Argentina
Odds to Qualify from Group: 1/7
Qualification: Argentina yet again proved erratic during their world cup qualifying campaign, amassing a record of 7 wins, 4 draws and 4 losses and finishing in 3rd place behind Brazil and Uruguay. For all their attacking talent, this Argentinian squad define inconsistency and unpredictability. They did the double over Chile and Colombia in qualifying, but went on a run of 4 games with just 3 draws, a loss and 1 goal scored. They were also unable to beat Brazil in either qualifying game, losing one 3-0. Naturally, Lionel Messi dug the team out as he always does, converting a hat-trick in the final qualifying game against Ecuador to seal an unconvincing qualification. It is important to note that Messi missed a number of games in the campaign, but it doesn’t bode well that the team is so reliant on the Barcelona star. They lost 6-1 in a recent friendly to Spain and many blamed it on Messi’s absence. The reality is that this team does not always click as it should on the pitch and will need to step up tremendously to have hopes of a successful summer.
Injuries and Team News: Big news out of the Argentinian camp is that Serie A joint top-scorer Mauro Icardi has not been selected for the final 23. Argentina boast a number of world-class forwards, but the Inter Milan striker will be scratching his head wondering what more he could’ve done to be included. At the time of writing, goalkeeper Sergio Romero has been ruled out with a knee injury so Willy Caballero will likely step-in between the sticks. Sergio Aguero has not been seen in Manchester City colours since April due to a knee injury, but he has been deemed fit to join up with his international colleagues.
Projected XI (Taken from ESPN):
Argentina’s projected line-up is much like their form: unpredictable. Sergio Aguero, Gonzalo Higuain and Paolo Dybala will all be vying for positions in the attacking areas around Messi. The personnel in defence might be dependent on the formation deployed, though Nicolas Otamendi looks nailed on at centre-back. Angel Di Maria will almost certainly play on the left regardless of how Jorge Sampaoli decides to proceed. Lucas Biglia and Javier Mascherano are likely starters, though the latter may drop into the defence if Sampaoli goes with three at the back.
Fantasy Potential: 3.5/5. Argentina’s defence will likely come in rather expensive considering they play two very dangerous sides in Nigeria (who recently put 4 past them in a friendly) and Croatia. However, Otamendi always provides a goal-threat in aerial situations and chalked up 5 goals for Manchester City last season. With so much uncertainty surrounding who’s nailed on, it leaves Di Maria and Messi as the attacking options. Di Maria could be tempting dependent on price and whether he’s listed as a midfielder or forward, while Messi will be expensive but is likely produce against any team. Argentina have a few players with high ceilings – it just might be wise not to rely too heavily on them and load up.
Prediction: Argentina begin with a game against Iceland. If they can find a balance to their play and Messi has the space to get his game going, they could gain a bit of momentum. There are no guarantees they top the group or even qualify for the round of 16 if they lose Messi, but they should do enough.
Odds to Qualify from Group: 1/7
Qualification: Argentina yet again proved erratic during their world cup qualifying campaign, amassing a record of 7 wins, 4 draws and 4 losses and finishing in 3rd place behind Brazil and Uruguay. For all their attacking talent, this Argentinian squad define inconsistency and unpredictability. They did the double over Chile and Colombia in qualifying, but went on a run of 4 games with just 3 draws, a loss and 1 goal scored. They were also unable to beat Brazil in either qualifying game, losing one 3-0. Naturally, Lionel Messi dug the team out as he always does, converting a hat-trick in the final qualifying game against Ecuador to seal an unconvincing qualification. It is important to note that Messi missed a number of games in the campaign, but it doesn’t bode well that the team is so reliant on the Barcelona star. They lost 6-1 in a recent friendly to Spain and many blamed it on Messi’s absence. The reality is that this team does not always click as it should on the pitch and will need to step up tremendously to have hopes of a successful summer.
Injuries and Team News: Big news out of the Argentinian camp is that Serie A joint top-scorer Mauro Icardi has not been selected for the final 23. Argentina boast a number of world-class forwards, but the Inter Milan striker will be scratching his head wondering what more he could’ve done to be included. At the time of writing, goalkeeper Sergio Romero has been ruled out with a knee injury so Willy Caballero will likely step-in between the sticks. Sergio Aguero has not been seen in Manchester City colours since April due to a knee injury, but he has been deemed fit to join up with his international colleagues.
