The World Cup is set to launch in under 2 weeks. Most nations have submitted their preliminary squads by now and have already started playing their warm-up friendlies, giving us a vague idea of how they’ll look in Russia. This is the perfect time to place your bets on the winner, which is why I invite you to join me as I preview the favorite nations and their odds coming into the tournament.
Germany is looking a likely candidate to defend their World Cup trophy from 2014, a feat that hasn’t been achieved since Brazil’s back-to-back triumphs in 1958 and 1962. Despite the retirement of their beloved captain Bastian Schweinsteiger, Germany’s squad is set to look even stronger in Russia than it was 4 years ago. The core group consisting of Muller, Kroos, Ozil, Neuer, Boateng, and Hummels will be complemented by young superstars in the likes of Sane, Kimmich, Werner, and Goretzka.
Die Mannschaft has a world-class player in each position, but what makes them stand out time and time again is their ability to work as a unit. Thanks to Low’s immaculate leadership, Germany often looks like a well-drilled club side who has played together their whole career. As we’ve seen time and time again, individual talent can be a much less important factor than team cohesion. The Germans have both, which is why they’re my pick for the World Cup winner.
Spain was often lauded as the best nation in soccer history during their golden period from 2008 through 2012, when they won back-to-back UEFA Euro Cup trophies with a World Cup in between. Unfortunately, that impressive run came to an end in 2014 in Brazil where they failed to reach the group stage. Spain’s disappointing performances continued in France at the Euros as they dropped out to Italy in the first knockout stage.
However, things seem to be on the upswing for Spain. Even though some of their old core of players has retired, a handful of them are still going strong. Most importantly, they’ve been reinforced by a handful of young up-and-comers as well as an ambitious manager who knows how to take advantage of the massive talent at his disposal. The results already speak for themselves. Spain qualified to the World Cup with ease, winning 9 games and drawing once, conceding only 3 goals in the process. In the warm-up friendlies to the World Cup, they hammered Argentina 6:1, sending a strong message ahead of the World Cup.
Spain has the quality and the experience to take them far in the tournament, which is why I see them as the main competitors to Germany.
The Brazilians are favorites to win the World Cup, but I am yet to be fully convinced of their strength. Make no mistake, Brazil’s squad is stacked, and they possess one of the greatest footballers of our generation in Neymar. What’s more, they stormed through the hyper-competitive CONMEBOL qualifiers with flying colors, winning 12 matches, drawing 5, and only losing once. Yet they seem to lack the proper leadership that seems to be essential when it comes to winning competitions like these. Moreover, their starting 11 lacks some defensive grit, which may see them exposed when it’s time to face the likes of Spain or Germany. However, these are still thin margins we’re talking about, and it wouldn’t be a surprise at all if Brazil did indeed win their 6th World Cup trophy, further cementing themselves in history. As things stand right now, I’d put them on par with Spain but below Germany in likelihood of winning.
There’s one reason Argentina has found themselves on this list, and that reason is Lionel Messi. The Argentinian magician carried his team to the final in 2014, where they lost out to Germany in extra time, and there’s strong belief he might do the same once again.
However, even with Messi pulling every trick out of the bag, La Albiceleste still barely qualified for the World Cup. It had to come down to the wire in the last match of the qualifiers, as Argentina overturned a 0:1 deficit against Ecuador thanks to a Messi hat-trick. In their defense, Argentina was yet to gel as a team, having switched manager mid-qualifiers. Now that their new manager, Jorge Sampaoli, has had ample time at his disposal to drill his side with his tactics, we may see a different Argentinian side turn up in Russia. Whatever the case may be, you can never rule out a side that has Messi in it, but I realistically see Argentina going as far as the semi-final.
Les Bleus are one of the most talked-about sides ahead of the World Cup. Their squad is brimming with some of the best young footballers on the planet: Mbappe, Dembele, Coman, Pogba – to name a few. On paper, France looks like the strongest nation in world football. Position by position, I’d say they even outclass Germany, but their results on the pitch speak otherwise. The Euro 2016 was theirs to win, yet they still lost out to a mediocre Portugal in the final, failing to show convincing performances throughout the tournament. They did qualify for the World Cup with ease, but that has seldom been an issue for the French.
The problem with France is that they still haven’t shown they can work well as a unit. Whenever they play, you see a lot of superstars on the pitch who are often left without ideas on how to penetrate their opposition. The French possess plenty of explosiveness and pace, but much of their prowess in that department will be left obsolete should their opponents sit back and wait to pounce on the counter – which I’m sure they will.
Les Bleus have a bright future ahead of them, as many of their best players are still around 20 years of age, but I’m not sure there is enough time for them to gel ahead of this summer’s World Cup. France should make the semis, but I feel their lack of cohesion and leadership will be their ultimate downfall.
The whole world is in anticipation as one of the biggest festivals in all sports is about to commence. Get your beers, barbecues, and TV sets ready; June 14th is kick-off time for the World Cup 2018 in Russia. The best way to spice the action is with a few bets, so make sure to tune in to our blog for match previews and predictions!
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