Penedo made some vital saves against some tough opposition. Roman Torres was Panama’s joint top scorer in qualification with 2 goals which is more impressive than it sounds considering he is a centre back. Gabriel Torres tied with his namesake in terms of goals during the qualifiers, but this Torres is a striker and a pretty quick one too. Panama’s joint record goal scorers are Blas Pérez and Luis Tejada.

 

 

 

Prediction

This game is between two unmatched teams. The first-time qualifiers Panama will play one of the best teams not in Europe, but in the whole world. The main question here is how Belgium will play in this game? Are they going to save their strength and play with low pace, or they will go out and destroy La Marea Roja. This game can finish easy 5-0 if Belgium decides to put their best performance for some parts of the game. On March 27 Panama lost with 6-0 against Switzerland, which is a team most know with their good defence and now they are playing against one of the best attacks in the tournament. We don't see any other possible results here except Belgium to win the game with a few goals difference.

 

Belgium to win both halves (4 points) ❌

Belgium to win at least with 2 goals difference (4 points)  ✅

Hazard to score a goal (1 point) ❌

Lukaku to score a goal (1 point) ✅

 

ENJOY THE GAME!

GOOD LUCK!

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Sweden – South Korea World Cup 2018

sweden-national-football-team-logo-8254BB86F9-seeklogo.com

SWEDEN

VS

download

SOUTH KOREA

                                              18th June 2018 Stadion Nizhny Novgorod

 

Nickname(s):

Sweden: Blagult (The Blue-Yellow)

South Korea: Asian Tiger

 

The road to the World Cup:

Sweden is back! Sweden returns to the World Cup finals after a 12 years absence. The Swedes last competed in 2006 where they were knocked out in the last 16 against fellow group members, Germany.

Sweden's best finish at a World Cup was in 1958 when they finished 2nd. The Nordic country made their first World Cup appearance in 1934. Sweden has made eleven World Cup appearances. Reaching the finals in Russia was not easy after they had to face Italy in the playoffs. The 1-0 win in Stockholm gave them a very important lead. In the rematch in Milano, they defend outstanding for the whole game and gave no chances to Italy. Sweden was deserved winners and will play in Russia this summer after a tough time in a seriously competitive qualification group. They finished second, behind France in UEFA's Group A, pipping The Netherlands to the runners-up spot on goal difference. France’s only loss in qualification came against the Swedes with Ola Toivonen scoring a 94th-minute winner after an error from Tottenham goalkeeper Hugo Lloris.

 

South Korea was drawn with Kuwait, Lebanon, Myanmar, and Laos in Group G of the second round for the combined qualification matches for the 2018 World Cup and the 2019 AFC Asian Cup. After winning seven matches without conceding a goal, South Korea qualified for the third round of the AFC qualifiers for the 2018 World Cup. Following a series of poor results in the third round of qualifiers, including defeats to China and Qatar, head coach Uli Stielike was sacked and was replaced by former U-20 and U-23 coach Shin Tae-young for the remainder of the qualifying round. Under Shin, the team managed to qualify as the second-placed team in their group following two goalless draws against Iran and Uzbekistan, sending South Korea to the World Cup. The Koreans stunned the World in 2002 when they finished 4th on home soil. That year was monumental for Asian football as South Korea knocked European giants such as Italy and Spain out of the tournament. Russia 2018 will be South Korea’s ninth World Cup in a row, a remarkable record for a country with so few global stars.

 

 

 

 

 

FIFA Rankings:

Sweden:

  • Current -24
  • Highest - 2
  • Lowest – 45

 

South Korea:

  • Current - 57
  • Highest - 17
  • Lowest - 69

 

Coaches & Captains

Sweden: Janne Andersson & Andreas Granqvist

South Korea: Shin Tae-young & Ki Sung-yueng

 

 

Performance and key’s players:

 

Sweden

Marcus Beg seems to have filled Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s boots in the Swedish national team.

Berg scored eight goals in qualification, at least double the tally of any other Swedish player. Robin Olsen, Victor Lindelof, Andreas Granqvist, Martin Olsson, Sebastian Larsson, Albin Ekdal, Emil Forsberg, Gustav Svensson, Jimmy Durmaz, John Guidetti and Ola Toivonen will be the main players for the Nordic team. Emil Forsberg has risen to fame during his time at RB Leipzig. Forsberg has become one of the Bundesliga’s biggest stars and is perhaps, Sweden’s most gifted player (and he is a real gem on FIFA by the way!). Victor Lindelöf has been in and out of the Man United team this season due to injuries to other defenders. The 23-year-old is a versatile defender who can play in the centre of defence or on the right. Despite his youth, Lindelöf is the key to Sweden’s defence and was essential in Sweden’s qualification where they conceded just 9 goals.