Projected XI (Taken from ESPN):
Argentina’s projected line-up is much like their form: unpredictable. Sergio Aguero, Gonzalo Higuain and Paolo Dybala will all be vying for positions in the attacking areas around Messi. The personnel in defence might be dependent on the formation deployed, though Nicolas Otamendi looks nailed on at centre-back. Angel Di Maria will almost certainly play on the left regardless of how Jorge Sampaoli decides to proceed. Lucas Biglia and Javier Mascherano are likely starters, though the latter may drop into the defence if Sampaoli goes with three at the back.
Fantasy Potential: 3.5/5. Argentina’s defence will likely come in rather expensive considering they play two very dangerous sides in Nigeria (who recently put 4 past them in a friendly) and Croatia. However, Otamendi always provides a goal-threat in aerial situations and chalked up 5 goals for Manchester City last season. With so much uncertainty surrounding who’s nailed on, it leaves Di Maria and Messi as the attacking options. Di Maria could be tempting dependent on price and whether he’s listed as a midfielder or forward, while Messi will be expensive but is likely produce against any team. Argentina have a few players with high ceilings – it just might be wise not to rely too heavily on them and load up.
Prediction: Argentina begin with a game against Iceland. If they can find a balance to their play and Messi has the space to get his game going, they could gain a bit of momentum. There are no guarantees they top the group or even qualify for the round of 16 if they lose Messi, but they should do enough.
Croatia
Odds to Qualify from Group: 1/2
Qualification: Croatia finished 2 points behind Iceland in their World Cup qualification group. Similarly to Argentina, they come into the tournament after a mixed bag of results in qualifying. Croatia swept away Greece in the play-offs to guarantee a spot in Russia, but last gasp goals to Iceland and Finland cost them the 1st place spot in the group and the automatic qualification they will feel they should’ve managed.
Injuries and Team News: Lokomotiv Moscow defender Vedran Corluka has made manager Zlatko Dalic’s recent 24 man squad despite being in the process of recovering from injury.
Projected XI (Taken from ESPN):
This is a fairly predictable line-up. Marcelo Brozovic and Mateo Kovacic are both talented midfielders but will likely not be able to displace important defensive midfielder Milan Badelj or La Liga stars Luka Modric and Ivan Rakitic. If there’s a change in formation, either may threaten to break in. Andrej Kramaric is not a natural winger like Ivan Perisic on the opposing flank but has burst into form for Hoffenheim, scoring 11 in 14 games towards the end of the season. However, he will be fighting with Mario Mandzukic and Nikola Kalinic for a place in the first 11; all 3 have been tested as pairs in recent games.
Fantasy Potential: 2.5/5. Croatia have some wonderful individual players, but it’s difficult to envision many of them as worthy assets for a fantasy team. Modric and Rakitic are world-class but don’t directly contribute to as many goals as one would like. Kramaric is in excellent form but his risk of rotation and likely inclusion on most fantasy sites as a forward despite often being pushed wide means he loses appeal as an option. Perisic grabbed 11 goals and 11 assists for Inter last season and is nailed on – he’s worth keeping an eye on.
Prediction: Croatia are another team with a lot of stars that don’t always seem to put it together as you’d expect. They will be hoping to go into their final group game with Iceland having done enough to put qualification for the round of 16 in their own hands.
Odds to Qualify from Group: 1/2
Qualification: Croatia finished 2 points behind Iceland in their World Cup qualification group. Similarly to Argentina, they come into the tournament after a mixed bag of results in qualifying. Croatia swept away Greece in the play-offs to guarantee a spot in Russia, but last gasp goals to Iceland and Finland cost them the 1st place spot in the group and the automatic qualification they will feel they should’ve managed.
Injuries and Team News: Lokomotiv Moscow defender Vedran Corluka has made manager Zlatko Dalic’s recent 24 man squad despite being in the process of recovering from injury.
Projected XI (Taken from ESPN):
This is a fairly predictable line-up. Marcelo Brozovic and Mateo Kovacic are both talented midfielders but will likely not be able to displace important defensive midfielder Milan Badelj or La Liga stars Luka Modric and Ivan Rakitic. If there’s a change in formation, either may threaten to break in. Andrej Kramaric is not a natural winger like Ivan Perisic on the opposing flank but has burst into form for Hoffenheim, scoring 11 in 14 games towards the end of the season. However, he will be fighting with Mario Mandzukic and Nikola Kalinic for a place in the first 11; all 3 have been tested as pairs in recent games.
