Germany is the defending World Cup champion and are one of the favourites to go back-to-back in Russia this year. We look at Group F and the best betting odds.
Germany is the defending World Cup champion and are one of the favourites to go back-to-back in Russia this year. We look at Group F and the best betting odds.
Germany is the defending World Cup champion and are one of the favourites to go back-to-back in the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia this year.
The Germans will look to become the first squad to repeat as World Cup champions since Brazil in 1958 and 1962, but they cannot take Mexico, Sweden, and even South Korea for granted, as they are all solid teams.
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Germany easily qualified for the World Cup winning all 10 of their qualifying matches and they are solid all-around the pitch. The squad is loaded with world class players and they really have no weaknesses on the pitch. Toni Kroos from Real Madrid leads the midfield and the attack is led by Thomas Müller, who is one of the best in the world. One concern has been on the attack, as on that side of the pitch the squad has not been that impressive in recent friendlies with losses to Austria and Brazil. Still, the German squad is loaded and it would be a major disappointment if they did not win Group F and advance far in the World Cup.
Mexico has advanced to the knockout stage in six straight World Cup tournaments, but in all six of them they lost in the round of 16. The attack is solid for the squad as is the defense, but they have issues in the midfield and that really tends to hurt them when facing world class teams like Germany. Tecatito and Hirving Lozano are a couple of rising stars for El Tri and the key player may be midfielder Hector Herrera. He has a tall task in the midfield helping out the defense and also creating plays to help on the attack. The talent is always there for Mexico, but can they finally get past the round of 16 in the World Cup? Mexico has played pretty well in recent friendlies, but their attack has been the issue leading up to the World Cup while the defense has been solid.
Sweden is back in the World Cup for the first time since 2006. They were impressive in qualifying, especially since knocking out Italy in and while there has been a youth movement in the club star Zlatan Ibrahimovic is still their leader. How far Sweden goes in Russia will fall on the shoulders of the world class striker, who is at the end of his career and now plays in the MLS. The young guns of Emil Forsberg, Victor Lindelof, Jakob Johansson have to play well this summer and the team has to use their speed and counter-attack in Russia to advance out of the group stage. While their defense has been solid in their last few friendlies in a recent run of five of them they only scored more than one goal in one match and that was facing Chile, who are not participating in this World Cup.
South Korea did qualify for the World Cup, but they were not very impressive in doing so. Will the South Koreans be ready this summer? They have not been impressive in friendlies and in their seven friendly matches to get ready for this summer they did not schedule one team that will be playing in Russia. Son Heung-Min from Tottenham is a good attacker, but the squad has issues on defense and that may really be glaring in the group stage. Their opening match is facing Sweden and if they do not take at least a point from that match they have a major uphill battle to advance to the knockout stage.