Previews Groups A-D

Chris (@Chris10Pricey) has taken a deep dive into the World Cup groups, starting here with sections A to D. Previews for each group, players to watch and key match-ups. Sit down with a mug of tea or a beer for this one. [All times are GMT]

• Group A – Qatar, Netherlands, Senegal, Ecuador
• Group B – England, Iran, USA, Cymru
• Group C – Argentina, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Poland
• Group D – France, Australia, Denmark, Tunisia
  

Group A

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Fixtures

• Qatar vs Ecuador – Sunday November 20 at 4pm
• Senegal vs Netherlands – Monday November 21 at 4pm
• Qatar vs Senegal – Friday November 25 at 1pm
• Netherlands vs Ecuador – Friday November 25 at 4pm
• Netherlands vs Qatar – Tuesday November 29 at 3pm
• Ecuador vs Senegal – Tuesday November 29 at 3pm

Preview

Normally a good World Cup relies on the hosts doing well to carry the enthusiasm for the tournament. Unfortunately, after much of the hosting controversy, I do not think many will shed a tear when Qatar goes out in the group stage. Despite the drastic improvements since Wales last visit to Qatar, such as winning the AFC Asian Cup in 2019, finishing 3^rd in the FIFA Arab Cup in 2021 and rising to 49^th in the World Rankings, the hosts have little hope of getting out of the group. Their best chance of a result is their opening game against Ecuador, but even that would be a big upset. They will do well if their goal difference at the end of the group is not in minus double digits.

Qatar’s opponents in their opening game, Ecuador are only ranked 5 places above Qatar, but come into the tournament with a much bigger pedigree. Finishing 4^th in South American qualifying and bouncing back from a disappointing start, to gain credible draws with Brazil and Argentina, Ecuador provides a much more credible challenge to the Netherlands and Senegal. Sprinkled with recognisable players, including Enner Valencia (is he still playing!) and the mightily impressive Brighton midfielder Moisés Caicedo, Ecuador will be competitive in this group.

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However, it is hard to look past the top two teams in this group, Netherlands, and Senegal. Despite having never won it, it does not feel like a World Cup without the Dutch. The first World Cup I can remember, France 1998, I had a beautiful Oranje shirt and my favourite player at the time, Pierre Van Hooijdonk had not broken my heart by going on strike at that point. Louis Van Gaal is back for his 3^rd attempt with the national team and is great to hear about his successful battle with prostate cancer, which will provide extra motivation for him and his team.

There is a feeling this could be their tournament and with the players they have, it is clear to see why. Virgil Van Dijk needs no introduction, but he is flanked by De Ligt and De Vrij creating a formidable back line. There are recognisable players all over the pitch, even if some have not fulfilled their potential during some of their moves, but a player I am excited to see is winger Cody Gakpo, who has the potential to light up the group.

And finally, Senegal. The last 20 years have been a whirlwind for Senegal, from bursting onto the international scene in 2002 beating holders France in that World Cup, the Senegal story is like a roller coaster. It has seemed to be feast or famine for them. Despite this, the current crop has the potential to be dark horses in this tournament. After the epic battles with Egypt in both the AFCON Final and the two-legged play-off, they may have gone the hard way about qualifying but looking at their squad this is a potential challenger. With recognisable faces all over the pitch and some world class players thrown into the mix, Mane, Mendy, Koulibally to name a few, they will have to be taken seriously. The heat and humidity will play into their hands and in Sadio Mane, they have a talisman that could lead them very deep into the tournament.

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Key Game

Senegal vs Netherlands – Monday November 21 at 4pm – Even though it is their opening game, I feel this game will decide the group winners. Senegal has the potential to catch the Dutch cold and despite being heavy favourites for the group, unless they are ready for it, they could be caught out. I am going for an early upset and Senegal to top the group as both sides should comfortably dispatch the other 2 teams in the group.

Prediction

1. Senegal          2. Netherlands                        3. Ecuador                  4. Qatar

Group B

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Group B fixtures:

• England vs Iran – Monday, November 21 at 1pm
• USA vs Wales – Monday, November 21 at 7pm
• Wales vs Iran – Friday, November 25 at 10am
• England vs USA – Friday, November 25 at 7pm 
• Iran vs USA – Tuesday, November 29 at 7pm 
• Wales vs England – Tuesday, November 29 at 7pm

Preview

I was in the car listening on the radio when the World Cup draw was being made. As the teams were being drawn out, I said to my other half, England always get the favourable draw. Looking at other groups it seemed like they were being favoured yet again. And then we got drawn out. And my viewpoint changed from this is a straightforward group for England, to this is a group we could potentially get out of! We all remember the unfairness of the draw and being 4^th seeds, so when you look at other groups, it could have been a lot worse.