Fantasy Potential: 2.5/5. Croatia have some wonderful individual players, but it’s difficult to envision many of them as worthy assets for a fantasy team. Modric and Rakitic are world-class but don’t directly contribute to as many goals as one would like. Kramaric is in excellent form but his risk of rotation and likely inclusion on most fantasy sites as a forward despite often being pushed wide means he loses appeal as an option. Perisic grabbed 11 goals and 11 assists for Inter last season and is nailed on – he’s worth keeping an eye on.
Prediction: Croatia are another team with a lot of stars that don’t always seem to put it together as you’d expect. They will be hoping to go into their final group game with Iceland having done enough to put qualification for the round of 16 in their own hands.
Nigeria
Odds to Qualify from Group: 9/4
Qualification: After the disappointment of not qualifying for the 2017 African Cup of Nations, Nigeria surged through their World Cup qualification group unbeaten (well, sort of). They had their final game draw reverted to a loss after fielding an ineligible player, but they didn’t lose on the pitch and had already qualified by that point. Their crowning moment was a 4-0 beating of Cameroon (even the less than prolific John Obi Mikel scored and assisted – worth a mention).
Injuries and Team News: Former Nigerian international Taribo West has voiced concerns over injuries in the squad. Important centre-back Leon Balogun, right wing-back Tyronne Ebuehi and midfielder Joel Obi have been struggling for fitness, while Leicester midfielder Wilfried Ndidi has resumed light training after suffering a hamstring strain a few weeks back. By the time the tournament comes around, these players should be ready to go, but they’ll need to shake off any rust quickly in a very competitive group.
Projected XI (Taken from ESPN):
There may be some shuffling around at the back, including between the sticks, but centre-backs Balogun and William Troost-Ekong are the likely pairing in the centre. Ndidi, Mikel and Victor Moses are three of the most important players in this team so will be nailed on. Moses Simon will be eyeing up a place on the left but Iwobi is expected to be given first shot at securing it.
Fantasy Potential: 2.5/5. A player with great fantasy prospects is Victor Moses. After a solid season at wing-back for Chelsea, there’s every chance Moses could be listed as a defender on various games. However, Moses plays on the right of a front 3 for the Super Eagles and takes penalties. He’ll likely come in cheap too as part of a young Nigeria side that are not widely expected to get to the round of 16. Another option is Arsenal winger Alex Iwobi. He’s split opinion with his performances for the Gunners but is in some really good form for Nigeria, scoring the goal that secured their qualification and scoring 2 in a 4-2 comeback win over group favourites Argentina just last November. He’ll look to nail down the left-wing spot. Leicester City forward Kelechi Iheanacho was as impressive in that game, but runs a higher risk of rotation and will probably start behind ex-Watford striker Odion Ighalo.
Prediction: This is a young team with plenty of potential and confidence coming into the tournament. Wilfried Ndidi and John Obi Mikel are very important in the middle of the park, and if they perform, it’ll allow Nigeria’s attacking talents the chance to shine. If they are also able to shake off fitness concerns, they have a good chance of beating a sometimes disjointed Croatia to a place in the last 16.
Odds to Qualify from Group: 9/4
Qualification: After the disappointment of not qualifying for the 2017 African Cup of Nations, Nigeria surged through their World Cup qualification group unbeaten (well, sort of). They had their final game draw reverted to a loss after fielding an ineligible player, but they didn’t lose on the pitch and had already qualified by that point. Their crowning moment was a 4-0 beating of Cameroon (even the less than prolific John Obi Mikel scored and assisted – worth a mention).
Injuries and Team News: Former Nigerian international Taribo West has voiced concerns over injuries in the squad. Important centre-back Leon Balogun, right wing-back Tyronne Ebuehi and midfielder Joel Obi have been struggling for fitness, while Leicester midfielder Wilfried Ndidi has resumed light training after suffering a hamstring strain a few weeks back. By the time the tournament comes around, these players should be ready to go, but they’ll need to shake off any rust quickly in a very competitive group.
Projected XI (Taken from ESPN):
There may be some shuffling around at the back, including between the sticks, but centre-backs Balogun and William Troost-Ekong are the likely pairing in the centre. Ndidi, Mikel and Victor Moses are three of the most important players in this team so will be nailed on. Moses Simon will be eyeing up a place on the left but Iwobi is expected to be given first shot at securing it.
