World Cup 2018 Group G
GROUP G
[Team Jersey Images © Soccerphile]
Belgium
Belgium are considered one of the favorites with a squad full of quality in every area. They were in Brazil four years ago but went out to Argentina with a whimper. Will it be different this time out?
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Belgium Kit 1 |
Belgium Kit 2 |
Belgium v Panama 18 June; Sochi
Belgium v Tunisia 23 June; Moscow (Spartak)
Belgium v England 28 June; Kaliningrad
Coach
Roberto Martinez
Record
1930, 1934, 1938, 1954, 1970, 1998 First Round; 1982, 1990, 1994, 2002 Second Round; 2014 Quarter Finals; 1986 Fourth Place.
Men to watch
Eden Hazard reminded fans of his quality when scoring the winning goal against Manchester United in this season's FA Cup final. He was considered the key man in 2014 in Brazil but this time out Kevin de Bruyne would seem to have the greater impact and will be the Red Devils' key man.
Belgium could make the semis but Germany or Brazil are possible knockout opponents.
How they qualified
Belgium topped European Qualifying Group H at a canter, a massive nine points ahead of second placed Greece.
On the sidelines
The squad has two sets of brothers: the Lukakus (Jordan and Romelu) and the Hazards (Hazard and Thorgan).
Analysis
Squad
Goalkeepers: Koen Casteels (Wolfsburg), Thibaut Courtois (Chelsea), Simon Mignolet (Liverpool)
Defenders: Toby Alderweireld (Tottenham Hotspur), Dedryck Boyata (Celtic), Vincent Kompany (Manchester City), Thomas Meunier (Paris St-Germain), Thomas Vermaelen (Barcelona), Jan Vertonghen (Tottenham Hotspur)
Midfielders: Yannick Carrasco (Dalian Yifang), Kevin de Bruyne (Manchester City), Mousa Dembele (Tottenham Hotspur), Leander Dendoncker (Anderlecht), Marouane Fellaini (Manchester United), Eden Hazard (Chelsea), Thorgan Hazard (Borussia Monchengladbach), Adnan Januzaj (Real Sociedad), Dries Mertens (Napoli), Youri Tielemans (Monaco), Axel Witsel (Tianjin Quanjian)
Strikers: Michy Batshuayi (Chelsea), Nacer Chadli (West Brom), Romelu Lukaku (Manchester United)
Panama
Panama have done well to reach their first ever World Cup. This will be the limit of their achievement. The squad is a mix of youth and experience drawn from the MLS, the domestic league and Europe.
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Panama Kit 1
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Panama Kit 2
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Panama v Belgium 18 June; Sochi
Panama v England 24 June; Nizhny Novgorod
Panama v Tunisia 28 June; Saransk
Coach
Hernan Gomez
Record
First appearance.
Men to watch
Jose Fajardo will lead the attack.
In a tough group we predict Panama will exit at the first hurdle, progression would be the shock of the tournament.
How they qualified
Panama were third in the final round of CONCACAF qualifying behind Costa Rica and Mexico.
On the sidelines
Colombian coach Hernan Gomez is known as El Bolillo - the "truncheon."
Analysis
Squad
Goalkeepers: Guillermo Ochoa (Standard Liege), Alfredo Talavera (Toluca), Jesus Corona (Cruz Azul)
Defenders: Azmahar Ariano (Patriots), Felipe Baloy (Municipal CSD), Harold Cummings (San Jose Earthquakes), Eric Davis (Dunajska Streda), Fidel Escobar (New York Red Bulls), Adolfo Machado (Houston Dynamo), Michael Murillo (New York Red Bulls), Luis Ovalle (Olimpia), Francisco Palacios (San Francisco), Richard Peralta (Alliance), Roman Torres (Seattle Sounders)
Midfielders: Ricardo Avila (Gent), Edgar Barcenas (Cafetaleros de Tapachula), Ricardo Buitrago (Municipal), Miguel Camargo (Universidad San Martin), Adalberto Carrasquilla (Tauro), Armando Cooper (Universidad de Chile), Anibal Godoy (San Jose Earthquakes), Gabriel Gomez (Bucaramanga), Jose Gonzalez (Union Comercio), Cristian Martinez (Columbus Crew), Valentin Pimentel (Plaza Amador), Alberto Quintero (Universitario), Jose Luis Rodriguez (Gent)
Strikers: Abdiel Arroyo (Alajuelense), Rolando Blackburn (Chorrillo), Ismael Diaz (Deportivo La Coruna), Jose Fajardo (Independiente), Roberto Nurse (Mineros Zacatecas), Blas Perez (Municipal), Luis Tejada (Sports Boys), Gabriel Torres (CD Huachipato)
Tunisia
Tunisia are Africa's highest ranked team at the 2018 World Cup and will be hoping to make it to the knock stage for the first time. That's a tough ask in a group containing one of the favourites in Belgium plus an England team with players drawn from the top clubs in the Premier League.
