World Cup 2018 Group H Preview and Predictions
Poland, Senegal, Japan and Colombia make up the final group and on paper this is the toughest one to call. Colombia are marginal favourites to top the group followed by Poland, Senegal and Japan.
The Japanese will be doing all they can to not finish last while Senegal will bring plenty of colour and the possibility of an upset.
The smart money is on Colombia and Poland to go through, however in Senegal you have an unpredictable African team that could spring a few surprises.
Let’s have a look at the final group and key players that will drive their bids to make it through to the last 16.
Poland
Poland looked pretty good during their qualification campaign, winning 8 of their 10 games and losing just the one.
In Robert Lewandowski they have a world class striker that contributed 16 goals during this time. Over the last 50 games in all competitions he has found the back of the net on 45 occassions and if this form is anything to go by Poland should get through the group stages, although one can’t help thinking that the team does rely too heavily on him.
Napoli’s Arkadiusz Milik is another player that could be a source of goals for Poland, although his contribution for the Serie A club this season has been limited to just the 14 games.
In goal they have plenty of quality and experience to call upon in Wojciech Szczesny and Lukasz Fabianski
Poland will feature for the first time since 2006 in what will be their 7th World Cup, however if they are going to progress they will have to get some early momentum with a win over Senegal in their opening game.
Poland Provisional World Cup Squad
Goalkeepers: Bartosz Bialkowski (Ipswich), Lukasz Fabianski (Swansea City), Wojciech Szczesny (Juventus)
Defenders: Jan Bednarek (Southampton), Bartosz Bereszynski (Sampdoria), Thiago Cionek (SPAL), Kamil Glik (AS Monaco), Artur Jedrzejczyk (Legia Warszawa), Michal Pazdan (Legia Warszawa), Lukasz Piszczek (Borussia Dortmund)
Midfielders: Jakub Blaszczykowski (VfL Wolfsburg), Jacek Goralski (Ludogorets Razgrad), Kamil Grosicki (Hull City), Grzegorz Krychowiak (West Bromwich Albion), Rafal Kurzawa (Gornik Zabrze), Karol Linetty (Sampdoria), Slawomir Peszko (Lechia Gdansk), Maciej Rybus (Lokomotiv Moscow), Piotr Zielinski (Napoli)
Forwards: Dawid Kownacki (Sampdoria), Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich), Arkadiusz Milik (Napoli), Lukasz Teodorczyk (Anderlecht)
Colombia
Colombia made hard work of their qualification campaign scraping through by just a point ahead of Peru and Chile.
In James Rodriguez and Radamel Falcao they have immense quality up front, although their defense is in question after conceding 19-goals during their qualification campaign.
Rodriguez has been in great form for Bayern Munich this season, although by his own admission his goal scoring ration could be improved.
Radamel Falcao hasn’t had much problems in front of goal, the striker enjoying another successful season in the Principality.
This will be their 6th World Cup and a repeat of their 2014, 5th place finish will be part of the mindset this summer in Russia.
Colombia begin their World Cup against Japan. This could be a tricky one for the South Americans but one expects they should get through unscathed.
Colombia Provisional World Cup Squad
Goalkeepers: David Ospina (Arsenal), Camilo Vargas (Deportivo Cali), Ivan Arboleda (Banfield), Jose Fernando Cuadrado (Once Caldas).
Defenders: Cristian Zapata (Milan), Davinson Sanchez (Tottenham), Santiago Arias (PSV Eindhoven), Oscar Murillo (Pachuca), Frank Fabra (Boca Juniors), Johan Mojica (Girona), Yerry Mina (Barcelona), William Tesillo (Santa Fe), Bernardo Espinosa (Girona), Stefan Medina (Monterrey), Farid Díaz (Olimpia).
Midfielders: Wilmar Barrios (Boca Juniors), Carlos Sanchez (Espanyol), Jefferson Lerma (Levante), Jose Izquierdo (Brighton Hove & Albion), James Rodriguez (Bayern Munich), Giovanni Moreno (Shanghai Shenhua), Abel Aguilar (Deportivo Cali), Mateus Uribe (America), Yimmi Chara (Junior), Juan Fernando Quintero (River Plate), Edwin Cardona (Boca Juniors), Juan Guillermo Cuadrado (Juventus), Gustavo Cuellar (Flamengo), Sebastian Perez (Boca Juniors).