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Starting with our near neighbours, England should win the group. They have their latest golden generations and frustratingly, a very likeable group of players. Gone is the arrogance of the golden generation, replaced by youth and genuine quality all over the pitch. Harry Kane is up there in the genuine world class players discussion, and flanked by real attaching quality in Sterling, Saka, Foden, Bellingham, Grealish and backed up by a dominant midfield of Rice and Philips. If there is a weakness, it may be at the back and in the dugout. The defensive issues are well documented, and will Southgate revert to type in that you ‘start with a draw’ mentality. For me Southgate could potentially be England’s Achilles Heel here. Despite his incredible achievements of getting England to a World Cup Semi and a Euro’s Final, in both instances, he failed to learn on what had happened previously. Both games, were incredibly similar and England would have won Euro 2020(1), if they had trusted their attacking flair, gone for it, and built on their lead. Instead of that, they became cautious and threw it away.

For the USA, this may be one tournament too early. They host the next World Cup in 2026, which hopefully will be a lot more accessible, should be an amazing show and pray we qualify! After being unconvincing in qualifying, only securing their place on goal difference from Costa Rica, looking at their results the US look an inconsistent side. They do have some recognisable players, Christian Pulisic being their standout star, but many of their players are young and upcoming, the most recent being Brenden Aaronson who announced his arrival at Anfield recently. We do have recent history with the US, playing them in late 2021 in a dour affair. For them, they will feel they can get out of the group, but it will be more important to build that tournament experience ahead of their big one in 4 years’ time.

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Being just across the Persian Gulf from Qatar, Iran will try and make this a home tournament and their passionate and vociferous support will make playing them challenging. Iran will feel like an unknown quantity to many, but they cannot be underestimated. They qualified top of their group, above South Korea in Asian Qualifying and are ranked just below us at 23^rd in the World Rankings. Coached by Carlos Queiroz, you would expect them to be well organised and disciplined. Most of their players are locally based and even the most ardent football fan would find it hard to pick out many players (although striker Karim Ansarifard is often a point of discussion amongst myself and my Forest mates). Their main threat is Sardar Azmoun, who has scored an incredible 41 goals in 65 appearances for his country.

And then there is us! Our story is well documented, but it is one of football’s greatest fairy tales. We are a small nation, but our #togetherstronger attitude has carried us to a truly golden generation. Ramsey, Allen, Gunter, Hennessey and so many more have given us moments most of us could only dream of. In Gareth Bale, we have the greatest Welsh player of all time, and although it may be the twilight of his career, he is still capable of the extraordinary, just ask Austria. What is even more promising, is the group of youngsters coming behind them and as a Welsh Forest fan, I am all in on Brennan Johnson. No other generation has experienced what we have in the last 15 years, and I am envious of youngsters who only know of Welsh success on a global stage. 2016 was amazing, 2020 was a tournament of what ifs, but World Cup qualification was the big one, and this group have achieved something many thought might never happen. And the heartaches, have made this feel so much sweeter. However, now we have made it, there is no way we are going home quietly!

Key Game

USA vs Wales – Monday, November 21 at 7pm – Our first game in a World Cup since 1958, but even with the huge excitement, it could quite literally, make or break our tournament. It feels very much like Slovakia in 2016, start well and the sky is the limit, defeat would leave a lot to do to get out of the group. Most would pick out England v Wales but hopefully by that point, only group winner will be up for grabs. I believe we will be ready and if we channel it correctly, a positive and morale boosting win could provide the platform to a truly memorable tournament.

Prediction

1.           England          2. Wales                         3. Iran                            4. USA

Group C

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Group C fixtures:

• Argentina vs Saudi Arabia – Tuesday, November 22 at 10am
• Mexico vs Poland – Tuesday, November 22 at 4pm
• Poland vs Saudi Arabia – Saturday, November 26 at 1pm 
• Argentina vs Mexico – Saturday, November 26 at 7pm 
• Poland vs Argentina – Wednesday, November 30 at 7pm 
• Saudi Arabia vs Mexico – Wednesday, November 30 at 7pm

Preview

Little surprise where this preview will start. For Lionel Messi, this is the final opportunity at immortality. Although often regarded as the GOAT, in Argentina, he will never be seen above Maradona, unless they win a World Cup. And this could be their best opportunity. After coming agonisingly close in 2014, Messi broke his international trophy duck, leading Argentina to the Copa America title last year. Throw in to that the incredible stat about the final being potentially his 1000^th game, this is a script writers dream. Although Messi would be a leading light in any side, he is backed by a balanced and talented supporting cast, missing the household names of the past, but they look like a solid shout for the final 4. It is hard to see them being troubled by any of the other sides in Group C.

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Poland have arguably the game’s best striker in Robert Lewandowski and with that, they will always carry a threat. Similarly to Wales, they qualified through the play-offs but were given a helping hand by Russia’s invasion, meaning they got a bye to the final, where they beat Sweden. However, having watched Wales play them twice in the past 6 months, I was left feeling underwhelmed. They were hammered by Belgium and but for us having to focus on World Cup Qualifying, I think we could have finished above them in the Nations League. They have several quality players to support Lewandowski, such as Szczensy, captain Glik, Zielinski and Krychowiak but will have to focus on the game with Mexico first up, if they have ambitions of getting out of the group.

