Yet another treat at the World Cup is brought to you by the fixtures in Group F. Group favourite may be Germany but a lot is expected from Sweden and Mexico. Sweden proved that they can play against any team and Mexico showed their full potential during the qualifying tournament as well. Can Korea Republic stun the world of football? Why not, South Korea became the first and so far only Asian team to reach the semi-final in 2002.
Germany
There is a lot to say about Germany, these lines would not be enough and would not honour the full power of this squad. Current champions and the first team in FIFA rankings are ready to pursue their second consecutive World Cup title. Germany are definitely in a perfect shape to defend their title, especially after being unbeaten in all of their games in 2017. It also means that Germany's qualifying tournament was marked with 10 wins out of 10 and a massive result of 43 goals. What a team! Much is expected from four time winners and a lot of attention is paid to the final squad. After retirement of Miroslav Klose, Germany's all time top scorer (71 goals) the team was looking for a new star and they might have found him. He might not be such a goal-scoring predator like Klose but Toni Kroos who plays for Real Madrid is definitely Germany’s next leader. There are some worries about the state of Thomas Müller's form because many hopes are placed on the way Bayern Munich star will perform. The squad is still led by Joachim Löw who brought them to success four years ago and proved that Germany's capabilities are a never-ending threat to any team. Not only the German squad is filled with top players, they have new talents who will show their best, including the rising star Timo Werner. Experts look at Germany as a likely winner, placing their odds higher than the ones on Brazil. The defending champions lost their friendly to the South American giants but all the main action still lies ahead.
Sweden
Hoping to see Zlatan Ibrahimović fill Sweden ranks in the tournament? Not as impossible as it might seem. The superstar of Swedish football hinted in April that the chances he might be back to the squad for the World Cup are “sky high”. Oh, Zlatan! The player went into international retirement back in 2016 after Sweden failed to qualify for European Championship. We know, we know, Swedish team is more than Zlatan but wouldn't you be as excited as we are to welcome Zlatan back? Observers say that without Zlatan, Sweden are more united. Sweden have definitely shown to everyone that they are a capable team and we see a potential for them to qualify for the last 16. Their quest to the World Cup was not easy because “sharing” the qualifying group with France and The Netherlands cannot be an elementary task. Sweden made sure that The Netherlands are staying out of the tournament, and we applaud them for the success — Sweden got their second place on goal difference. But their road to qualifying was not done yet and Swedes managed to send yet another grand back home winning Italy on aggregate. Imagine the euphoria. Having already won against three World Cup finalists during their road to Russia 2018, Sweden will have to fight yet another grand — Germany. By the way, Sweden have also played in a World Cup final; it happened in 1958 when Sweden lost to Brazil on their home turf. It remains the biggest success for Sweden in a major tournament so far.
Mexico
Mexico had a great run to the World Cup, and they managed to have quite a “clean” record — the team lost just once in qualifying for Russia 2018. For 20 years, Mexico or El Tri made it to the last 16 in the World Cup finals but that's where they dreams got crushed. Mexico has a fine team, and currently their biggest marvel is Hirving Lozano (PSV) making sure to show his best game and form. The 22 year old is at his best at the moment, and people will definitely notice it. Another Mexico's key player to watch is Javier Hernandez (West Ham United) who might be in front along with Lozano. There are still unanswered questions if Rafa Marquez is going to be able to play at the World Cup due to some serious legal issues (remember the drug trafficking story?), and it makes sense that El Tri are on a lookout for an inspirational figure in the team. Some claim that Andres Guardado is the best choice for that — he's got the skills, the respect of his teammates, and experience. By the way, Mexico's president charged country's squad to come back to their homeland with the World Cup trophy in their hands. Quite a task Mexico must face, don't you think? Mexico has made 15 World Cup appearances, and it's a number to remember. Mexico are facing Germany as their first rival of the tournament, a tough game to begin with. We are very interested to see what squad El Tricolor's coach Juan Carlos Osorio will present to the world.
Korea Republic
Don't be fooled by Korea's ranking — although initially the country was going through five World Cups without so much as winning a match, Korea became the first and currently only Asian team to reach the semi-final stages. Tournament of 2002 brought a completely new status to the team — nobody could really believe that this team won their crucial matches against Italy, Spain, and Poland. Korea did not stop there and reached the round of last 16 in South Africa in 2010. Today, we are more than used to see Korea Republic fighting against the strongest. A veteran player, Ki Sungyueng of Swansea City, is going to wear the captain’s armband for the first time and lead the team. Qualifying for World Cup 2018 was not easy — South Korea secured their pass after a 0–0 draw against Uzbekistan on the last day of the Asian group stages. Korea is facing very difficult opponents in their World Cup group, and not many believe in team's possibilities to make it to the next round. A definite believer is Toni Grande, chief assistant coach of the South Korean team. He said that The Reds can actually reach the knockout stage at “if they prepare for the tournament with a positive mindset”. Grande acknowledged that South Korea managed to surprise in the past, especially reaching the round of 16 on foreign soil back in the days. What Korea did back in 2002 was extraordinary and it’s definitely something that is very hard to achieve again. Could The Reds repeat the former glory in Russia?
Reigning champions of the World Cup and the top-ranked team in the world, Germany are expected to go through easily, especially because they would not be willing to meet Brazil as potential rivals in the last 16. Are Korea, Sweden and Mexico going to make this task more difficult? Fore sure. Let's wait and see.
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