 

 

South Korea

 

South Korea famously finished 4th in the 2002 World Cup which was a tournament filled with excitement for all Asian football fans. Bizarrely, after Ahn Jung-hwan scored a golden-goal winner for Korea in extra time against Italy, he was banished by his club, Perugia, who was playing in Italy's second division at the time. South Korea has a number of Premier League players in their side, most famously, Tottenham’s Heung-Min Son. Ki Sung-Yeung (Swansea) & Lee Chung-yong (Crystal Palace) will do their best to help Son in the attack of the team. Son scores once in every 3 matches for his country on average and will be hoping to get on the scoresheet at the World Cup.

 

 

 

Prediction

Sweden is the favourite in this game and they should win if they want to have a chance for the second place in the group. Playing the outsider in the first game can be tricky sometimes, but here any other result will be unacceptable. South Korea has nothing to lose in this group that is why they will go on the pitch with no pressure on their shoulders. Nobody expects from them do to a miracle again like the one in 2002. Holding the ball and creating chances for Son will be a hard thing to do, but not impossible. Sweden performance in defence should be on their top in this game and it is very important for them not to concede a goal because in the next two games they will have a lot of work to do against the attacks of Germany and Mexico. Forsberg and Berg should find a way to the goal.

 

 

Sweden to win (5 points) ✅

Sweden to win with a clean sheet (3 points) ✅

Under 2.5 goals in the game(3 points) ✅

Correct score: 1-0 or 2-0 (1 point) ✅

 

ENJOY THE GAME!

GOOD LUCK!

Posted on

Brazil – Switzerland World Cup 2018

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BRAZIL

VS

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SWITZERLAND

June 17th, 2018 Rostov Arena

Nickname(s):

Brazil: Selecao (The Squad)

Switzerland: Rossocrociati (Red Crusaders)

 

The road to the World Cup:

 

 Brazil qualified for the World Cup 2018 after winning the group. On June 14th, 2016 Dunga was sacked and his place was taken by Tite. Tite's debut was marked with an away victory against Ecuador by 3–0 on 2 September, 2–1 win over Colombia, 5–0 shocking win against Bolivia and a 0–2 victory away against Venezuela, bringing Brazil to the top of the World Cup Qualifiers leaderboard for the first time since 2011. Brazil then defeated Paraguay 3–0 to become the first team, other than the hosts Russia, to qualify for the finals. They finished 10 points clear of closest challengers, Uruguay and scored 41 goals in qualification. Brazil has won the World Cup five times, more than any other nation, but haven't had their hands on the famous trophy since 2002 they are likely to be one of the most entertaining teams this summer.

 

 

Switzerland qualified for their 4th consecutive World Cup by winning their playoff against Northern Ireland. They were drawn into Qualifying Group B and won their first 9 games in a row in impressive style. However, on matchday 10 in Lisbon, they fell to defeat against Portugal, therefore missing out on automatic qualification solely on goal difference, despite picking up 27 out of a possible 30 points. They won their playoff 1-0 on aggregate, via a controversial penalty from full-back Ricardo Rodriguez. 14 different players scored for Switzerland on their road to Russia but only one player, Haris Seferović, managed to score four.

Switzerland looked strong at Euro 2016 and was unlucky to lose to Poland in the last 16 on penalties. The Swiss have never made it past the quarterfinals of a World Cup and haven't even reached that stage since 1954 when they hosted the tournament.

 

FIFA Rankings

Brazil:

  • Current - 2nd
  • Highest - 1st
  • Lowest - 22

Switzerland:

  • Current - 6
  • Highest - 3rd
  • Lowest - 83

 

Coaches & Captains

Brazil: Tite & Casemiro

Switzerland: Vladimir Petkovic & Stephan Lichtsteiner

 

Performance and key’s players:

 