In my reasons to be excited I talked about the Mexico Argentina clash being one to look forward to, mainly as it throws up that nostalgic feisty America’s clash feeling. Mexico finished joint top of their qualifying group, in a solid qualifying campaign. Their front 3 are clearly where their talent lies, in Lozano, Gimenez and Corona, but they will provide stern opposition and believe they will pip Poland to 2^nd place in the group.

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Although many will regard Saudi Arabia as the potential whipping boys here, this may prove to be the Saudi’s best performance at a World Cup. All their players are domestically based, and there are no real stars in their squad, but they clearly have a solid base to build from. In qualifying, they only conceded 1 goal in 10 and finished top of a group that included Japan and Australia. Defensively solid, looking at their results over the past few years, many games have been decided by the odd goal and the longer they can frustrate their supposedly better opponents, the more they will believe they can get something. Also, with the geography of the tournament, they will not be short of a few fans in Qatar!  

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Key Game

Mexico vs Poland – Tuesday, November 22 at 4pm – Again the key game comes early in the group and will surely decide 2^nd place in the group. As I said previously, I was underwhelmed by Poland and think that the Mexicans will have too much for them.

Prediction

1.           Argentina     2. Mexico      3. Poland       4. Saudi Arabia

Group D

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Group D fixtures:

• Denmark vs Tunisia – Tuesday, November 22 at 1pm
• France vs Australia – Tuesday, November 22 at 7pm
• Tunisia vs Australia – Saturday, November 26 at 10am
• France vs Denmark – Saturday, November 26 at 4pm 
• Tunisia vs France – Wednesday, November 30 at 3pm
• Australia vs Denmark – Wednesday, November 30 at 3pm

Preview

In Group D, the attention is immediately drawn to the holders, France. The holders look to become only the 3^rd country to defend their title and with the attacking flair they have, they will surely be one of the contenders. Karim Benzema is in the form of his life, and with Kylian Mbappe they have FIFA’s poster boy who lit up the previous World Cup. With Pogba missing, I am excited to see if Eduardo Camavinga can step up, he could be one of the stars of the tournament. Add into that they have stars all over the pitch, the French pose a serious threat to becoming the first European nation to win the tournament outside of Europe. Despite their mediocre performance in the latest Nations League, they qualified for the World Cup with relative ease and in they were the winners of the previous Nations League beating Spain in the final in 2021. Whatever happens and despite his absence, we are sure to see lots of Souness/Pogba memes based around the French games!

In the most recent Nations League, France were beaten by Denmark twice. Despite our many battles with Denmark over the past few years, I like many others have a soft spot for Denmark. Similarly to us, they are better than the sum of their parts. Their performance in Euro 2020 was inspired, and they came within a whisker of the final, potentially the mental and physical exhaustion around incredibly difficult circumstances took its toll on them in the latter stages of extra time. As all football fans, seeing Eriksen back on the pitch brings a smile to my face, not just because of what happened, but because he is a delightful footballer to watch. But since then, Denmark have continued to impress. In qualifying they won 9 out of 10 games, their only defeat coming to Scotland when they had already qualified. And in the Nations League, they finished just a point behind Croatia. Again, they will be challenging opponents for anyone.

It does feel like the other 2 teams in the group are making up the numbers here. Australia qualified through a nerve-wracking play off final with Peru by the narrowest margins. When the qualifying groups were re-aligned several years ago, it gave the Socceroos’ a much better chance of qualifying but looking through their results, there are some shockers in there. They finished behind Saudi Arabia and Japan, winning just 4 of their 10 games. Gone are the recognised Premier League players of the 2000’s and the ones that are recognisable are in the latter stages of their career. Despite qualifying for the last 4 tournaments, they have gone out in the group stages of the last 3, only winning 1 of 9 games. It is hard to see anything different happening this time.

Finishing off Group D are Tunisia, who qualified by beating Mali in their play off. Looking at their form in the build-up to the tournament, there are some impressive displays in there, making the quarter finals of the AFCON and their defeat in the 2021 Arab Cup Final. Their 2 key players will be Ellyes Shkiri, who plays for Cologne and Hannibal Mjeri’s, whose hair is something to look out for, but he is a promising youngster currently on loan at Birmingham. Unfortunately, I cannot see them challenging the top two, but they should be competitive and likely to beat Australia, which for them will be seen as success.

Key Game

France vs Denmark – Saturday, November 26 at 4pm – Obvious choice in this group, the big game being France v Denmark. It should be an exciting game anyway but after successive defeats to Denmark in the Nations League, France will not want to lose this one. The key reason being the ramifications it has for the winner and the loser. The loser will likely finish 2^nd and be set to face Argentina in the Round of 16.

Prediction

1.           France             2. Denmark               3. Tunisia                     4. Australia