Day 3. France - Australia. Argentina - Iceland. Peru - Denmark. Croatia - Nigeria.

Pasamela!



Day 3.
Game 5, 6, 7, and 8.

France - Australia         16th June 11:00

With arguably their strongest squad since their victorious ‘98 campaign, France will be looking to go one better than than their disappointing final defeat at home in the Euros. The French overcame a difficult group in qualification, with Netherlands and Sweden and finished four points clear of the Swedes. Australia however were fortunate to qualify and don’t look like troubling the French, especially as the side who finished above them in qualification, Saudi Arabia, were easily seen off by lowly ranked Russia. 

Ones To Watch

Pogba to shine

France look strong in all departments, but will be relying on their strike force to fire them into the last 16. Headline maker Antoine Griezmann will be hoping to stay in the news this week and will be France’s focal point in attack. The choices to back him up are almost endless, with Mbappe, Dembele, and Giroud all hoping to start. Griezmann will be the main man, but the central midfield will be just as important, and it may be the time for Paul Pogba to showcase his talents on the world stage. The Manchester United midfielder has arguably been stifled by questionable Mourinho tactics this season, but with the always reliable Kante next to him for France, we could see him shine.

For Australia it will be a matter of trying not to concede goals. Mile Jedinak and Massimo Luongo in central midfield will be vital, but will surely become unstuck coming up against superstars Paul Pogba and N'Golo Kante. Tom Rogic will be Australia's go to man, after a highly successful season for Celtic and will be one of the few men to trouble the French defence. Expect to see 38 year old Tim Cahill come off the bench for his fourth World Cup, and he could become the fifth to score at four, after Ronaldo became the fourth last night.

Pre Match Predictions
Both sides favour high scoring games, and this one should be no different. France have scored at least two goals in their last seven matches, while Australia recently put four past Czech Republic. With France's attacking prowess, they should put Australia to the sword. Australia will have to attack at some point, bit France should have enough in defence to keep them out, keeping a clean sheet in the process.

Best Bet: France to WIN to NIL - 10/11 (Bet Victor)

Peru - Denmark

Qualifying for the tournament ahead of Copa America winners Chile, Peru will be full of confidence heading into their first game at a World Cup for 32 years. A playoff vs New Zealand was needed to secure their place, and they will be enjoying every minute.
Denmark also needed a qualifier victory to progress. A convincing 5-1 win in Ireland secured their place at the championships. The experience of the Danes saw them through that day, and they will be hoping the same happens vs Peru.

Ones To Watch

Poulsen to be Denmark's main man

Peru will be boosted by the return of captain Paolo Guerrero and he will be their key man in front of goal. The ex Bayern Munich striker has been on form for current side Flamengo, and with his recent troubles off the pitch, he will be aiming to take full advantage of his second chance. Peru outscored Chile, Colombia, and Argentina in qualification, mainly thanks to their attacking options. Christian Cueva could be Peru's key man, providing the flair from midfield to supply Guerrero, and punish the Danes.
Christian Eriksen has come to the rescue for the Danes in the past, and may have to do it again without many recognised attacking options. However, it will be Yussuf Poulsen who will control Denmark's fate. The 6ft 4in RB Leipzig striker will be the go to man in attack, and will frighten the Peruvian defence with his strength and pace.


Pre Match Predictions
Peru love to score goals, averaging two a game in their last six. However, Denmark may be the antithesis, with just a solitary goal being scored in their last three! Peru will come out flying, but Denmark should have enough to deal with them. A draw is to be expected with relatively low scoring.

Best Bets: Yussuf Poulsen to Score - 15/4 (Winner)
1-1 DRAW - 11/2 (bet365)

Argentina - Iceland 16th June 14:00

Messi golden boot?

