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Anything can happen at the World Cup. That's the beauty of the competition. Although the final rounds are usually dominated by international powerhouses, the competition has produced its fair share of upsets in the group stages.
In 2014, Costa Rica knocked off both Italy and Uruguay in the group stage and advanced all the way to the quarter-finals before narrowly falling to the eventual third-placed Netherlands in penalties.
After Spain had lost humiliatingly at the hands of the Dutch in their first match, La Roja needed a win against Chile to advance out of the group and were favoured to do so. However, Chile had other ideas, beating Spain 2-0 and breaking Spanish hearts.
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These are just a few of the great upsets that the World Cup gave us the last time around. It doesn't always take world-class talent to muster out a win. Sometimes it takes a tenacious, gritty, and hard-working team. Other times, it may come down to pure luck.
Although upsets are relatively unpredictable, here are some games that should definitely be on your radar.
Germany vs Mexico, Matchday One
Like always, Mexico will head into Russia with immense pressure. With the talent Mexico has possessed in the past, you could argue that they are one of the world's biggest underperformers. Having said that, this Mexico team has the ability to compete with any team in this tournament, including the reigning champions Germany.
Germany's overall depth is second to none. Die Mannschaft will field one of the tournament's best defences along with a solid midfield, but there are questions being raised about their current form. The Germans have managed one win in their last four matches, only beating Saudi Arabia in that span.
With Germany susceptible to an early hiccup, I think Mexico has a decent chance of stealing all three points right from under Germany's nose.
Tunisia vs England, Matchday One
England have failed to reach the quarterfinals in eight of their past 12 major competitions, and although we're only talking about the group stage, they're facing a gritty Tunisian side that is known for digging their heels in and making life difficult for their opponent.
We all saw how England handled an equally gritty Iceland squad at Euro 2016, and that didn't end well. This may be one of the more well-rounded England teams we've seen recently, but they still lack the world-class pedigree that other large nations possess.
I can see England struggling to score against an extremely compact defence, with Tunisia sneaking in a late goal to win the match.
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South Korea vs Mexico, Matchday Two
You're probably wondering why Mexico appears in this list again. If I'm projecting them to beat Germany, how could they lose to South Korea? My issue with this Mexican team is inconsistency and a tendency to play down to their opponent.
South Korea will bring a lot of energy that will be hard for Mexico to match. South Korea's star man Son Heung-Min provides an attacking pedigree that could catch Mexico off guard. Lee Jae-Sung is another creative wide player that should cause Mexico some problems.
Give me South Korea here in a game that will go right down to the wire.
Nigeria vs Argentina, Matchday Three
Nigeria have a handful of players who are either currently playing in the Premier League or have past Premier League experience. The Super Eagles bring a high level of physicality capable of throwing any team off of their game and have enough of an attacking prowess to be dangerous in the final third.
With first-choice goalkeeper Sergio Romero injured and a backline leaving a lot to be desired, Argentina is going to once again need to lean on their attack for success.
If Argentina manage to secure qualification before this matchup, they may elect to rest their stars, giving Nigeria an even better chance of pulling off this upset.
Senegal vs Colombia, Matchday Three
Senegal is one of my dark horses heading into this year's tournament, and by my estimation has a really underrated roster. With the towering Kalidou Koulibaly leading the backline and Idrissa Gana Gueye providing defensive support from the midfield, Senegal won't be easy to score on. Sadio Mané has the pace and technical ability up top to run through any defence at any time.
Colombia have plenty of talent, but not at the same level and depth to be considered an international powerhouse. Although Colombia's defence is solid, goalkeeper David Ospina has made some crucial mistakes recently at the international level and comes into the tournament in poor form.
With that being said, Senegal can beat anyone on their day and will edge Colombia here in the pivotal final game of Group H.
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