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Tunisia Kit 1
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Tunisia Kit 2
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Tunisia v England 18 June; Volgograd
Tunisia v Belgium 23 June; Moscow (Spartak)
Tunisia v Panama; 28 June; Saransk
Coach
Nabil Maaloul
Record
1978, 1998, 2002, 2006 First Round.
Men to watch
Wahbi Khazri now plays his football in France where he is on loan from Sunderland. Karim Laribi is a pacy winger with an eye for goal who plays for Cesena in Serie B.
It will be tough for a limited Tunisian squad to progress and the odds are that they won't.
How they qualified
Tunisia came through Group A of African qualifying ahead of DR Congo, Libya and Guinea.
On the sidelines
The Tunisian national team is nicknamed Les Aigles de Carthage (The Eagles of Carthage).
Analysis
Squad
Goalkeepers: Farouk Ben Mustapha (Al Shabab), Mouez Hassen (Nice), Aymen Mathlouthi (Al Baten)
Defenders: Rami Bedoui (Etoile du Sahel), Yohan Benalouane (Leicester), Syam Ben Youssef (Kasimpasa), Dylan Bronn (Gent), Oussama Haddadi (Dijon), Ali Maaloul (Al Ahly), Yassine Meriah (CS Sfaxien), Hamdi Nagguez (Zamalek)
Midfielders: Wahbi Khazri (Rennes), Anice Badri (Esperance), Mohamed Amine Ben Amor (Etoile Sportive du Sahel), Ferjani Sassi (Al Nasr), Ellyes Skhiri (Montpellier)
Strikers: Saifeddine Khaoui (Marseille), Fakhreddine Ben Youssef (Al Ettifaq), Saber Khalifa (Club Africain), Bassem Srarfi (Nice), Naim Sliti (Lille), Ahmed Khalil (Club Africain), Ghaylen Chaaleli (Esperance)
England
Expectations are at their lowest ebb in living memory with the fans following the fiasco in France at Euro 2016 and first round exit at World Cup 2014. There's a new coach in Gareth Southgate after Sam Allardyce's tenure ended after one match in charge. England, as usual topped their group in qualifying, but the pervading feeling is one of resignation. England should exit a weak-looking group, though Tunisia are Africa's topped ranked team and Belgium among the favourites to win the whole thing. The goalkeepers are inexperienced and prone to mistakes, the defence is raw and the squad's top scorer is Danny Welbeck. The squad has few stand out individuals in midfield though it does have youth and pace on its side. Reasons to be cheerful? The hype that used to follow England in to previous tournaments has well and truly gone.
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England Kit 1 |
England Kit 2 |
England v Tunisia 18 June; Volgograd
England v Panama 24 June; Nizhny Novgorod
England v Belgium 28 June; Kaliningrad
Coach
Record
1950, 1958, 2014 First round; 1982 1998, 2010 Second Round; 1954, 1962, 1970, 1986, 2002, 2006 Quarter Finals; 1990 Fourth place; 1966 Champions
Men to watch
Harry Kane, Dele Alli, Raheem Sterling and Jesse Lingard all have youth on their side and are coming off productive seasons in the Premier League. All four players offer a goal threat and Sterling in particular has become a much improved player under Pep Guardiola at Manchester City.
England should get out of the group, inability to do so would be a failure. Anything more is a bonus.
How they qualified
England won European Qualifying Group F eight points ahead of the field.
On the sidelines
England will base in the less than glamorous four star ForRestMix Club Hotel in Repino 19 km outside St. Petersburg during their stay in Russia.
Analysis
Squad
Goalkeepers: Jack Butland (Stoke), Jordan Pickford (Everton), Nick Pope (Burnley)
Defenders: Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool), Gary Cahill (Chelsea), Fabian Delph (Manchester City), Phil Jones (Manchester United), Harry Maguire (Leicester), Danny Rose (Tottenham), John Stones (Manchester City), Kieran Trippier (Tottenham), Kyle Walker (Manchester City), Ashley Young (Manchester United)
Midfielders: Dele Alli (Tottenham), Eric Dier (Tottenham), Jordan Henderson (Liverpool), Jesse Lingard (Manchester United), Ruben Loftus-Cheek (Chelsea)
Strikers: Harry Kane (Tottenham), Marcus Rashford (Manchester United), Raheem Sterling (Manchester City), Jamie Vardy (Leicester), Danny Welbeck (Arsenal)