2018 FIFA World Cup - Group D - Argentina, Iceland, Croatia, Nigeria
06-10-2018
, 02:57 PM
Teams:
Argentina
After qualifying for 11 consecutive World Cups, Argentina struggled heavily to make the Top-5 in the CONMEBOL round-robin. Without Messi, they are pretty much ****ed. In the end, a Messi hattrick in the final match against Ecuador pushed Argentina over the line and to the World Cup.
It will probably be Messi's last chance to win the World Cup and finally put the last argument of the "Messi isn't the GOAT" crowd to rest. In 2014, he already came close after Argentina lost the final in extra time, with both Higuain and Messi failing to convert huge chances. Argentina's group is pretty tough, with talented Croatian and Icelandic squads and the usual opponent Nigeria (2-1 in '94, 1-0 in '02 and '10, 3-2 in '14). Any misstep could lead to a potential match-up with France in the Round of 16. Also, the squad has been further weakened by multiple injuries.
Their recent form seems mixed - a 2-0 win against Italy was followed by a 1-6 demolition by Spain.
Prediction: Argentina makes it out of the group, but Messi can't carry them much further.
Iceland
After narrowly missing out on qualifying in 2014, 300k-population Iceland managed to qualify for the second big tournament in a row. In their first EURO two years ago, they shocked the world by knocking out England in the Round of 16 before losing to France in the quarters.
The core of the squad hasn't changed much (Gudjohnsen retired), so the first XI will be experienced enough to not be too nervous at the tournament. It is also probably the most internationally represented squad, with the 23 players employed in 14 different countries, including Bulgaria and Wales. Recent results show a worrying lack of form though, with losses to Mexico (0-3), Peru (1-3) and Norway (2-3) in the last months.
Prediction: Iceland will be the stumbling block in Group D. If they make all three opponents stumble, they will also advance to the Round of 16, where another meeting with France is possible.
Croatia
Based on the squad Croatia is easily a Top-10 team in this tournament. In qualifying, they finished 2nd to Iceland in their group and beat Greece in the play-off. A match against France could be one of the best pairings this World Cup can offer in the Round of 16, but beating Argentina for the group win isn't out of the realm of possibility either.
Chance creation should be a strength of the team, given a Modric-Rakitic midfield combo, and Mandzukic to finish said chances.
Prediction: Croatia will battle a weakened Argentina for the group win, ultimnately finishing runner-up in the group. France is likely to be a bit to big of a challenge.
Nigeria
Nigeria features the youngest squad (if we trust official dates of birth
). Former Chelsea player John Obi Mikel, who now plays for Tianjin TEDA in China, captains the team which qualified by topping the "Group of Death" against Zambia, Cameroon and Angola. Their only loss came in the final match against Algeria due to fielding an ineligible player in the game that originally ended 1-1.
Nigeria is a regular participant in the World Cup - and they will once again meet their regular opponent Argentina to try to beat them (or at least get a point) in their fifth attempt - should they qualify from the group, they could have another deja-vu as they are likely to meet France in the Round of 16, just like in 2014, where their tournament run ended with a 0-2 loss.
Their recent form is pretty bad, with only one win against Poland in 6 friendlies since March and losses against Serbia, Atlético Madrid(!), England and the Czech Republic.
Matches (all times CEST / UTC+2)
Odds
Argentina
After qualifying for 11 consecutive World Cups, Argentina struggled heavily to make the Top-5 in the CONMEBOL round-robin. Without Messi, they are pretty much ****ed. In the end, a Messi hattrick in the final match against Ecuador pushed Argentina over the line and to the World Cup.
It will probably be Messi's last chance to win the World Cup and finally put the last argument of the "Messi isn't the GOAT" crowd to rest. In 2014, he already came close after Argentina lost the final in extra time, with both Higuain and Messi failing to convert huge chances. Argentina's group is pretty tough, with talented Croatian and Icelandic squads and the usual opponent Nigeria (2-1 in '94, 1-0 in '02 and '10, 3-2 in '14). Any misstep could lead to a potential match-up with France in the Round of 16. Also, the squad has been further weakened by multiple injuries.
Their recent form seems mixed - a 2-0 win against Italy was followed by a 1-6 demolition by Spain.
Prediction: Argentina makes it out of the group, but Messi can't carry them much further.
Iceland
After narrowly missing out on qualifying in 2014, 300k-population Iceland managed to qualify for the second big tournament in a row. In their first EURO two years ago, they shocked the world by knocking out England in the Round of 16 before losing to France in the quarters.
The core of the squad hasn't changed much (Gudjohnsen retired), so the first XI will be experienced enough to not be too nervous at the tournament. It is also probably the most internationally represented squad, with the 23 players employed in 14 different countries, including Bulgaria and Wales. Recent results show a worrying lack of form though, with losses to Mexico (0-3), Peru (1-3) and Norway (2-3) in the last months.
Prediction: Iceland will be the stumbling block in Group D. If they make all three opponents stumble, they will also advance to the Round of 16, where another meeting with France is possible.
Croatia
Based on the squad Croatia is easily a Top-10 team in this tournament. In qualifying, they finished 2nd to Iceland in their group and beat Greece in the play-off. A match against France could be one of the best pairings this World Cup can offer in the Round of 16, but beating Argentina for the group win isn't out of the realm of possibility either.
Chance creation should be a strength of the team, given a Modric-Rakitic midfield combo, and Mandzukic to finish said chances.
Prediction: Croatia will battle a weakened Argentina for the group win, ultimnately finishing runner-up in the group. France is likely to be a bit to big of a challenge.
Nigeria
Nigeria features the youngest squad (if we trust official dates of birth
). Former Chelsea player John Obi Mikel, who now plays for Tianjin TEDA in China, captains the team which qualified by topping the "Group of Death" against Zambia, Cameroon and Angola. Their only loss came in the final match against Algeria due to fielding an ineligible player in the game that originally ended 1-1. Nigeria is a regular participant in the World Cup - and they will once again meet their regular opponent Argentina to try to beat them (or at least get a point) in their fifth attempt - should they qualify from the group, they could have another deja-vu as they are likely to meet France in the Round of 16, just like in 2014, where their tournament run ended with a 0-2 loss.
Their recent form is pretty bad, with only one win against Poland in 6 friendlies since March and losses against Serbia, Atlético Madrid(!), England and the Czech Republic.
Matches (all times CEST / UTC+2)
| June 16, 15:00 | Argentina v Iceland |
| June 16, 21:00 | Croatia v Nigeria |
| June 21, 20:00 | Argentina v Croatia |
| June 22, 17:00 | Nigeria v Iceland |
| June 26, 20:00 | Nigeria v Argentina |
| June 26, 20:00 | Iceland v Croatia |
Odds
| Argentina | Croatia | Nigeria | Iceland | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| To qualify: | 1.16 | 1.53 | 3.50 | 4.50 |
| To win the group: | 1.73 | 3.60 | 12.50 | 13.00 |
| To win the tournament: | 11.00 | 41.00 | 251.00 | 251.00 |
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