The FIFA World Cup gets underway in Moscow tomorrow and @bobreaksbookies has covered the event in detail with full previews and betting tips for each group as well as best selections for all of the first round of matches kicking off on June 10th. Struggling Hosts
Hosts Russia will get the event started when they take on Saudi Arabia in what has to be one of the least exciting opening fixtures in recent memory. While that might be doing a disservice to both teams, neither are expected to make much impact in the competition and I won’t be holding my breath in anticipation of a goal-fest in tomorrow's opener. The Russians have struggled badly since 2016, winning only a handful of games and losing plenty more so local expectations have certainly been tempered and they may well struggle to qualify with Uruguay and Egypt presenting a really tough test for the hosts in Group A. It will be interesting to see if Stanislav Cherchesov's side can at least pick up some momentum by taking the 3 points against the Saudis that they will surely need if they are going to make progress through the group. Egypt and Uruguay will present a much tougher assignment for Russia in their subsequent fixtures and it wouldn’t surprise me if the hosts suffered the indignity of a first-round exit. Russian Regret To be entirely honest though, I’m not exactly enthused to see a World Cup hosted in a country that has such a poor record when it comes to racism and homophobia in football so whether the Russians deserve to host the event is highly questionable. Politics aside, the Russians have been one of the biggest offenders when it comes to racism in football over the past decade and quite why they have been awarded this multi-cultural and beautifully diverse event is beyond even my understanding. Well, I suppose it might have something to do with a few rubles or dollars. With the hosts unlikely to go beyond the last 16, or even the group stage, you have to wonder what effect a poorly performing host nation could have on the Russian support. Will they turn on their team? Will they turn on the other teams? Indeed, you would expect the Russian police and security forces will be in full operation should any racism occur within or in close proximity to the stadiums but even so, it really does disappoint me that the Russians will host this summer’s event in light of their deplorable and turn a blind eye approach to racism in recent years. Will the supporters actually be safe? And what of our African nations and players of different ethnicities; Will they be subjected to the disgraceful and nauseating chants that other players have endured in recent years on their travels to Russia to play a game of football? FIFA Farce Of course, FIFA will declare it the most successful world cup of all time, no matter how many people are abused for their race, ethnicity or sexual preference because ultimately, money = success. If a Russian World Cup produces more money for their luxury jets and penthouse apartments, you can be sure to see a collective grin on the faces of those who claim to be leading our game for the better. Sadly, we have to accept that football is no longer the game it once was but with the next World Cup in 2022 being held in Qatar and likely to include the staggeringly bad idea of 48 teams divided into 16 groups, we should at least try to enjoy this tournament before it (and the credibility of the game) is handed over to the Qatari's in a really big brown envelope. In many ways, the last World Cup in Brazil was, for me, really the last world cup. That’s all. No Mas. When these world cups were awarded to Russia and Qatar, I basically decided the World Cup was dead for at least 10 years but with 48 teams in 16 groups of 3 (!!!) our governing body has decided to turn the greatest show on earth into a money-making farce. In recent weeks, with World Cup nostalgia on my mind, I thought I would indulge in the classic Youtube videos of world cups gone by. Milla’s dance, Hagi’s left foot, Maradona’s brilliance/insanity, Tardelli’s celebration, Strachan's half celebration, Zidane’s craft, Shilton’s pathetic attempts to save German penalties but no, I can’t do that now because FIFA removed all of the BBC reviews and official world cup films because of copyright infringements. Really. FIFA are a bag of shits, football (and most of the world) was so much better in the late ‘90’s and I actually miss Sepp Blatter at this point. Yeah. Really. So, that’s my rant over, for now, let’s get back to the competition in hand. While Scotland failed to qualify for the biggest show in sport (I’ve certainly gotten used to it), we should still see some fabulous football on display over the next month. Joking aside, I do expect a really decent competition with no clear favourite in sight although I did literally just remember as I was writing this sentence that VAR has been introduced for the first time to a World Cup. FFS. Really, I was about to stop ranting and then I remembered that I will have to delay my celebrations every time a goal is scored because the bloody video ref might rule it out. A true nightmare for both punters and players who engage in dramatic celebrations alike. Surely the BEST thing in football is the scoring of a goal. That glorious feeling of seeing the net bulge and aside from the small chance of a linesman's flag, you could let your emotions get the better of you. Not anymore. Check the video. Wait 2 minutes. Really, is this football anymore? Yes, there's a lot to complain about, maybe more than ever before. it’s in Russia, there’s no Scotland, and the VAR will piss everyone off almost as much as the Vuvuzela but it’s still a World Cup, and it’s still a veritable feast of footballing action with at least 3 games every day for a fortnight. Still, I can't help but wonder how it must have felt to be Scottish and heading to a World Cup in Argentina or Mexico. The excitement of seeing your country represented at the greatest show on earth really is magical. I was 15 the last time Scotland qualified and at this point in my life, I just hope I see it again before I move to the next world. European Dominance With this event being held in Europe the bookies do expect a European nation to win the event once again (4/11 odds on any European winner) and I am inclined to share that view with Spain, France, and Germany all leading contenders as well as outside favourites Portugal, Belgium and England. In each of the last 3 world cup’s staged in Europe, European sides have dominated with all 3 events won by a European nation (West Germany in 1990, France in 1998 and Italy in 2006). With that in mind, here are some of my key facts on European success in European based World Cups.
