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The FIFA World Cup 2018 is just 6 days away and the countdown to the greatest event in the world has begun. We will have our eyes on the top teams fighting it off to win the ultimate golden prize. Teams like France, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Brazil, Argentina and Belgium being the notable nations as favorites going into the World Cup group stages.
The FIFA World Cup group stages consist of 32 teams and only 8 teams among them are favorites to win it so what about the remaining 24 teams who will look to toil and create history against all odds? Teams like Senegal, Denmark, Poland, Colombia, Switzerland, and Nigeria possess worthy talent in their ranks and could cause upsets in the group stages as you know how the saying goes, you just never know in football.
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We will definitely notice a lot of competition to see who qualifies as the second team to the knockout rounds in most groups, if not as the first team to top the group. This adds to the excitement of it all and the unpredictability of the big match factor where anything is possible. This is why most games need to be watched as you never know when you can see thrilling scorelines or experience stunning goals.
Let's take a look at 7 players who will be looking to win over hearts and fans, if not the ultimate prize in Russia:
#1 Christian Eriksen (Denmark)
Denmark have been drawn alongside France, Australia, and Peru in the World Cup group stages. If all goes well, they have a good chance at making the knockout phase of the World Cup. However, if this is to happen, they will look to none other than their influential midfielder, Christian Eriksen, the Tottenham star, who has an eye for a cute finish and to make the final pass when required.
He had an excellent season with Spurs helping them secure Champions League football with 14 goals also bagging 11 assists across all competitions.
Not long ago, Eriksen was the star of the show when Denmark sealed qualification into the World Cup final 32 where he scored a breathtaking hat-trick in their final group stage qualifier against The Republic of Ireland. The Danish faithful will be hopeful he can reproduce those moments of magic if they are to trouble other teams in their race to the last 16 of the tournament and beyond.
#2 Gylfi Sigurdsson (Iceland)
Fresh off the high of their remarkable quarter-final finish in the Euros 2016, the Icelanders will be hoping to fulfill the same expectations going into the World Cup. Going into the group stages as the smallest nation, they will look to their talisman and midfield general, Gylfi Sigurdsson, who scored 4 times and bagged 4 assists in 10 games in their qualification road to Russia.
After a rather lackluster performance with Everton in the 2017-18 Premier League season following a staggering 50 million move from Swansea, where he was expected to carry the Evertonians to the top 8 of the League, Sigurdsson will be expected to carry the weight of an entire nation when they begin their pursuit of the World Cup against Argentina.
#3 Son Heung-Min (South Korea)
One of the best performers among Asian footballers over the past 2 years on the European stage, the versatile left-forward Son Heung Min, was an influential part of Pochettino's side where he scored 18 goals and notched up 6 assists in the 2017-18 domestic league campaign for Spurs. His consistent displays also saw him earn the KFA "Player of the Year" accolade as well.
Forming a lethal partnership with Kane where he single-handedly scored absolute stunners for Spurs coupled with his drifting runs, Son will look to exploit the right side of the German, Mexican and Swedish defence as he will look to spearhead an otherwise inferior Korean attack.
Son played a pivotal role in the country's qualification to the World Cup final 32 and the Koreans will be hopeful he can recreate his club-level magic if they are to advance into the last 16 of the extravaganza. He has become the face of the entire nation and an idol among many as they dream to emulate a career like his so the pressure is on him to perform in Russia.
#4 Sadio Mane (Senegal)
Liverpool took world football to storm this season with their surprise runner-up finish in the UEFA Champions League campaign losing to the legendary Real Madrid team. They couldn't have done it with without the contribution of the powerful Senegalese, Sadio Mane. A true powerhouse, he looks in good shape heading into the World Cup group stages after scoring 20 goals for Liverpool in all competitions.
With powerful runs that can leave defenders for dead and a knack of scoring beautiful long-range goals, we can trust Mane will try his best to make Group H as interesting as possible after they drew the likes of Poland, Colombia, and Japan in their group. We love this man's determination and never say die attitude and really hope he can brace the viewers with more of his attacking guile, on a much larger scale in the World Cup.
#5 Alex Iwobi (Nigeria)
The 22-year old has been tipped to be a success at Russia despite an unconvincing season with Arsenal where he had his ups and downs and faced heavy criticism from the fans. Regardless of all the hate, the Nigerians will be hopeful Alex Iwobi can take the Super Eagles to similar heights like his uncle and fellow legend Jay-Jay Okacha did.
You could say Iwobi lacks experience at the International stage but he has started big games for Arsenal in the past 2 years with Arsene Wenger trusting him in critical match situations and therefore, looks set to be a hit in Russia.
They have a tough group with the likes of Argentina and Croatia, but if they play as a unit and their stars produce the big match moments then they could progress into the last 16 and the latter stages of the tournament against all odds. They will, however, need to better the record set by Okacha and his teammates of a last 16 finish if they are to mount a serious challenge on the road to Russia.
#6 Xherdan Shaqiri (Switzerland)
Switzerland had a smooth ride to the World Cup group stages where they lost just once to Portugal in the qualifiers. Their star player, Xherdan Shaqiri, will be looking to reproduce the same moments that helped Switzerland into the knockout stages of the Euros 2016 where he was their star player without a doubt.
Despite facing relegation with his domestic league side Stoke City, he still managed to score 8 goals and assist 7 times as he often looked left out as the only quality performer in an otherwise dismal season for his team.
At the international stage, Shaqiri will be looking to give it his all as the Swiss boast of a well-balanced side which could be one of the dark horses of the tournament after their impressive display in the Euros. A strong performance at the World Cup could seal a move for him to one of Europe's top sides in the domestic leagues giving him another reason to excite.
#7 Luka Modric (Croatia)
The Croats will be looking to their experienced leader in-charge, Luka Modric, to guide his team into the knockout rounds of the tournament. The 4 time UEFA Champions League winner with Real Madrid, certainly has a big game pedigree and knows what it takes to perform on the big stage. Known for his footballing brain and a belter of a right foot capable of turning games around, Modric and his midfield partner Rakitic, will be key to how Croatia perform in Russia.
Mandzukic and company will have to be alert to Luka's silky moves as he is not best known for scoring goals or bagging assists, it's the plays that lead to those goals that he is known for.
The Croatians will have to up their game since they just managed to qualify ahead of Ukraine to the final 32 if they are to cause a massive upset like they did with a third-place finish in the 1998 FIFA World Cup.
