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Group C
Qualified: France
Trending
Can Qualify: Denmark and Australia
Knocked out: Peru
Fixtures: Denmark vs France | Australia vs Peru
Group C has one team already in the next round: France. The other spot is up for grabs and Denmark and Australia will be fighting for that. Peru have been knocked out despite playing some superb football.
Denmark are the ones who are in a tough spot right now as they need to get a result vs France to qualify for the next round. A draw is enough for them to make it into the next round but a loss will see Australia jump to the 2nd spot ie if they beat Peru.
Australia have also been impressive this World Cup but their loss to France might come back to haunt them. They managed a draw vs Denmark but that wasn't enough. They are yet to score from open play with both their goals coming from penalties.
Group D
Qualified: Croatia
Can Qualify: Nigeria, Iceland and Argentina
Fixtures: Nigeria vs Argentina | Iceland vs Croatia
Group D is the one everyone has an eye on. One of the World Cup favourites, Argentina are currently at the bottom of the table! They have been awful in their two games and things do not look good for them right now.
Nigeria go into their final game vs Argentina knowing that a draw is enough for them to make it into the next round. However, there is a slight chance of them getting knocked out even with a draw but that would require Iceland to beat Croatia by 3 goals!
Iceland need a win. Anything less than a win will not get them into the next round as Nigeria already have 3 points and the Icelanders have just 1! Even if they win, it will not guarantee them a place into the round if Argentina defeat Nigeria by a better margin than Iceland beating Croatia.
Now the scenarios everyone was waiting for. What do Argentina need to do to make it into the knockout stages? So, here goes:
As long as they win and Croatia hold Iceland, they are into the next round. It's as simple as that but it's easier said than done. The South American side have not been playing as a team and they have not managed to impress one bit. With Nigeria knowing that they can go through with a draw, they might end up parking the bus – something Argentina have not been able to get past.
What if Argentina and Iceland win?
Now, that's the tricky situation. A win for Iceland and Argentina would see them both end up with 4 points – one more than Nigeria and 2 less than Croatia. It all goes down to goal difference then.
Argentina currently have a -3 GD while Iceland have -2. So that means, if Iceland win by 2 goals vs Croatia, Argentina should win by 4 goals! Eg: Iceland win 2-0 vs Croatia will see them finish with 4 points and 0 GD. Argentina need to better than and thus only a 4 goal win will see them have a +1 GD and help them finish above Iceland.
What if both teams finish with the same points and GD?
Advantage Argentina in that case. The 2-time World Cup winners would have scored more goals than Iceland and thus, they will make it into the next round.
