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Previewing the FIFA World Cup 2018 groups: Group G

Romelu Lukaku was a social media star before he made his name on the pitch. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn)
Roar Rookie
8th June, 2018
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Group G at the FIFA world cup boasts some of the world’s best players, along with a dark horse for the title. Belgium, England, Tunisia and Panama line up in a group which is likely to be surprisingly competitive.

Click here to see the rest of Nachiket’s predictions.

Group G
• Belgium (A 23-man final squad was announced on fourth June 2018)-
Goalkeepers: Simon Mignolet (Liverpool), Koen Casteels (VFL Wolfsburg), Thibaut Courtois (Chelsea)
Defenders: Dedryck Boyata (Celtic), Thomas Vermaelen (Barcelona), Thomas Meunier (PSG), Vincent Kompany (Manchester City), Jan Vertonghen (Tottenham Hotspur), Toby Alderweireld (Tottenham Hotspur), Leander Dendoncker (Anderlecht)
Midfielders: Axel Witsel (Tianjin Quanjian), Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City), Marouane Fellaini (Manchester United), Mousa Dembele (Tottenham Hotspur), Youri Tielemans (Monaco), Yannick Carrasco (Dalian Yifang), Nacer Chadli (West Bromwich Albion), Thorgan Hazard (Borussia Monchengladbach), Eden Hazard (Captain) (Chelsea)
Forwards: Michy Batshuayi (Chelsea), Dries Mertens (Napoli), Romelu Lukaku (Manchester United), Adnan Januzaj (Real Sociadad)
Manager: Roberto Martinez

Ranked at number three in the world, Belgium have one of the best teams. In total 19 among 23 members of their squad play in Europe’s big five leagues.

Scoring 43 goals in World Cup qualifiers, they won the group easily. With 11 goals, Romelu Lukaku spearheaded that round.

Many regard this as the golden generation of Belgian football. Even the great Jan Ceulemans agrees that the current squad is their greatest ever. They have remarkable quality all around the pitch.

Thibaut Courtois is arguably the second-best goalkeeper in the Premier League. Jan Vertonghen, Toby Alderweireld and Vince Kompany are top class centre defenders.

Kevin De Bryune and Eden Hazard are two of world’s best attacking players. Mertens is an outstanding winger and second striker. Leading the line should be Lukaku who has emerged as one of the most feared strikers in the Premier League.

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Coach Roberto Martinez can pick truly magnificent players for every position on pitch. Theoretically, they should be legitimate contenders to go all the way.

However, there are certain weaknesses of this talented team. Lack of a decent left back nearly always forces Martinez to go with three-man defence. With Kompany being fragile and Alderweireld just returning from injury, this may backfire in the World Cup.

Additionally, this team is like David Beckham’s England – a team full of talented players but lacking the winning mentality. The stars will need to complement each other, or Belgium may be heading for another heartbreak.

Another limitation is their manager. While Martinez is a better than his predecessor Mark Wilmots, he lacks the charisma or the experience of leading a champion side. Another cause of criticism is the treatment of Radja Nainnggolan.

Romelu Lukaku Football Belgium Euro 2016

Romelu Lukaku (AP Photo/Michael Sohn)

The Roma midfielder is a clear upgrade on the centre midfielders in the squad. His mistreatment and subsequent omission has been stunning.

Belgium are drawn in one of the easiest groups of the tournament with only England challenging them for the top spot. However, they must avoid making the mistakes of past, rally together and go deep into the tournament.

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England (A 23-man final squad was announced on of 16th May 2018)-
Goalkeepers: Jack Butland (Stoke City), Jordan Pickford (Everton), Nick Pope (Burnley)
Defenders: Trent Alexander- Arnold (Liverpool), Gary Cahill (Chelsea), Fabian Delph (Manchester City), Harry Maguire (Leicester City), Danny Rose (Tottenham Hotspur), John Stones (Manchester City), Kyle Walker (Manchester City), Kieran Trippier (Tottenham Hotspur), Ashley Young (Manchester United), Phil Jones (Manchester United)
Midfielders: Dele Alli (Tottenham Hotspur), Eric Dier (Tottenham Hotspur), Jordan Henderson (Liverpool), Ruben Loftus- Cheek (Chelsea), Jesse Lingard (Manchester United)
Forwards: Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur), Raheem Sterling (Manchester City), Jamie Vardy (Leicester City), Danny Welbeck (Arsenal), Marcus Rashford (Manchester United)
Coach: Gareth Southgate

This may be the first time in decades where England is not being hyped before the World Cup.