Fantasy Potential: 2.5/5. A player with great fantasy prospects is Victor Moses. After a solid season at wing-back for Chelsea, there’s every chance Moses could be listed as a defender on various games. However, Moses plays on the right of a front 3 for the Super Eagles and takes penalties. He’ll likely come in cheap too as part of a young Nigeria side that are not widely expected to get to the round of 16. Another option is Arsenal winger Alex Iwobi. He’s split opinion with his performances for the Gunners but is in some really good form for Nigeria, scoring the goal that secured their qualification and scoring 2 in a 4-2 comeback win over group favourites Argentina just last November. He’ll look to nail down the left-wing spot. Leicester City forward Kelechi Iheanacho was as impressive in that game, but runs a higher risk of rotation and will probably start behind ex-Watford striker Odion Ighalo.
Prediction: This is a young team with plenty of potential and confidence coming into the tournament. Wilfried Ndidi and John Obi Mikel are very important in the middle of the park, and if they perform, it’ll allow Nigeria’s attacking talents the chance to shine. If they are also able to shake off fitness concerns, they have a good chance of beating a sometimes disjointed Croatia to a place in the last 16.
Iceland
Odds to Qualify from Group: 11/4
Qualification: Iceland are the smallest nation to ever qualify for a World Cup. As mentioned, they pipped Croatia to 1st place in qualifying but yet are available at far longer odds to qualify from the same World Cup group. Iceland’s campaign enjoyed some late drama – they grabbed 2 goals in stoppage time to win 3-2 against Finland and took 3 points at the death against Croatia. Despite a talented team and a clear never-say-die attitude, Iceland go into another tournament as huge underdogs.
Injuries and Team News: The most gifted member of the Icelandic squad is Everton central midfielder Gylfi Sigurdsson. He has been out of action with a knee injury since March but boss Heimir Hallgrímsson has included him in the squad, believing he should be available for selection by the time the tournament begins. Forward Kolbeinn Sigthorsson has had a torrid time with injuries over the past couple of years and is only fit enough for the reserves list.
Projected XI (Taken from ESPN):
Iceland are capable of playing both in a 4-4-2 or a 4-5-1. I think we’re more likely to see the latter rolled out in the opening game against Argentina. In which case, one of the centre forwards will drop out and captain Aron Gunnarsson will play in a 2 in front of the centre backs.
Fantasy Potential: 1.5/5. Sigurdsson and Johann Berg Gudmundsson have been valuable FPL assets in the past and both have fantastic delivery. In a team with so many tall, physically imposing players, this could bode well for their assist potential. However, Iceland have made their name on the strength of their performances as a unit and other than Sigurdsson, there doesn’t look to be too much value in any particular individual.
Prediction: I don’t think Iceland go quietly and after watching their march through to the quarter finals of Euro 2016, I refuse to rule them out of making it out of the group. However, I think they fall just short this time out, especially with a Gylfi Sigurdsson who’s probably not quite match fit.
Odds to Qualify from Group: 11/4
Qualification: Iceland are the smallest nation to ever qualify for a World Cup. As mentioned, they pipped Croatia to 1st place in qualifying but yet are available at far longer odds to qualify from the same World Cup group. Iceland’s campaign enjoyed some late drama – they grabbed 2 goals in stoppage time to win 3-2 against Finland and took 3 points at the death against Croatia. Despite a talented team and a clear never-say-die attitude, Iceland go into another tournament as huge underdogs.
Injuries and Team News: The most gifted member of the Icelandic squad is Everton central midfielder Gylfi Sigurdsson. He has been out of action with a knee injury since March but boss Heimir Hallgrímsson has included him in the squad, believing he should be available for selection by the time the tournament begins. Forward Kolbeinn Sigthorsson has had a torrid time with injuries over the past couple of years and is only fit enough for the reserves list.
Projected XI (Taken from ESPN):
Iceland are capable of playing both in a 4-4-2 or a 4-5-1. I think we’re more likely to see the latter rolled out in the opening game against Argentina. In which case, one of the centre forwards will drop out and captain Aron Gunnarsson will play in a 2 in front of the centre backs.
Fantasy Potential: 1.5/5. Sigurdsson and Johann Berg Gudmundsson have been valuable FPL assets in the past and both have fantastic delivery. In a team with so many tall, physically imposing players, this could bode well for their assist potential. However, Iceland have made their name on the strength of their performances as a unit and other than Sigurdsson, there doesn’t look to be too much value in any particular individual.
Prediction: I don’t think Iceland go quietly and after watching their march through to the quarter finals of Euro 2016, I refuse to rule them out of making it out of the group. However, I think they fall just short this time out, especially with a Gylfi Sigurdsson who’s probably not quite match fit.
UPDATE (5/06/18): Nigeria – Ola Aina will no longer be a starter for Nigeria at the tournament as he failed to make Gernot Rohr’s 23-man squad.