Brazil

Brazil is the only national team to have played in all World Cup editions without any absence nor need for playoffs and only they have 5 World Cup titles (Germany and Italy have 4). Four years ago they were humiliated losing 7-1 from Germany in the semifinals. This year they will have to face Germany but on the final! Is this team ready for the challenge? We would like to say “YES”! Selecao are well build a team and they have a lot of superstars on the field and on the bench as well. Everybody will be looking at Neymar, hoping that the injury he had will not reflect oh his performance. He will be the main player from who the Brazilians will expect to lead the team. Phillipe Coutinho and Gabriel Jesus will be the other two players in the attack. In the center, Casemiro and Paulinho will do what they do best- steal the ball and pressure the opponents all game long. Brazil has one of the best defensive lines- Marcelo, Thiago Silva, and Miranda will be very hard to beat. Dani Alves is the big missing name from the team, he got injured few weeks before the tournament and he will not be with the team in Russia. On the goal will be Allison who made an incredible season with Roma this year. Brazil bench is full of talent- Fermino, Willian, Costa, and Taison will be waiting for a chance to prove themselves. Brazil is the big favorite to win the group and the expectations are that they will win all their games.

 

 

Switzerland

This will be 4th straight World Cup finals for the Red Crusaders. During the last 10-15 years, they manage to establish a team who is always a part of the finals. Their campaigns and the results of the team is something that you should give a credit to. Switzerland has some incredible players in their squad including Juventus' Stephan Lichtsteiner and Borussia Mönchengladbach’s Yann Sommer. But these three players will be the key to success at the World Cup this summer- Xherdan Shaqiri, Granit Xhaka & Haris Seferović. Shaqiri is pacey, skilful and can pick out a pass from anywhere on the pitch. Xhaka is often criticized in the Premier League for his poor disciplinary record and sloppy performances but for Switzerland, Xhaka is a different player. Vladimir Petković plays Xhaka in the number 10 role, a position where the 25-year old thrives. Lastly, there is Haris Seferović. The 25-year old forward rarely plays for his club side, Benfica, but like Xhaka, seems to always perform (and more importantly score) when he plays for his country. Switzerland has a team which will not be easy to be beaten, Brazil will be the first team to find out this.

 

 

Prediction

Brazil is the big favourite here, but we think that they will not win easily their first game. Switzerland has the potential to surprise them and if they scored a goal first, Brazil will have to show their best in the attack. We expect Brazil to control the ball and the pace of the game, but the Red Crusaders will not leave them a lot of space for attack. Switzerland will be very dangerous from corner kicks and free kick and maybe this is how they will score a goal. For Brazil, scoring goals is way easy then defend, but here they will have to be careful and not give a lot of chances for Switzerland to counter-attack especially when Marcelo is playing in the front line.

 

Brazil to lead on first and second half  (4 points) ❌

Under 2.5 goals in the game (3 points) ✅

Neymar to score a goal ( 1 point) ❌

Brazil to score in both halve (1 point) ❌

 

ENJOY THE GAME!

GOOD LUCK

Posted on 1 Comment

Germany – Mexico World Cup 2018

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GERMANY

VS

Selección_Nacional_de_México_(logo)

MEXICO

17th June 2018 Stadion Luzhniki

Nickname(s):

Germany: Die Mannschaft (The Team)

Mexico: El Tricolor (The Tricolor)

 

The road to the World Cup:

 

Germany is one of the most successful national teams in international competitions, having won a total of four World Cups (1954, 1974, 1990, 2014). Germany is the only nation to have won both the men's and women's World Cups and after the 2017 Confederations Cup it became one of the only four nations – alongside Brazil, Argentina, and France- to win all three most important men's titles recognized by FIFA: The World Cup, the Confederations Cup, and the Olympic tournament. Germany took qualification by storm, winning all 10 of their matches scoring an average of 4.3 goals per game.

Twenty-one different players (plus own goal) scored for Germany in qualification. Scoring goals is clearly not a problem for the Germans but keeping them out seems to be even easier.

Manuel Neuer is known to be one of the world's best goalkeepers and, despite serious injuries this season, he should be fit in time for The World Cup.

The big problem for Joachim Low will be selecting the side due to the vast amount of amazing players.

 

Mexico has qualified to sixteen World Cups and has qualified consecutively since 1994, making it one of six countries to do so. The Mexico national team, along with Brazil and Germany, nations to make it out of the group stage over the last six World Cups. Mexico has never had any success at the World Cup but is one of America's most successful sides winning the CONCACAF Cup ten times. The Mexicans qualified for the World Cup top of their qualification group without losing a match.

They only conceded one goal in the 6 matches that they played, a penalty from El Salvador’s Alexander Larín. There are a number of players in the Mexico side that won Olympic gold medals in London during the 2012 games.

