World Cup 2018 Group G Preview and Predictions
Group G sees Tunisia and Panama hoping to cause an upset and leave either England or Belgium suffering shock group stage exits this summer in Russia.
As ever 50 odd million people will heap the pressure on England to win the World Cup, while Belgium’s talented squad will be expected to go deep into the tournament and will be eyeing at least a top 4 finish.
Panama and Tunisia are not going to qualify, although they will be going all out in their two fixtures against Belgium and England to cause the inevitable World Cup upset.
That said, let’s be realistic here, this is about who tops the group between England and Belgium, and with so many of the Belgian Red Devil stars playing their football in the Premier League, their clash on June 28 will be a fascinating one.
Let’s run through the teams in the penultimate group and see who will have to delay their summer holiday’s or not.
England
Few could argue that England have underperformed over the years in the World Cup. With just the one win back in 1966, they are well overdue and under Gareth Southgate the nation will believe this can happen in Russia, despite picking the most inexperienced squad in 56 years.
This will be their 15th World Cup and in their last 6 tournaments since 1998, except for 2014 in Brazil, they have made it through the group stages.
England had an excellent qualification campaign with 8 wins and 2 draws. What is most satisfying is the fact that they conceded just the 3 goals. Another encouraging fact is that 12 players were responsible for finding the back of the net, which they did on 18 occasions, Harry Kane as expected leading the way with 5 of those.
With 41 goals in 48 games so far this season Harry Kane is one of the leading scorers in Europe and his form will be integral to any hopes that England might have throughout the tournament.
The Tottenham front man seems to improve every season with some pundits saying he is on the same level as the big names Messi and Ronaldo. This is a little inflated, however the World Cup stage will be the perfect platform to show the world just how good he really there is no reason why he can’t finish top scorer.
Dele Alli has had a below par season for Spurs, however his talent is clear to see and one expects him to be ready to go when the tournament begins.
Another Spurs name that will be crucial to England’s hopes is Eric Dier. As a player there is nothing flash about him. He is England’s Mr. Dependable in defence whether he is holding the midfield or playing in the centre of defence.
Raheem Sterling is England’s most improved player this season and has flourished under the guidance of Pep Guardiola at Manchester City. The 23-year-old has scored 23 goals and provided 6 assists in 50 games this season, and will provide plenty of energy to England’s attack.
Look, the reality is when you are playing in front of a guy like assist king Kevin De Bruyne at Manchester City, then chances will be there for you, however this year Sterling has a far better conversion rate than in previous seasons.
What I like about England and the appointment of Gareth Southgate is that all this young talent came through his England youth teams that he managed. He knows this squad and what makes each individual tick, a factor that will be of utmost importance in the heat of battle.
Southgate will know that topping Belgium would be a massive confidence boost for his team and with possibility of Colombia or Poland in the next round, the draw could be very much in their favour.
There have been some casulaties in Joe Hart, Jack Wilshere and Adam Lallana who all miss out although there can be no arguement against their exclusion. What they miss in experience they make in in pace and talent, something that should excite England fans.
England open up their campaign with a potential banana skin clash with Tunisia, who not only qualified unbeaten but will be looking at this game as their World Cup Final and a good performance here by England will set the tone for their assault.
England World Cup Squad
Goalkeepers: Jordan Pickford (Everton), Jack Butland (Stoke City), Nick Pope (Burnley).
Defenders: Kyle Walker (Manchester City), John Stones (Manchester City), Harry Maguire (Leicester City), Danny Rose (Tottenham), Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool), Ashley Young (Manchester United), Gary Cahill (Chelsea), Phil Jones (Manchester United), Kieran Trippier (Tottenham).
Midfielders: Jordan Henderson (Liverpool), Eric Dier (Tottenham), Dele Alli (Tottenham), Jesse Lingard (Manchester United), Raheem Sterling (Manchester City), Ruben Loftus-Cheek (Crystal Palace), Fabian Delph (Manchester City).
Forwards: Harry Kane (Tottenham), Jamie Vardy (Leicester City), Marcus Rashford (Manchester United), Danny Welbeck (Arsenal).
Belgium
Roberto Martinez and Thierry Henry have a wealth of talent at their disposal this summer in Russia, and like England the nation will have very high expectations for their team.
In 2014 they made it through to the quarterfinals despite missing out on the previous two tournaments.
From the back to the front they have quality as showcased in topping their group in qualification with 9 wins and a draw. It must the said they did have one of the easiest groups, however this still doesn’t detract for the exceptional ability of the team and some of the individual performances of some of their players this season at club level.
Manchester United’s Lukaku contributed 11 of their 43 goals during this time, with the 24-year-old backing that up with 27 goals in his debut season for United.
Across town Kevin De Bruyne has been quite exceptional in leading Manchester City to the Premier League title. His passing ability is second to none in world football and by his own admission his game is all about providing those around him with goal scoring opportunities.
Eden Hazzard has been off the boil for Chelsea this season, although he does seem to be finding some form of late. During qualification the playmaker contributed 6 goals of his own and like De Bruyne he creates many chances for others.
Dries Mertens has had an outstanding season for Napoli and been integral in their title challenge that has fallen just short in Serie A.
Defensively they are more than solid with Tottenham centre backs Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen marshalling the defence, while in right back Thomas Meunier they have a goal scorer that found the back of the net on 5 occasions in qualification!
Quality all over the park in this team and one that should be by no means on the scrapheap after the group stages. Winner of this group will most likely be decided by their clash against each other and one that promises to be a thrilling affair.
Belgium Provisional World Cup Squad
Goalkeepers: Thibaut Courtois (Chelsea), Simon Mignolet (Liverpool), Koen Casteels (VfL Wolfsburg).
