Group
A of the 2018 FIFA World Cup contains the host nation Russia along with
Uruguay, Egypt and Saudi Arabia. This group is different from others because it
does not have any recognized superpowers. Perhaps the most debated issue is if
Russia as a host nation can make it out of the group stage. For qualifying for
the second round, they will have to compete with Uruguay and Egypt.
Uruguay:
It
looks like Uruguay will not find it hard to emerge as winners from the group A.
The two-time World Cup winners finished second in the CONMEBOL World Cup
qualification behind Brazil. They would try to carry out their impressive form in
the upcoming World Cup tournament.
The attacking
duo Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani are key players for Uruguay. Both have
showed their best form for their respective clubs- Barcelona and Paris
Saint-Germain. If they do the same for their team, their opponent teams will be
in big trouble.
The 17th
seeded team will make their 13th World Cup appearance.
Russia:
Progressing
to the next round will be a big challenge for the host nation. Having placed on
the 66th position in the current FIFA World rankings, they have
become the worst ranked team in the competition. It is expected that they will
make proper use of the “home advantage” and will try to earn a spot in the
second round.
Being
the host nation, Russia qualified for their 11th World Cup automatically.
In their last three World Cups, they were eliminated from group stage. The same
thing is likely to happen this time also. Their match against Egypt will play a
decisive role in the group. Without any doubt, Uruguay will become group winners,
leaving the remaining three teams, especially Egypt and Russia to fight for
becoming runners-up.
Egypt:
Egypt made their third-ever World Cup qualification
this summer. However, it was their first appearance after 28 years since 1990. The
Mediterranean country will have to compete with Russia to grab the second spot.
Now, they are much better team than before. The Pharaohs became runners-up in
the recently concluded Africans Nations Cup. It will not be a significant
surprise if they beat the host nation.
They
have a number of talented players who feature in the top European clubs like in
Ahmed Hegazi (West Bromwich), Ali Gabr (West Bromwich), Ahmed ElMohamady (Aston
Villa), Karim Hafez (Lens), Omar Gaber (Los Angeles FC) and Mohamed Salah
(Liverpool). Among key players, Mohamed
Salah will play the most important role for his national team. The
Liverpool-forward is in good form. Scoring 32 goals, he became the highest
scorer in the recently finished English Premier League (EPL) and won golden
boot.
Saudi Arabia:
Saudi
Arabia, who is perhaps the weakest team in the tournament, will make their
fifth appearance in the World Cup, their first presence since 2006. They could
advance to the round of 16 in their first World Cup. Since then, they could never
progress past the group stage. They are likely to repeat their poor form once
again in Russia. So, their qualification to the second stage of the tournament
will be considered the biggest surprise.
Green
Falcons secured their place in the 2018 FIFA World Cup winning 6 matches while
drew 1 and lost 3 in the qualification process. They finished second in Group B
in the third round of the Asian Football Confederation qualification stage
behind Japan. Despite scoring the same point as the third placed team Australia,
they have been qualified for the World Cup thanks to a better goal difference.
Unlike
other countries, players in the Saudi Arabia squad do not have any experience playing
in any of the European leagues.
|
Date
|
Teams
|
Time
|
Venue
|
|
14
June 2018
|
Russia
vs Saudi Arabia
|
18:00
MSK
|
Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow
|
|
15
June 2018
|
Egypt
vs Uruguay
|
17:00
YEKT
|
Central Stadium, Yekaterinburg
|
|
19
June 2018
|
Russia
vs Egypt
|
21:00
MSK
|
Krestovsky Stadium, Saint Petersburg
|
|
20
June 2018
|
Uruguay
vs Saudi Arabia
|
18:00
MSK
|
Rostov Arena, Rostov-on-Don
|
|
25
June 2018
|
Uruguay
vs Russia
|
18:00
SAMT
|
Cosmos Arena, Samara
|
|
25
June 2018
|
Saudi
Arabia vs Egypt
|
17:00
MSK
|
Volgograd Arena, Volgograd
|
Link-
http://www.skysports.com/football/news/15117/11371227/mohamed-salah-wins-the-premier-league-golden-boot160for-201718 #Group_A #FIFA_World_Cup_2018 #Russia #Uruguay #Saudi_Arabia #Egypt
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