 

 

 

FIFA Rankings

Germany:

  • Current - 1
  • Highest - 1
  • Lowest – 22

 

Mexico:

  • Current - 15
  • Highest - 4
  • Lowest - 47

 

Coaches & Captains

Germany: Joachim Low & Manuel Neuer

Mexico: Juan Carlos Osorio & Andres Guardado

 

 

Performance and key’s players:

 

Germany

The current world champions, Germany, return to the global stage in Russia this summer hoping to become the first country since Brazil in 1962, to retain the World Cup trophy. Since Low became a manager, Germany has not exited an international tournament before the semi-final stage.

Germany is always one of the favorites for every tournament that they participate in and have a brilliant track record at the World Cup. Die Mannschaft final squad has one big question to answer- Why Sane was dropped from the team. The 22-year-old is coming off the back of an impressive season at club level which saw him collect a Premier League and Carabao Cup double. Alongside Sane, Bayer Leverkusen duo Bernd Leno and Jonathan also miss out, as does Freiburg striker Nils Petersen.

Four years is a long time in football and there are very few survivors from Germany's World Cup-winning squad of 2014. Captain Phillip Lahm, along with Bastian Schweinsteiger, Lukas Podolski, Miroslav Klose, and Per Mertesacker have all retired from international football.

On the other side the players who are going to Russia are ready to put their names in the history books-  Jerome Boateng (Bayern Munich), Mats Hummels (Bayern Munich), Toni Kroos (Real Madrid) Mesut Ozil (Arsenal), Thomas Muller (Bayern Munich), Julian Draxler (PSG), Marco Reus (Borussia Dortmund), Mario Gomez (Stuttgart) and Timo Werner (RB Leipzig). The class and the experience that this team has is making them a favorite and for sure we will see them on the semi-finals and who knows, maybe on the final again!

 

Mexico

 

Is Mexico a dark horse at the 2018 World Cup? Interestingly, Mexico hasn't failed to progress past the group stage since 1986 and have one of the more experienced sides at the tournament.

Guillermo Ochoa became a worldwide sensation for his heroics at the 2014 World Cup against Brazil but the Mexicans will be hoping for a hero at the other end of the pitch in Russia. Javier Hernandez became Mexico's all-time erasing goal scorer when he netted against Croatia in 2017. Javier Hernandez needs just two goals to become Mexico's greatest ever goal scorer at the World Cup finals. Mexico announced its 23-man squad Saturday, cutting Oswaldo Alanis, Jurgen Damm, and Jesus Molina. Center-back Nestor Araujo was named to Osorio's provisional roster but did not join camp because of the effects of a knee injury that ruled him out of this summer's tournament. The team has 12 players that play for European clubs, the most in history for Mexico, and three more based in MLS. There also is a record number of World Cup returnees with 16 players boasting experience at a previous tournament. Hugo Ayala (Tigres), Carlos Salcedo (Eintracht Frankfurt), Hector Moreno (Real Sociedad), Rafael Marquez (Atlas), Marco Fabian (Eintracht Frankfurt), Jonathan Dos Santos (LA Galaxy), Giovani dos Santos (LA Galaxy), Hector Herrera (Porto), Andres Guardado (Real Betis), Carlos Vela (LAFC), Hernandez (West Ham United), Raul Jimenez (Benfica) are very experienced players and they know how to play in World Cup finals. Mexico team has the potential to surprise any team and they are definitely ready for the challenge.

 

 

 

Prediction

The last time when Germany played against Mexico was in the FIFA Confederations Cup. They met at the semi-finals and Germany win with 4-1. Two early goals from Leon Goretzka in the 6th and the 8th minute gave Die Mannschaft a comforting lead and they had no problem to finish the game with a style. This game will be totally different, all the world expect Germany to win again but it will not be so easy this time. Germany will have the position of the ball and they will be the team who is leading the game. Mexico will try to organize counterattacks and put a high pressure in the center, but if Kroos and Ozil make a good performance is very likely Germany to take the win. Is it possible The Champions Curse for the European teams to happen again? We are about to see!

 

Germany to win (5 points) ❌

Over 2.5 goals in the game (3 points) ❌

Germany to win both halves(2 points) ❌

Timo Werner to score a goal (1 point) ❌

 

ENJOY THE GAME!

GOOD LUCK!