Defenders: Toby Alderweireld Tottenham), Dedryck Boyata (Celtic), Jan Vertonghen (Tottenham), Vincent Kompany (Manchester City), Thomas Vermaelen (Barcelona), Thomas Meunier (PSG).
Midfielders: Youri Tielemans (AS Monaco), Axel Witsel (Tianjin Quanjian), Kevin de Bruyne (Manchester City), Mousa Dembele (Tottenham), Leander Dendoncker (Anderlecht), Marouane Fellaini (Manchester United), Thorgan Hazard (Borussia Monchengladbach), Dries Mertens (Napoli), Nacer Chadli (West Brom).
Forwards: Michy Batshuayi (Chelsea), Romelu Lukaku (Manchester United), Eden Hazard (Chelsea), Adnan Januzaj (Real Sociedad), Yannick Carrasco (Atletico Madrid).
Tunisia
This will be Tunisia’s 5th World Cup and with just one victory back in 1978, it might be a tall order for them to upset the odds and get through to the next round at the expense of England or Belgium.
They did qualify top of their group with 4 wins and 2 draws however, Congo, Libya and Guinea are hardly world class opposition. Against the likes of Kane, Sterling, Hazard and Lukaku, one has to think that their defence won’t be able to hold out against such quality.
Youssef Msakni was their top scorer in qualification with 3 goals while Wahbi Khazri is the heartbeat of their team in midfield.
An opening game against Panama would have been far more suited for them but it is England who will be their first game. The only shock here is if Tunisia don’t finish 4th.
Tunisia Provisional World Cup Squad
Goalkeepers: Aymen Mathlouthi (Al Batin Saoudi/KSA), Farouk Ben Mustapha (Al Shabab Saoudi/KSA), Mouez Hassen (Chateauroux/FRA)
Defenders: Hamdi Nagguez (Zamalek/EGY), Dylan Bronn (Ghent/BEL), Rami Bedoui (Etoile Sportive du Sahel), Yohan Benalouane (Leicester/ENG), Syam Ben Youssef (Kasimpasa/TUR), Yassine Meriah (Club Sportif Sfax), Oussama Haddadi (Dijon/FRA), Ali Maaloul (Al Ahli/EGY)
Midfielders: Ellyes Skhiri (Montpellier/FRA), Mohamed Amine Ben Amor (Al Ahly/KSA), Ghaylene Chalali (Esperance Tunis), Ferjani Sassi (Al Nasr Saoudi/KSA), Ahmed Khalil (Club Africain), Saifeddine El Khaoui (Troyes/FRA)
Forwards: Fakhreddine Ben Youssef (Al Ittifak/KSA), Anice Badri (Esperance), Bassem Srarfi (Nice/FRA), Wahbi Khazri (Rennes/FRA), Naim Sliti (Dijon/FRA), Saber Khalifa (Club Africain)
Panama
This will be Panama’s very first World Cup, a remarkable achievement considering they finished ahead of the USA. Their qualification record doesn’t read that well with 3 wins, 4 draws and 3 losses, and with just 9 goals scored in those 10 games and a leading scorer during this campaign that is a defender, one wonders if they have the firepower to test the defences of Belgium and England.
Most of their team ply their trade in the MLS with former Galaxy keeper Jaime Penedo their most experienced player with 129 caps.
Their final game against Tunisia is one that they will want to sign off with a win, other than that Panama are just making up the numbers.
Panama Provisional World Cup Squad
Defenders: Azmahar Ariano (Patriotas FC), Felipe Baloy (CSD Municipal), Harold Cummings (San Jose Earthquakes), Eric Davis (Dunajska Streda), Fidel Escobar (New York Red Bulls), Adolfo Machado (Houston Dynamo), Michael Murillo (New York Red Bulls), Luis Ovalle (CD Olimpia), Francisco Palacios (San Francisco FC), Richard Peralta (Alianza), Roman Torres (Seattle Sounders).
Midfielders: Ricardo Avila (KAA Gent), Edgar Barcenas (Cafetaleros de Tapachula), Ricardo Buitrago (Municipal), Miguel Camargo (Universidad San Martín de Porres), Adalberto Carrasquilla (Tauro FC), Armando Cooper (Club Universidad de Chile), Anibal Godoy (San Jose Earthquakes), Gabriel Gomez (Bucaramanga), Jose Gonzalez (Union Comercio), Cristian Martínez (Columbus Crew), Valentin Pimentel (Plaza Amador), Alberto Quintero (Universitario de Lima), Jose Luis Rodríguez (KAA Gent).
Forwards: Abdiel Arroyo (LD Alajuelense), Rolando Blackburn (Chorrillo), Ismael Diaz (Deportivo La Coruna), Jose Fajardo (CA Independiente), Roberto Nurse (Mineros Zacatecas), Blas Perez (Municipal), Luis Tejada (Sports Boys), Gabriel Torres (CD Huachipato).
SPORTSvox World Cup Group G Predictions
This group has to be all about England and Belgium when you look at the quality on both sides. The question bodes if England can deal with the weight of expectation? If they can then there is no reason why they can’t go on and top the group, however my feeling is that Belgium might just edge them on goal difference.
World Cup 2018 Fixtures, Group G
MONDAY 18TH JUNE
Belgium v Panama
Fisht Olympic Stadium, Sochi
MONDAY 18TH JUNE
Tunisia v England
Volgograd Arena, Volgograd
SATURDAY 23RD JUNE
Belgium v Tunisia
Otkrytie Arena, Moscow
SUNDAY 24TH JUNE
England v Panama
Nizhny Novgorod Stadium, Nizhny Novgorod
THURSDAY 28TH JUNE
England v Belgium
Kaliningrad Stadium, Kaliningrad
THURSDAY 28TH JUNE
Panama v Tunisia
Mordovia Arena, Saransk
