The World Cup has heated up as the quarter finalist get ready for the business end of the competition. While Brazil, Belgium, England, and France remain the top teams to beat, teams like Croatia and Uruguay pose a considerable threat.
The quarter finals will begin on Friday as we bring to you a brief preview of which teams look the most likely to move onto the next stage of the tournament.
The following matches will decide the fate of the next stage of the World Cup:
- Uruguay vs France:
This match will be held in Nizhny Novgorod Stadium on Friday at 7:30 pm IST. The South American team came to the knockout stages without conceding a goal but their defence was put to test against Portugal. However, with Suarez and Cavani upfront, Uruguay has looked pretty menacing in this tournament.
On the other hand, France made it through the group stages in even though they have not looked like world beaters at any point. But they managed to deliver when it really mattered against a Messi inspired Argentina. It was Mbappe who terrorized the Argentine defense with his pace, which in turn booked their quarter finals spot.
Key Players: The key players to watch out for in this match will be the pair of Suarez and Cavani who have already shown their ability to unlock any defence. On the other hand, Kylian Mbappe and Antoine Griezmann will put the defensive resolve of Diego Godin and co. to the test again. It will come down to how well Uruguay handles the France forwards and their pace.
Verdict: France to win by 2 goals to 1.
Brazil vs Belgium:
The world will come to a halt for this match as the Belgian Red Devils take on the might of Brazil in the Kazan Arena on Friday at 11:30 pm IST. Brazil seem to have hit top form in attacking football and is quite entertaining to watch, thanks to players like Coutinho and Neymar finally finding his feet after return from injury.
Belgium was comfortable in the group stages and went through undefeated. However, the ‘Golden generation’ of Belgium seemed to be on the brink of elimination against Japan. They went on to produced a stunning comeback; but Brazil is unlike Japan in many ways. Belgium has to come up with the goods right from the start or else it is ‘dasvidaniya’ for them.
Key Players: The players to watch out for in this match will be Neymar, Gabriel Jesus, Coutinho and Firmino from Brazil while Lukaku, KDB and Eden Hazard will be the key players from Belgium. This match has all the makings of classic.
Verdict: Brazil to win by 3 goals to 2.
Sweden vs England:
Sweden will try their luck against a spirited England side in the Samara Arena at 7:30 pm IST. Swedes have topped their group which had the likes of Mexico and Germany! They also made it past the Swiss army. But, England look deadly like never before after winning a penalty shootout against a resolute Colombia side in the last 16.
Key Players: The players to watch out for in this match will be Harry Kane, Raheem Sterling and Dele Alli while Forsberg and Marcus Berg will be the ones to watch out for from a Swedish side who seem to have luck on their side.
Verdict: England to win by 3 goals to 1.
- Russia vs Croatia:
The host nation will take on Croatia in Fisht Olympic Stadium at 11:30 IST. Lack of individual brilliance is a given in this team but still they have come this far while many were quick to write them off, as early as in the group stages! They managed to see off Spain in the earlier match on penalties and that speaks volumes of their resilience. Igor Akinfeev was the hero Russia looked for who turned it up a notch exactly when his team needed his services. While Croatia have truly emerged as the dark horses of this World Cup as they beat Argentina, Nigeria, and Iceland. Croatia was taken to penalties by Denmark but Daniel Subasic produced brilliant saves to send the Croats through. However, it will not be an easy task given that Russia is playing in their own backyard.
Key Players: The players to watch out for will be Luka Modric and Ivan Rakitic from Croatia while it will be Aleksandar Golovin, Denis Cheryshev and Igor Akinfeev who can make the difference for Russia. This might be a low scoring match and has the possibility of going into penalties.
Verdict: Russia to win on penalties.