Posted on

Costa Rica – Serbia World Cup 2018

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COSTA RICA

VS

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SERBIA

                                             17TH June 2018 Samara Arena

Nickname(s):

Costa Rica: Los Ticos (The Ticos)

Serbia: Orlovi (The Eagles)

 

The road to the World Cup:

 

 

Costa Rica qualified in second place in their group, behind a Mexico side who lost just one match. This is Costa Rica’s 4th time at the World Cup finals. And the third time that they have been drawn against Brazil in the group stage. Not many people will be expecting Costa Rica to qualify from Group E which was the exact same scenario in Brazil. In 2014, Costa Rica made their best performance in history by finishing first in their group that consisted of three former World Cup champions: Uruguay, Italy, and England. During the Round of 16, they defeated Greece 5–3 via a penalty shootout after a 1–1 draw. Reaching the quarterfinals for their very first time the "Ticos" were defeated by the Netherlands also in a penalty shootout (3–4) after a scoreless draw. Will Costa Rica surprise again?

 

Serbia will play at their 12th World Cup this summer in Russia. Serbia was drawn with Euro 2016 semi-finalists Wales, Austria, Ireland, Georgia, and Moldova. They started off their campaign with a 2-2 draw against Ireland and continued this good form with wins over Austria, Georgia, Moldova. Serbia beat Moldova in Belgrade with goals from Aleksandar Kolarov, Aleksandar Mitrovic, and Mijat Gacinovic. This consolidated their first position going into their top-of-the-group clash with Ireland. They won this match with a 55th-minute goal from Kolarov. Serbia finished with a 1-0 home win against Georgia and ended the top of Group D and therefore qualified for the 2018 tournament. Serbia missed the last World Cup in Brazil and now they are ready for the challenge, but to past the group, they will need a good result against Costa Rica and Switzerland.

 

 

FIFA Rankings

Costa Rica:

  • Current - 23
  • Highest – 13
  • Lowest – 93

 

Serbia:

  • Current - 34
  • Highest - 6
  • Lowest - 101

 

Coaches & Captains

Costa Rica: Oscar Ramirez & Bryan Ruiz

Serbia: Mladen Krstajic & Aleksandar Kolarov

 

 

Performance and key’s players:

 

Costa Rica has proved that they are a team who nobody can afford to underestimate anymore. When they eliminated Italy and England four years ago was a big surprise, but now Costa Rica show us this was not luck, their team played well in the qualifications and they are ready for another spectacular performance. Keylor Navas (Real Madrid), Joel Campbell (Real Betis), Marco Ureña (LAFC) and Bryan Ruiz will be the players who are expected to lead the team. Navas is the first choice keeper for club and country and has one of the best reflexes in world football. Joel Campbell had a hard time battling with injury this season. Campbell will be a pivotal player for Costa Rica in Russia, he is quick, skillful and can score or assist goals. Ureña scored 3 goals in qualification as well as the third goal against Uruguay in Costa Rica’s 3-1 win at the 2014 World Cup. Bryan Ruiz has proved himself many times for his country and with his experience, he will be a great help for his teammates.

 

Serbia is a fairly defensive side and has a lot of quality at the back. Their fullback options are strong and experienced but are getting old and perhaps lacking the pace to keep up with the wingers from the other sides in the group. This tournament will be the last chance for a lot of players to participate in the international stage. Aleksandar Kolarov (AS Roma), Branislav Ivanovic (Zenit St Petersburg) & Nemanja Matic (Manchester United) will be the main players who will lead The Eagles. Kolarov and Ivanovich are very experienced players, who played most of his career in England and they are very good with attacking the wings, had a good shot and score goals from corner kicks and free kicks. Matic will be the guy in the middle who will try to organize the game, he has a very good pass and kicks and he can score from distance. Dusan Tadic is expected to help him with the attacks and play next to him. Serbia has a good team and they will have a chance to qualified only if they win against Costa Rica because the next two games will be harder to be taken. 

 

 

Prediction

This is a very even game and it will be taken from the team with the best defensive play (which look like to be Serbia). It will be a very tactical game in which both teams will try to keep a clean sheet in first place. We don't expect a lot of goals here, creating a chance for a goal will be a very hard thing to do. The battle in the middle will be won by Serbia, but their speed on the wing is not enough to keep the pressure on the Costa Rica team. Two good teams will have to find a way for the goal or slit the points here with a low scoring game.

 

Serbia to win (4 points) ✅

First-half draw (2 points) ✅

Under 2.5 goals for the game (2 points) ✅

Correct score: 0-2 ❌

ENJOY THE GAME!

GOOD LUCK!