2018 WORLD CUP GROUPS E-H PREDICTIONS

January 01, 2018

2018 WORLD CUP GROUPS E-H PREDICTIONS

2018 WORLD CUP GROUPS E-H PREDICTIONS

By: Trace Alexander

Happy New Years to all in this week’s group prediction we will be looking at groups E through the very last group H. There's lots to cover for some of these dream groups and some groups of death. Let’s hop right on in for my analysis.

Group E: Brazil, Switzerland, Costa Rica, Serbia

1^st place: A very easy prediction to make here as Brazil may just have the easiest group out of all. I won’t get too ahead of myself with this squad however, I do have a lot of faith in this talent ridden roster. There are really no weak spots in this team and the squad depth is tremendously deep. They will be able to highlight their deadliest weapon which is the focal point of their attack, Neymar, running their offense through the 528-million-dollar man should provide a handful of goals.

2^nd place: Second place a bit like group F don’t have a front runner to finish second for me but, they do have a very quiet sleeper in Costa Rica. Finishing in the quarter finals of the 2014 World Cup in Rio de Janeiro something tells me they could do the extraordinary in this World Cup as well. I see two experienced stand out players in this side. Those being Keylor Navas Real Madrid shot stopper, and Bryan Ruiz left footed attacker for Sporting CP. They might not have enough fire power to sneak back in to the quarter finals but just enough to advance to knock outs.

Group F: Germany, Mexico, Sweden, South Korea

1^st place: Often referred to as the well-oiled machine also the reigning champions Germany, just like France would have to play themselves out of advancing in an astronomical fashion. Just like the other powerhouses in this World Cup I see no real flaws in this squad. They might not be the most talented or most fun to watch but if you break down their style of play it is hands down the most tactical. Mainly with precision passing and movement you will see this team break down many opposing defenses. Not to mention they have had a few young starlets come onto the spotlight within the last year bringing youth to the team. A few names you’ll get to recognize are Leroy Sané, winger for Manchester City, Joshua Kimmich, Bayern fullback and Timo Werner, RB Leipzig center forward.

2^nd place: This is a really difficult decision to make as I see no clear cut second place finisher. However, when I go through these teams I try and find the star that can carry them onto knockout stages as I predict Mohamed Salah will do for Egypt. With that said I believe Heung Min Son is the man with the plan for South Korea. Winning AFC Asian player of the year two out of the last three years and creating many chances or plays for his club Tottenham I believe the Koreans have an opportunity to run away with second place as long as Son gets his chances.

Group G: Belgium, Panama, Tunisia, England

1^st place: I am going for the Belgians to make a run at first place in this group. Although, I see an unreal amount of talent in the first and second place finishers, they both have the same problem which is management. Star midfielder Kevin De Bruyne came forth earlier this year making comments on manager Roberto Martinez’s tactics and style of play potentially holding this team back I don’t see it as a problem in the group stages. Moreover, it could hold this team back as they progress through the World Cup. This roster still holds a whole lot of talent with Eden Hazard, Thibaut Courtois, Kevin De Bruyne, Dries Mertens and Toby Alderweireld serving as just a few names in this loaded team.

2^nd place: As for second place we have the red coats, the Brits, the three lions, England. Surprisingly this team is actually somewhat difficult to slide into the second spot for me. This eleven has a lot of youth but not a lot of experience. Make no mistake these young players for England are really talented with the likes of Marcus Rashford, John Stones and Raheem Sterling. They have had a lot of managerial switches as of recently and seem to still not have found the right one for the job. Not to mention their underwhelming success in their qualifying games. Don’t be surprised if this team doesn’t make it out of the group stages or gets booted from this tournament early.

Group H: Poland, Senegal, Colombia, Japan

1^st place: I am rolling with the South American boys in yellow, Colombia. As star of the team, James Rodríguez has seemed to have found his form with Bayern Munich following his two-year loan away from Los Galácticos this past summer. I can see James picking up right where he left off in the 2014 World Cup in which he made a name for himself with what was voted as the best goal of the World Cup, his thunderous volley against Uruguay. If you somehow missed out on this goal, I’ll do you a favor of experiencing it all over again (p.s. the commentary adds so much electricity to this wonder goal).

WATCH: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u38anDC5v2I

2^nd place: Who might finish second in this very scattered group? Yes, you guessed it the team with a world class striker with enough pulling power to get this team through, Poland. With Bayern Munich number 9 manning the front lines there is no reason for me to bet against Robert Lewandowski. With an astounding 22 goals across all competitions this year I’m going to continue to roll the dice on teams with only one or two world class stars in their team.