World Fantasy: Group G analysis
Look no further. Here’s everything you need to know about Group G of the World Cup.
Group G of the 2018 World Cup is led by Belgium. From Pot 2 came England, on an upward trajectory football-wise, and a candidate to steal the spotlight away from the Belgians. The group is completed with Tunisia, drawn out of Pot 3, and Panama, from Central America, who was in Pot 4.
Facing only in the last round, Belgium and England, the top two contenders, look like excellent fantasy bets for the two opening gameweeks. Tunisia will try to interfere in this fight, but they’ll need a good result on their inaugural, when they go against England. Belgium and England, nonetheless, need to prove their worth in the openers, to put a stamp on their intentions at WC2018.
The Belgians are currently 3rd place in the FIFA ranking and can no longer be called sleepers in 2018. Interestingly, Tunisia is just one place below England, 14th and 13th respectively. As for Panama, it has one of the worst ranks at the World Cup, currently in 55th. Despite the slight difference between England and Tunisia, the quality and experience difference between both sides should be in display in their opener.
Belgium
Belgium brilliantly won Group H of the European qualifiers. They drew just 1 game and won 9, without any defeat, in a group where they faced Greece, Bosnia, Estonia, Cyprus and Gibraltar. They scored 43 goals and conceded only 6 in 10 games. Romelu Lukaku was their marksman with 11 goals. In their 2018 fixtures, they thrashed Saudi Arabia and were held to a goalless draw with Portugal.
There are a lot of world-class players in this Belgian squad, starting at the goal and finishing ip top. Courtois (6.0M) and the entire defensive line are excellent, but perhaps the best bet is Meunier (6.0M), a very offensive wingback, that scores and assists. In the midfield, you have play-maker Kevin De Bruyne (9.0M) and the vertiginous Eden Hazard (10.5M). Poacher Lukaku (8.5M) and the restless Dries Mertens (8.5M) will want to get in the boxscores. If the Belgians deliver what they’re expected to, there are plenty of good bets on this team.
Theoretically, Belgium must be accounted for any title talk. However, it’s a group of players that still needs to show their true potential in the pitch and against top-notch competition. Despite a great qualifying stage, they need to hit the ground running and dominate Group G to be taken seriously.
England
England reaches the World Cup after beating everybody to the top of Group F, in the Euro Qualifying Stage. The English won 8, drew 2, good for 26 points, and ended without any losses in a group that featured Slovakia, Scotland, Slovenia, Lithuania and Malta, conceding only 3 goals in the process. In their friendly matches of 2018, they have beaten the Netherlands and Nigeria and drew against Italy.
The English will arrive in Russia with a young team, with talented players eager to claim this World Cup, after England’s great run of disappointments in international. Harry Kane (11.5M) is the men to watch, a lethal forward who can fight for top goal-scorer in the WC2018. Behind him, Sterling (9.5M) and Dele Alli (8.0M) bring speed and creativity and are also able finishers and passers. In the defensive line, Trippier (5.0M) and Danny Rose (5.5M) should flank a trio of centre-backs, bringing to the table the potential for offensive returns. Even their goalkeeper, Pickford (5.5M), is a good budget option, cheaper than some of his counterparts from similarly ranked squads.
It’s expected for England to beat Tunisia in their opener and showcase their intents on getting far in the World Cup. If everything goes smoothly, England and Belgium will face each other to wrestle for top spot, having already qualified for the knockout rounds.
Tunisia
Tunisia won Group A of the African qualifiers with 4 wins and 2 draws, paired with the DR Congo, Libya and Guinea Conakry. Their qualifying top scorer, Msakni, misses the World Cup due to an injury. In the friendly matches held in 2018, Tunisia has beaten Iran and Costa Rica, fellow participants, and came away with ties against Portugal and Turkey.
In the absence of Youssef Msakni, the main star of the Tunisian team is Wahbi Khazri (6.0M), a winger who can also play behind the striker, who had a good season in Ligue 1 for Rennes. Badri (5.5M) and Ben Youssef (4.5M) are expected to fight for the strike spot, having both scored against Portugal in their recent friendly. It’s difficult to spot more fantasy talent in a selection of slim aspirations.
Tunisia will try to assert their collective, lacking individual players that can unlock games. The first round against England will serve to assess what this team is worth. Facing Panama in the last round, it wouldn’t be surprising if Tunisians was already out of contention by then.
Panama
Panama are one of the debutants in this World Cup, a status they only share with Iceland. The squad from Central America was probably the great beneficiary of the US debacle in the CONCACAF’s qualifiers. Panama finished 3rd, with only 9 goals scored in 10 games and 13 points out of 30, the same as Honduras, who finished 4th and went to the play-offs. In friendly matches this year, Panama only won against Trinidad and Tobago, tied with Northern Ireland and lost to Denmark, Switzerland and Norway.
All indicators point out that we stay way from all of Panama’s players. Blas Pérez (5.5M) is the reference up front and Aníbal Godoy (5.5M) the most skilled behind him. Still, only strong believers in this Panama squad should take their chance on them. And yet, they’ll most likely be wrong.
Only a miracle could turn Panama into the surprise of this World Cup. First-timers at this kind of stage, starting off against England and Belgium, bets are that they are eliminated by the end of these games.