The disappointment of last World Cup and Euros loss to Iceland has not fully healed.

The one-time champions qualified to the main round of World Cup comfortably with eight wins and two draws. Southgate did a good job managing this side. They were not exposed and simply outclassed their opponents.

This side bears a much-changed look than the the World Cup or European championships. The team is younger, fitter, less experienced but with a greater team spirit.

While they have employed a more possession- based modern approach, lack of creativity in the final third has come back to bite them many times.

Being one of the youngest squads of this tournament, England may be one of the fastest and most athletic teams.

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Players like Jamie Vardy, Raheem Sterling, Harry Kane, Marcus Rashford, Dele Alli and Danny Welbeck can outrun any defence of this tournament.

Untimely injury to Liverpool’s Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain seems to have taken some muscle out of their midfield.

Alongside attacking players, pacey defenders such as Danny Rose, Ash Young, Kyle Walker and Kieran Trippier can provide additional thrust. If England can make it to knockouts, they can be devastating in transition and counter-attack.

Captain Harry Kane remains their best player. He will be the catalyst if England defy the odds and have a big tournament.

England's Harry Kane celebrates after scoring the opening goal of his team during the World Cup Group F qualifying soccer match between England and Slovenia at Wembley stadium in London, Thursday, Oct. 5, 2017. England won 1-0.

Harry Kane (AP Photo/Frank Augstein)

This young Three Lions team also has numerous limitation. Their modern history of failure in big tournament can cause a mental block. While their defence seems far from assuring, England lack quality central midfielders who can control the match. A team like Spain or Germany, with superior players through the middle can open a midfield clinic.

England will find themselves fortunate for being drawn in one of the easiest groups of the tournament. With Tunisia and Panama with them, their only tough clash will be against Belgium to decide the winners of this group. However, it’s difficult to see England cross the quarter-final phase this time.

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Panama (A 23-man final squad was announced on 22 May 2018)
Goalkeepers: Jaime Peenedo (Dynamo Bucharest), Jose Calderon (Chorrillo), Alex Rodriguez (San Francisco)
Defenders: Felipe Baloy (Captain) (Municipal), Harold Cummings (San Jose Earthquake), Erik Davis (Dunajska Streda), Fidel Escobar (New York Red Bulls), Adolfo Machado (Houston Dynamo), Amir Murillo (New York Red Bulls), Luis Ovalle (CD Olimpia), Roman Torres (Seattle Sounders FC)
Midfielders: Edgar Barcenas (Tapachula), Armando Cooper (Universidad de Chile), Anibal Godoy (San Jose Earthquakes), Gabriel Gomez (Atletico Bucaramanga), Valentin Pimentel (Plaza Amador), Alberto Quintero (Universitario), Jose Luis Rodriguez (Gent)
Attackers: Abdiel Arroyo (Alajuelense), Ismael Diaz (Deportivo Fabril), Blas Perez (Municipal), Luiz Tejada (Sport Boys), Gabriel Torres (Huachipato)
Coach: Hernan Dario Gomez

A look at Panama’s squad tells an interesting story. Penedo (36), Baloy (37), Perez (37) will be joining Camargo (24), Murillo (22), Avila (21). The 56th-ranked team in the world qualified ahead of Honduras and USA thanks to a 2-1 win over Costa Rica. They were 2009 champions of Central American Cup. This is their World Cup debut.

They scored mere nine goals in the World Cup qualifiers and it may come back to bite them during this tournament. Manager Gomez has been on the hot-seat since 2014.

However, even he won’t have believed that he will manage them to the World Cup. They are an unknown team but most among them play in America’s MLS.

