2018 FIFA World Cup - Group B - Portugal, Spain, Morocco, Iran
06-10-2018
, 02:49 PM
Teams:
Portugal
After their EURO 2016 triumph, the Portuguese went into World Cup qualifying on a high, and continued to have success - winning nine of their ten games, and edging out Switzerland on goal difference for direct qualification. After winning his first international title with his national team, Cristiano Ronaldo wants to add another title to his resumè. As it's unlikely that Portugal will go through the group with three draws, they will face a tough challenge with Spain and Morocco.
The core of the squad is getting pretty old, with Bruno Alves at 46, Pepe at 35, Jose Fonte and Quaresma at 34 and Ronaldo at 33. It will be the last push for this generation, and they will hope to go further than in 2014, where they finished behind Germany and the US to drop out in the group.
Recent results are also mixed, with two wins against Egypt and Algeria, draws against Tunisia and Belgium and a 0-3 loss to the Dutch.
Prediction: Portugal will have to battle Morocco for second, and will prevail. The potential Round of 16 match against Uruguay is going to be close.
Spain
After their 2010 World Cup win and a disastrous Group Stage exit in 2014, Spain is once again among the top teams in the competition. After the qualifying draw matched them up with Italy, everyone was interested in who would prevail between the two footballing nations, as Italy had eliminated Spain in the EURO 2016 Round of 16.
Spain indeed had little trouble, getting a 3-0 and 1-1 against the Azzurri in their matches and winning the group undefeated.
Looking at their squad, there are no obvious weaknesses to find - the complaint about not having a "real" finisher is compensated by the midfield class where anyone can score - in qualifying Costa, Isco, Morata and Silva each scored 5 goals, with Vitolo adding another four.
Recent results include a 6-1 thrashing of Argentina, a narrow 1-0 win against TUnisia and draws against Germany and Switzerland. They are undefeated since the loss at the EURO 2016, they had 13 wins and 6 draws since then.
Prediction: Spain should have no big problems winning the group, and has a clear path toward the semi-final, where a match-up with Germany is possible.
Morocco
Morocco celebrated their first qualification for a World Cup in 20 years, after winning their group against Ivory Coast, Gabon and Mali - undefeated and without conceding a single goal - this performance alone should be warning enough for anyone underestimating Morocco's chances in Group B.
Many players of the squad were born in France and the Netherlands, choosing the country of their parents over their birth places. They are also playing all over Europe, with captain Mehdi Benatia playing for Juventus and playmaker Hakim Ziyech being one of Ajax's biggest talents.
Recent results in 2018 show that Morocco seems to be well prepared, going undefeated against Serbia (2-1), Uzbekistan (3-0), Ukraine (0-0), Slovakia (2-1) and Estonia (3-1). A good start in the opening match against Iran is key for their tournament.
Prediction: Morocco will give Portugal a good challenge for the runner-up spot in Group B. Much will depend on the direct match in Moscow.
Iran
Iran is a semi-regular participant at the World Cup, albeit not a very successful one - in four tries, they won a single game, drew three and lost eight - leading to a group stage exit every time. This time, they qualified by winning AFC Group A undefeated (6-4-0) in very low-scoring games (10-2 GD in ten games).
The squad misses a real star player, with Rubin Kazan's Sardar Azmoun being the most prolific goal-scorer with 23 in 33 caps. Of the 6 matches in 2018, Iran won four and lost two, and despite their good performances in qualifying, they are the underdogs in the group.
Prediction: Iran might be a stumbling block for the other three, and whichever team drops points against them, will have a tough time advancing from the group.
Matches (all times CEST / UTC+2)
Odds (Bet365.it)
Portugal
After their EURO 2016 triumph, the Portuguese went into World Cup qualifying on a high, and continued to have success - winning nine of their ten games, and edging out Switzerland on goal difference for direct qualification. After winning his first international title with his national team, Cristiano Ronaldo wants to add another title to his resumè. As it's unlikely that Portugal will go through the group with three draws, they will face a tough challenge with Spain and Morocco.
