2018 World Cup Preview: Group C
Les Bleus are heavily favored to ease to the top of Group C, but who will finish second to earn a spot in the knockout stages?
The dust has settled and the regular season has come to an end. Madrid have won their third Champions League in a row and the domestic champions of the top 5 leagues have all been decided. Lucky for us, the 2018 World Cup is right around the corner. Plenty of action and excitement awaits us, and drama will be present in abundance. Buckle up for a wild ride as the Great Zamboni presents the third of eight World Cup previews. Check back in every day until June 14 for a new preview on each of the eight groups.
Welcome to Group C, home to European powerhouse France, as well as Australia, Denmark and Peru. Group C is a group where France is heavily favored to advance convincingly and watch the remaining teams compete for the second knockout stage spot.
Australia
Australia booked their spot in the World Cup with a 3–1 inter-confederation play-off victory over Honduras. This marks the fifth World Cup appearance for the “Socceroos,” with previous appearances coming in 1974, 2006, 2010 and 2014. The best finish for Australia was in 20016, when the squad reached the Round of 16. The previous World Cup in 2014 saw Australia knocked out during the Group Stage in a tough group that featured Netherlands, Spain and Chile. The Socceroos will need a lot to go their way during the 2018 World Cup to advance past the group stage.
Australia is led by manager Bert van Marwijk, who took over from Ange Postecoglou, who stepped down after securing qualification to the tournament. Graham Arnold is set to take the reins post-tournament so this is van Marwijk’s lone chance to take the Socceroos to glory. On the pitch, the Aussies are led by Huddersfield midfielder Aaron Mooy, Austin Villa man Mile Jedinak, who scored a hat trick against Honduras to lead Australia to World Cup qualification. However, tough to judge Asian teams ahead of the World Cup due to the lack of competition during qualification in the tournament. Although talented, the Socceroos may be best equipped to play spoiler in the Group Stage, but it’s tough to imagine a scenario in which thy actually advance past the Group. Australia will rely on heart and tactical awareness to earn progression; however, their lack of world class quality will see them fall short of the knockout stage.
Denmark
Denmark qualified for the World Cup by dispatching Ireland 5–1 in a playoff thanks in large part to Christian Eriksen’s efforts. This will mark Denmark’s fifth World Cup appearance and first since 2010 in South Africa, where they failed to make it out the group stage. Denmark’s best result in the tournament came at France in 1998, where they were ousted by Brazil at the quarter-final stage.
The Danish Dynamite are led by 64-year-old manager Age Hareide, has won league titles in Norway, Denmark, and Sweden. Denmark’s star man is undoubtedly Christian Eriksen, who provides the Danes with a game-changing presence across the pitch. Kasper Dolberg is another name to watch if you’re a Denmark fan. The 20-year-old burst onto the scene in 2016–17 with Ajax Amsterdam, where he scored 16 goals, six of which came during Europa League play. His first team contributions have been limited due to injuries, but he remains a strong talent who could prove to be the a crucial piece to Denmark’s success in the World Cup. Denmark thrivers on possession, but the key for the Danes will be turning their possessions into scoring opportunities.
France
France qualified for the tournament by winning the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification UEFA Group A as expected, with 23 points. France’s best result came in 1998, when hey hoisted the World Cup trophy as champions on home turf. This will be the team’s 15th World Cup appearance and expectations are high for Les Bleus.
After leading his squad to the World Cup quarterfinals in 2014 and the European Championship final in 2016, Didier Deschamps is expected to lead this iteration of Les Bleus back to top of the footballing world. And why should expectations be any less? The talent is certainly there. In Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele and Antoine Griezmann they have one of the most feared strike partnerships in the tournament. In addition to the trio of strikers that will lead the way, France is rather solid on defense as well, led by goalkeeper Hugo Lloris and a midfield that features the likes of Paul Pogba, Corentin Tolisso, Blaise Matuidi and Ngolo Kante (Chelsea). It’s World Cup championship or bust for Les Bleus. Will the pressure prove too much to handle?
Peru
Peru qualified for the tournament after a 36-year absence. For much of the early part of CONMEBOL qualifying, it appeared that Peru would not qualify for the tournament, however, they found their form and eventually qualified for the tournament by defeating New Zealand in the intercontinental playoff. In fact, Peru hasn’t lost a match in over a year-and-a-half. Their last defeat was a 2–0 loss against Brazil in November 2016. Since then they have gone undefeated in 12 matches. This will mark Peru’s fifth World Cup appearance, with their best performance coming in 1970, when they reached the quarterfinals.
Peru are an inexperienced bunch from top to bottom. Manager Ricardo Gareca has never attended the World Cup and he leads a roster of inexperienced footballers. Paolo Guerrero Peru’s anchor, was suspended for six months due to a positive doping test and couldn’t take part in his nation’s playoff matches. The good news for Peruvians? The Court of Arbitration for Sport falls unexpectedly granted him a reprieve, allowing him to captain his country this summer. That certainly boosts Peru’s chances of advancing past the Group Stage. Look for Guerrero to pace the attack and be the focal point of the opposition. Peru’s defensive consistency and strong back line leads to added efficiency and effectiveness in front of goal. They should be a fun team and story to follow throughout their World Cup run.
Predictions
Ultimately, I expect France to win the group rather comfortably. The real question for Group C is who will finish second and advance to the knockout stage? Given the lack of experience on both Australia and Peru, I think Denmark will find a way to squeak into the second spot and move on. It should be a fun battle for second in Group C.