The team has a capacity to become people’s favourites – like Costa Rica did four years ago. They are a close-knit unit and teamwork remains their strength.

Goalkeeper Penedo is their star player. With 128 caps, he is the second most featured player in Panama. His experience is certain to come in handy for the Central Americans. Gent’s Jose Rodriguez will want to use this tournament to make his name better acquainted with football fans around the world as well.

The biggest weakness of this side is lack of experience of playing in such tournaments. They have experienced players, but none has played at such a big stage.

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Additionally, Panama are drawn in one of the toughest groups alongside European powerhouses Belgium and England. Tunisia won’t be an easy team to beat for the Red Wave as well. In their World Cup debut, Panama are likely to draw a blank.

However, they don’t have any pressure heading into this tournament. A fearless approach can help them spring some surprises in this tough group.

Tunisia (A 23-man final squad was announced on second June 2018)-
Goalkeepers: Farouk Ben Mustapha (Al-Shabab), Aymen Mathlouthi (Captain) (Al-Batin), Mouez Hassen (Chateauroux)
Defenders: Syan Ben Youssef (Kasimpasa), Yohan Benalouane (Leicester City), Yassine Meriah (CS Sfaxien), Oussama Haddadi (Dijon), Rami Bedoui (Etoile du Sahel), Ali Maaloul (Al-Ahly), Dylan Bronn (Gent), Hamdi Nagguez (Zamalek)
Midfielders: Anice Badri (Esperance), Ferjani Sassi (Al-Nassr), Mohamed Amine Ben Amor (Al-Ahli), Ellyes Skhiri (Montpellier)
Forwards: Saif-Eddine Khaoui (Troyes), Fakhreddine Ben Youssef (Al-Ettifaq), Wahbi Khazri (Rennes), Ahmed Khalil (Club Africain), Bassem Srarfi (Nice), Saber Khalifa (Club Africain), Ghailene Chaalali (Esperance), Naiim Sliti (Dijon)
Coach: Nabil Maaloul

At 14th number, Tunisia are the highest ranked African team. This hints at their consistency over a large period. They are back in the World Cup football after 12 years.

They comfortably qualified for the tournament and find themselves in one of the tougher groups.

They are a team without stars but have players who know their roles. This can serve them effectively in first two matches against England and Belgium. Sassi, Ben Amor and Chaaleli are balanced, disciplined, energetic and no- nonsense. They have workhorses and an immaculate team spirit. Sliti is their main source of creativity.

Much will be expected of Wahbi Khazri, Tunisia’s best player. While he failed at Sunderland, his goal against Chelsea in 2016 caught everyone in awe.

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Since his move to Rennes in France, he has shone. With nine goals and two assists in last season, Khazri was one of their best players. He will need to be at his best for Tunisia to play respectably in the World Cup.

While the team is talented, they were hit with injuries even before the tournament began. Youssef Msakni could have led the line.

The forward netted a thumping hat-trick against Guinea. The current set of strikers are not expected to be equally impactful.

They will also miss experienced centre back Aymen Abdennour who could have solidified their defence.

This World Cup, Tunisia find themselves drawn alongside Panama, England and Belgium. They won’t be easy to beat. However, it will be an extremely difficult task to qualify from this group.

If they can score a point in first two matches, Tunisia can fancy themselves to beat Panama and qualify for the next round.

Fixtures of Group G
Match Date Time Stadium
Belgium versus Panama 18th June 18:00 local time Fisht Olympic Stadium, Sochi
Tunisia versus England 18th June 21:00 local time Volgograd Arena, Volgograd
Belgium versus Tunisia 23rd June 15:00 local time Otkritie Arena, Moscow
England versus Panama 24th June 15:00 local time Nizhny Novgorod Arena, Nizhny Novogorod
England versus Belgium 28th June 20:00 local time Kaliningrad Stadium, Kaliningrad
Panama versus Tunisia 28th June 21:00 local time Mordovia Arena, Saransk

Likely qualifiers from this group
1) Belgium
2) England

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