The core of the squad is getting pretty old, with Bruno Alves at 46, Pepe at 35, Jose Fonte and Quaresma at 34 and Ronaldo at 33. It will be the last push for this generation, and they will hope to go further than in 2014, where they finished behind Germany and the US to drop out in the group.
Recent results are also mixed, with two wins against Egypt and Algeria, draws against Tunisia and Belgium and a 0-3 loss to the Dutch.
Prediction: Portugal will have to battle Morocco for second, and will prevail. The potential Round of 16 match against Uruguay is going to be close.
Spain
After their 2010 World Cup win and a disastrous Group Stage exit in 2014, Spain is once again among the top teams in the competition. After the qualifying draw matched them up with Italy, everyone was interested in who would prevail between the two footballing nations, as Italy had eliminated Spain in the EURO 2016 Round of 16.
Spain indeed had little trouble, getting a 3-0 and 1-1 against the Azzurri in their matches and winning the group undefeated.
Looking at their squad, there are no obvious weaknesses to find - the complaint about not having a "real" finisher is compensated by the midfield class where anyone can score - in qualifying Costa, Isco, Morata and Silva each scored 5 goals, with Vitolo adding another four.
Recent results include a 6-1 thrashing of Argentina, a narrow 1-0 win against TUnisia and draws against Germany and Switzerland. They are undefeated since the loss at the EURO 2016, they had 13 wins and 6 draws since then.
Prediction: Spain should have no big problems winning the group, and has a clear path toward the semi-final, where a match-up with Germany is possible.
Morocco
Morocco celebrated their first qualification for a World Cup in 20 years, after winning their group against Ivory Coast, Gabon and Mali - undefeated and without conceding a single goal - this performance alone should be warning enough for anyone underestimating Morocco's chances in Group B.
Many players of the squad were born in France and the Netherlands, choosing the country of their parents over their birth places. They are also playing all over Europe, with captain Mehdi Benatia playing for Juventus and playmaker Hakim Ziyech being one of Ajax's biggest talents.
Recent results in 2018 show that Morocco seems to be well prepared, going undefeated against Serbia (2-1), Uzbekistan (3-0), Ukraine (0-0), Slovakia (2-1) and Estonia (3-1). A good start in the opening match against Iran is key for their tournament.
Prediction: Morocco will give Portugal a good challenge for the runner-up spot in Group B. Much will depend on the direct match in Moscow.
Iran
Iran is a semi-regular participant at the World Cup, albeit not a very successful one - in four tries, they won a single game, drew three and lost eight - leading to a group stage exit every time. This time, they qualified by winning AFC Group A undefeated (6-4-0) in very low-scoring games (10-2 GD in ten games).
The squad misses a real star player, with Rubin Kazan's Sardar Azmoun being the most prolific goal-scorer with 23 in 33 caps. Of the 6 matches in 2018, Iran won four and lost two, and despite their good performances in qualifying, they are the underdogs in the group.
Prediction: Iran might be a stumbling block for the other three, and whichever team drops points against them, will have a tough time advancing from the group.
Matches (all times CEST / UTC+2)
| June 15, 17:00 | Morocco v Iran |
| June 15, 20:00 | Portugal v Spain |
| June 20, 14:00 | Portugal v Morocco |
| June 20, 20:00 | Iran v Spain |
| June 25, 20:00 | Iran v Portugal |
| June 25, 20:00 | Spain v Morocco |
Odds (Bet365.it)
| Spain | Portugal | Morocco | Iran | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| To qualify: | 1.10 | 1.33 | 5.00 | 7.00 |
| To win the group: | 1.56 | 3.25 | 17.00 | 41.00 |
| To win the tournament: | 7.00 | 28.00 | 501.00 | 2001.00 |
06-15-2018
, 06:11 AM
06-15-2018
, 10:10 AM
06-15-2018
, 10:47 AM
06-15-2018
, 11:08 AM
06-15-2018
, 11:13 AM
I see some potential CuneytCakirRedCard.gif brewing 
06-15-2018
, 11:19 AM