Forwards: Radamel Falcao Garcia (Monaco), Duvan Zapata (Sampdoria), Miguel Borja (Palmeiras), Carlos Bacca (Villarreal), Luis Fernando Muriel (Sevilla), Teofilo Gutierrez (Junior).
Senegal
The African nation will be featuring in just their second World Cup. Their memorable debut was a quarterfinal finish in 2002, however for some reason they haven’t qualified since.
With 4 wins from their 6 qualification games they finished top of their group.
Sadio Mane has had a wonderful season for Liverpool. His pace, goal scoring ability and assist ration will be exceptionally valuable to their cause.
As you expect from an African side there is plenty of talent. Monaco winger Keita Balde Diao has had a real breakthrough season this year, while Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly has been exceptional for the Serie A club.
Senegal open up their campaign against Poland. This will be the perfect opportunity for them to make a statement and there is no reason why they can’t get the points in this one.
Senegal World Cup Squad
Goalkeepers: Khadim Ndiaye (Horoya AC), Abdoulaye Diallo (Rennes), Alfred Gomis (Torino)
Defenders: Kara Mbodji (Anderlecht), Kalidou Koulibaly (Napoli), Moussa Wague (Eupen), Saliou Ciss (Angers), Youssouf Sabaly (Bordeaux), Lamine Gassama (Alanyaspor), Armand Traore (Nottingham Forest), Salif Sane (Hannover 96)
Midfielders: Pape Alioune Ndiaye (Stoke), Idrissa Gueye (Everton), Cheikhou Kouyate (West Ham), Cheikh N’Doye (Birmingham)
Forwards: Sadio Mane (Liverpool), Diao Balde Keita (Monaco), Ismaila Sarr (Rennes), Diafra Sakho (Rennes), Moussa Konate (Amiens), Mame Biram Diouf (Stoke), Mbaye Niang (AC Milan).
Japan
This will be the 6th consecutive time Japan have made it through to the finals. They have got through to the last 16 on two occasions, although last time out in Brazil they failed to make it out of the group stages.
The Japanese did qualify top of their group with 6 wins from 10 played, although they did suffer losses at the hands of the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
The Japanese have several players across Europe’s top leagues with Leicester’s Shinji Okazaki their most well-known after winning the Premier League a few years back.
This is a tough group and Japan could very well be one of the two to not get through. Much will depend on their opening game against Colombia. You can be sure they will bring plenty of energy and intensity, however tough to see their attack dealing with world class opposition.
Japan World Cup Squad
Goalkeepers: Eiji Kawashima (Metz), Masaaki Higashiguchi (Gamba Osaka), Kosuke Nakamura (Kashiwa Reysol)
Defenders: Yuto Nagatomo (Galatasaray), Tomoaki Makino (Urawa Reds), Wataru Endo (Urawa Reds), Maya Yoshida (Southampton), Hiroki Sakai (Marseille), Gotoku Sakai (Hamburg), Gen Shoji (Kashima Antlers), Naomichi Ueda (Kashima Antlers)
Midfielders: Makoto Hasebe (Eintracht Frankfurt), Keisuke Honda (Pachuca), Takashi Inui (Eibar), Shinji Kagawa (Borussia Dortmund), Hotaru Yamaguchi (Cerezo Osaka), Genki Haraguchi (Fortuna Dusseldorf), Takashi Usami (Fortuna Dusseldorf), Gaku Shibasaki (Getafe), Ryota Oshima (Kawasaki Frontale)
Forwards: Shinji Okazaki (Leicester), Yuya Osako (Werder Bremen), Yoshinori Muto (Mainz)
SPORTSvox World Cup Group H Predictions
Tough group to predict. Initially one expects Colombia and Poland to go through, however I can see Senegal edging one of these teams out. Everyone wants to see an African team doing well in the World Cup and Senegal could be the team to capture the imagination. Colombia to go through with Senegal is where I am leaning towards on this one.
World Cup 2018 Fixtures, Group H
TUESDAY 19TH JUNE
Colombia v Japan
Mordovia Arena, Saransk
TUESDAY 19TH JUNE
Poland v Senegal
Otkrytie Arena, Moscow
SUNDAY 24TH JUNE
Japan v Senegal
Central Stadium, Yekaterinburg
SUNDAY 24TH JUNE
Poland v Colombia
Kazan Arena, Kazan
THURSDAY 28TH JUNE
Japan v Poland
Volgograd Arena, Volgograd
THURSDAY 28TH JUNE
Senegal v Colombia
Samara Arena, Samara
