Group
B of the 2018 FIFA World Cup comprises of Spain, Portugal, Morocco and Iran. It
is expected that two European teams- Spain and Portugal- will advance to the round
of 16 as winners and runners-up unless the remaining two teams make any upset. Matches
of this group will be played between 15 and 25 June, but the match between
Spain and Portugal will be at the center of attention.
Spain:
The current squad of the Spain national
football team may not look as strong and balanced as it was in 2010, when they
won their first and only World Cup trophy. The former champions failed to
retain their trophy in Brazil four years ago because of their terrible performance,
knocking them out of the tournament from the group stage despite getting just one
victory against Australia. This time, La Furia Roja (The Red Fury) looks much
better and they are considered one of the few strongest teams in this summer’s
World Cup.
Spain,
who is ranked 8th in the latest FIFA World rankings, performed superbly
in the World Cup qualifiers, won nine out of their 10 matches and drew only against
Italy. In their qualification process, they scored 36 goals and ensured their
presence in the 15th World Cup finals. Coach Julen Lopetegui’s Spain has the combination of veteran and
young players. Andres Iniesta, Gerard Pique, Sergio Ramos, David Silva and
David Villa are only five players from the World Cup winning squad. Along with them,
new faces like Alvaro Morata, Isco, Koke, Thiago will feature the side in this
year’s tournament.
Their attacking line up may be the cause
of their concern, but this weakness will be backed by their strong defense
consisting of players like Sergio Ramos and Gerard Pique. They have
the world’s best goalkeeper, David De Gea,
to protect the goal post. If the Manchester United goalkeeper continues his splendid
form this summer, Spain would emerge champions yet again.
Portugal:
Portugal
is likely to be one man show. The 33-year-old Real Madrid forward Cristiano
Ronaldo, who is regarded one of the best players of his time, will probably play
his last World Cup this year. That is why, he will be desperate to clinch the
prestigious trophy in Russia. It will not be an easy task as his countrymen may
not be able to provide him necessary support the player gets while playing for
his Spanish club in La Liga.
Like
Spain, Portugal was also eliminated from the group stage in their previous World
Cup as they finished third. However, their team has progressed a lot. They are
the reigning European champions. They made their World Cup qualification with
an ease, winning nine matches out of 10 and tied one with Switzerland. Ronaldo
will undoubtedly be Portugal’s main weapon. He scored 15 goals while Andre
Silva chipped in 9 goals in the qualifiers.
Now,
football fans will be eagerly waiting to see if Portugal can go far under the
captaincy of Ronaldo in their 7th World Cup finals.
Morocco:
Morocco
will be at the tournament for the fifth time, their first World Cup in 20 years
since 1998. The East African team will not be considered a big threat, but if
we consider their recent form, we cannot deny that they have the ability to
make upset against any of the big teams in the group stage. Beating Nigeria 4-0
in the final, they have claimed their first ever African Nations Championship
title.
The
strength of Atlas Lions (nickname of Morocco national football team) is their
defense that contains players likes Medhi Benatia (Juventus) and Achraf Hakimi
(Real Madrid).
Iran:
Like
Morocco, Iran will also play their fifth World Cup this summer. They were never
a big threat at the platform. They could never progress from the group stage. There
is no hope that they can do well this time. That means, they will finish last
in the group.
| Date | Teams | Time | Venue |
| 15 June 2018 | Morocco vs Iran | 18:00 MSK | Krestovsky Stadium, Saint Petersburg |
| 15 June 2018 | Portugal vs Spain | 21:00 MSK | Fisht Olympic Stadium, Sochi |
| 20 June 2018 | Portugal vs Morocco | 15:00 MSK | Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow |
| 20 June 2018 | Iran vs Spain | 21:00 MSK | Kazan Arena, Kazan |
| 25 June 2018 | Iran vs Portugal | 21:00 MSK | Mordovia Arena, Saransk |
| 25 June 2018 | Spain vs Morocco | 20:00 KALT | Kaliningrad Stadium, Kaliningrad |
Source-
https://www.101greatgoals.com/world-cup-2018-betting/world-cup-group-b-preview-prediction/
#Group_B #FIFA_World_Cup_2018 #Spain #Portugal #Morocco #Iran
#Group_B #FIFA_World_Cup_2018 #Spain #Portugal #Morocco #Iran
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