Based on those stats, and my predictions, I expect as many as 11 European nations to make it to the last 16 of this year's event but picking a winner is never easy and especially in this year's competition with the bookies struggling to separate the leading contenders. Ultimately, I expect something similar to past European World Cup’s with European teams likely to dominate the event with Germany, Spain and France listed as 1st, 3rd, and 4th favourites while Portugal, Belgium, and even England will also fancy their chances of going deep into the tournament. I did have money on Brazil to win in 2002 (and Ronaldo top scorer!) and Spain in 2010 so I do have a decent record when it comes to World Cup success but this year's event looks much trickier to call with at least 10 nations holding a realistic chance of going all the way to the final. Speaking of past events here are my tips and results from the tournament in Brazil in 2014. Brazil Slight Favourites Brazil are the bookie's favourites once again and while Neymar has returned to fitness following his broken foot in February, the 5 times winners haven’t won a World Cup on European soil since 1958 and given their failure last time on home soil, I can’t make them clear favourites for this competition in Russia. Still, they have certainly improved since that 7.1 horror show against Germany 4 years ago and they came through qualifying like a cool fresh breeze, topping the section, winning 10 of their last 12 and going unbeaten since losing their first fixture to Chile. I won’t rule them out, especially if Neymar is fit and firing while the added quality of Coutinho and Firmino should ensure the Brazilians are one of the most dangerous sides of this year's event. Still, the bookies have them as 4/1 favourites and given their recent improvements defensively, coupled with that dynamism in attack, they may take some stopping, especially if Neymar returns fully refreshed from his 4 month absence. Beyond the Brazilians, Germany, Spain, and France would appear to have the best chance of claiming the title while Belgium and European champions Portugal have a decent chance as well given their form over the last couple of years. Outside of the big hitters, I expect Colombia do well again while England seem to be improving under Gareth Southgate and their path to a quarter-final place looks relatively peaceful with none of the big hitters lying in wake although the aforementioned Colombians could prove tough last 16 opponents for Southgate's young lions. Being Scottish, It pains me to admit that England are looking quite good at the moment and I have a sneaky feeling they will go as far as the quarter-finals at least. Southgate has developed a strong 3 at the back system whilst picking round pegs for round holes as they would say. No big egos, no names on the teamsheet simply because of who they are. England doesn’t expect this time around but perhaps, just maybe, they might deliver their best performance at a World Cup since 2002. Let’s see. I’m not going to pick an outright winner for the tournament yet, although I am leaning towards Spain or perhaps even France with both sides packed full of quality in the attacking positions. I do expect a European winner given those past stats but of course, Brazil and Argentina cannot be discounted despite their relative lack of success in past European World Cup’s. Let’s hope that behind the politics and the problems of this World Cup we will see some really good football with plenty of goals and not too much controversy. Well, we all like a little bit of controversy after all. I will be posting previews for each of the groups with all my ante-post selections and pre-tournament accas revealed by Thursday morning. One last point, i do apologise for the lateness of these previews but unfortunately an infestation at bobreaksbookies towers delayed the editing and posting of these long researched previews. I hope they will be of use to those who are waiting to the last moment to get those bets on. Good luck everyone! Comments are closed.
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