5 teams that England will want to avoid at the World Cup

One team that always has the most scrutiny on itself during every major tournament is the England national side. The Three Lions have been the perennial underachievers at the biggest of stages and always seem to carry a lot of baggage with them to the World Cup.

The 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia offers them a chance to change the narrative under manager Gareth Southgate.

England qualified for the World Cup finals with ease and also, with a game to spare in their qualification group. Barring a draw away to Scotland, Southgate's men have had it easy in their road to Russia. The two 0-0 draws against Brazil and Germany in recent friendlies have caught the attention of the local public towards the current setup.

The 1966 World Cup winners will learn their fate tonight, at the draw which is set to take place at 3 PM GMT/8:30 PM IST at the Kremlin Palace in Moscow, Russia.

Based on their October FIFA rankings, England are placed in pot 2 and may be included in the group of death with a number of top sides being present in pot 1. On the occasion of the World Cup draw, let's take a look at the 5 teams that England would want to avoid in the World Cup draw:

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#5 Costa Rica

Costa Rica can prove to be a tough one to crack for England

Coming second to Mexico in the CONCACAF qualification group, Costa Rica managed to book their place in the next year's World Cup. With a solid defence and a sturdy midfield, many are predicting a decent campaign for the Ticos in Russia. Costa Rica had a dream 2014 World Cup where they achieved their best ever result by making it to the final eight.

Costa Rica topped their group last World Cup, which had the likes of England, Uruguay and Italy. They were the surprise package in the last edition and if drawn again with England, can prove to be a tough nut to crack.

With Keylor Navas and Gerson Torres at the helm, this Costa Rican side from pot 3 can prove to be a dangerous team for England to draw.

Key Player: Keylor Navas

Manager: Oscar Ramirez

Head to Head: Played 1; Drawn 1

#4 Argentina

England and Argentina go a long way back

England and Argentina go a long way back if the World Cup encounters are taken into consideration. From Diego Maradona's hand of God to David Beckham's red card in 1998 and redemption in 2002, both these nations have been involved in some of the most iconic World Cup encounters.

Jorge Sampaoli's men had to work hard to have a chance of reaching Russia but with qualification sorted, this Argentina side can prove to be a difficult task for any team in the competition.

After all, undermining any side with Lionel Messi in it can be judged as plain stupidity. La Albiceleste have a point to prove in this World Cup, and it will be best for Harry Kane and co. to avoid them at the beginning of the competition.

Key player: Lionel Messi (Duh!?)

Manager: Jorge Sampaoli

Head to head: Played 14; England - 6, Argentina - 3, Draw - 5

#3 Sweden

Giant killers

The Swedish national team managed a heroic qualification process in their bid to board the flight to Moscow. Firstly, they dumped Netherlands from the group stage to qualify for the playoffs and then against all odds, beat Italy over two legs to reach their first World Cup since 2006.

All headlines were fixated on a tournament without Italy, but Sweden deserves immense respect with what they have achieved this year.

Being one of the highest placed teams in pot 3, Sweden are going to be a test for any team in the competition. England can only be placed in the group as the Scandinavian country if they draw a South American team from pot 1, according to the FIFA rules.

Hence, a potential draw with say, Brazil and Sweden can prove to be the biggest and the worst nightmare for the Three Lions.

Key player: Emil Forsberg

Manager: Janne Andersson

Head to head: Played - 24; England - 8, Sweden - 7, Draw - 9

#2 Brazil

England will look to avoid Brazil at any cost

In the entire qualification rounds around the globe, Tite's Brazil were the best of the lot. The free-scoring Brazilians made a mockery of the toughest qualification group by being one of the earliest teams to book their place in the 2018 showdown.

A terrifying attacking unit along with an experienced backline, Brazil are one of the favourites to win the title and are itching to forget the embarrassment from the last World Cup.

This English side is still a work in progress with Gareth Southgate still being unsure of his best XI and his trusted formation. Whereas, Brazil have a settled look in their team composition and can tear England apart on their day.

Key player: Neymar

Manager: Tite

Head to head: Played - 26; England - 4, Brazil - 11, Draw - 11

#1 Germany

Germany are the team to beat next summer

The Germans and the World Cup. Do we need to say more about why this side can prove to be a danger for England, or for that matter, for any other side in the competition? Germany have a scarily strong squad available at their disposal which was evident at the last year's Confederations Cup.

Germany are the team to beat next year, and with eternal rivals England not looking as strong a unit as their counterparts, Gareth Southgate will be hoping to avoid the reigning champions in the group stages.

Franky speaking, any team apart from Russia from pot 1 can prove to be a nightmare draw for the Three Lions, with Germany definitely being the worst of the lot.

Key player: Toni Kroos

Manager: Joachim Low

Head to head: Played - 32; England - 13, Germany - 15, Draw - 4