Despite being only fifth favourites to win it Argentina are team that carry an air of expectation into any major tournament. An easy opener greets them and they will almost certainly take three points against a strong spirited Iceland side. In the back of their minds of course will be the pain of their 2014 World Cup final and whether or not they can go a step further this time is the question that looms over them. After a difficult qualification which saw them nearly miss out on a place in the finals, it is understandable that the bookies are not backing them to go all the way. Iceland on the other hand surely have nothing to lose here. So what should we expect from a side that will require a miracle to get through to the last 16? Well easy it’s to write them off before a ball is even kicked, but I’m sure most of he English fans remember, they are a close knit group and on their day can take points off some of the bigger sides. It would be a surprise to see them do something similar to that knock out fixture against England in 2016 but I’m sure I’m not the only one who will enjoy watching their World Cup journey- however long it may be. Ones To Watch
In every major tournament we wait with baited breath to see if the best players in the world can leave a mark, and this tournament is no different. It’s easy to get caught up in arguments surrounding who the best player in the world may or may not be, and right now I’ll leave that to personal opinion. However it would be wrong to discuss Argentina at a major tournament and not mention the man who their hopes rest upon, who will need to be firing on all cylinders to take them to the later stages. That man of course is Lionel Messi. He comes into the tournament in fine form with 21 goals in qualification 3 of which came in their final, must win qualification game against Ecuador. However, the pressure really is on for Leo as it’s been 571 days since Argentina last scored a competitive goal that wasn’t scored by the man himself

Set piece specialist

Ones to watch: we could reel off superlatives for Leo all day but this tournament isn’t just about the huge names. Despite the fact that Iceland can be considered minnows in this tournament, they have a couple names that football fans will be familiar with. Iceland’s main man comes in the form of Everton playmaker Gylfi Sigurðsson who they will be hoping has recovered from a knee injury earlier in the year. The premier league talisman will be the man that most of Iceland’s attacking threat will come through should he play and if they are going to have any chance of progressing he will certainly have to have a good tournament. Everton fans will also have one eye on the Icelandic forward as they will be hoping he can kick on after the injury with some better form ahead of their premier league season. With their underdog spirit the smallest nation to ever quality are more about the sum of their parts rather than one or two individuals.

Best Bet: UNDER 2.5 Goals - EVENS (SkyBet)

Croatia - Nigeria

With the magnitude of yesterday’s group C game somewhat overshadowing the early fixtures you’d be forgiven for being less excited for this one but it’s the World Cup and anything can happen. The second game in group D will see Croatia come up against Nigeria. With the Croatians expected to sail through this fixture and with it the group stages this will be their chance to show the world just what they’re capable of. Nigeria on the other hand have become centre of attention for another reason. Their kit. The super Eagles flashy kit may however be the best thing about them. With some big names in their side and having the advantage of seeing their main group D rivals Argentina already play Croatia will have to fancy themselves going into this one and will look to test Nigeria’s defensive capabilities early on. Ones To Watch

Goalscorer Mario

Croatia come into this tournament with a squad more than capable of progressing to the group stages but their qualification to the finals was less than straight forward after finishing in second behind Iceland and will therefore be looking to their key players to step up and play to their full potential. One of those men is of course Madrid star Luca Modric. After his recent European success with Madrid, Modric could prove pivotal to Croatia’s chances and with his exquisite range of passes will surely allow Croatia to create enough chances to brush Nigeria aside. Modric is just one of many names in this Croatia side blessed with talent and experience with Midfield duo Modric and Rakitic racking up just shy of 200 international appearances between them. Another man who will be looking to help Croatia through to the sixteen- something they’ve not managed since 1998- is Mario Mandzukic. Although he’s not exactly in the goal scoring form of his life he is always a handful for defenders and can be expected to get chances as a target man against a shaky Nigerian back line. Scoring just 5 in qualifying leaves some pressure on his shoulders to fulfil his full potential but with this more than likely being his last World Cup I wouldn’t bet against the ageing forward scoring against Nigeria.

Moses to carry on Prem form

Despite it being likely that Nigeria will progress into the latter stages they do have their fair share of names that will be familiar, even to an infrequent watcher of the beautiful game. We’ll start with a player who will be keen to put the season behind him due to a disappointing club campaign and will be more than eager to pull that green jersey on to represent his nation at the highest level. That man is Chelsea’s Victor Moses. Having found a new role as a wing back under Antonio Conte, Moses will be looking to get down the sides of his opponents and will look to create chances for the attackers to feed off in a wingers role. His meteoric rise from an asylum seeking orphan, playing at the highest level must feel that little bit more special for the Nigerian number eleven. Another man worth keeping an eye on is the big man up top, Odion Ighalo. The forward offers them a target to look for and has been in fine goalscoring form since his move to China, scoring 22 goals in 33 appearances. Having proved he could score goals at premier league level he will surely not fear many of the defences he looks set to be up against.

Best Bet: Mario Mandzukic to Score - 9/5 (PaddyPower)