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You need to score goals to win a football match and there can be no further explanation for this. With the World Cup knocking at the door, it's time for the teams to furbish their attacking swords. With the likes of Messi, Neymar and Ronaldo, who have redefined the goal scoring approaches, we can expect a record number of goals scored in this world cup.
All the heavyweights, going to the World Cup, prefer to play attacking football and there are many names that can outshine any defence on their given day.
The fate of these countries will largely depend on how their forward line performs. It is this aspect of their game that will decide which powerhouse will lift the coveted trophy on 15th July at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow.
Let's find out which team has the best forward line up and who can live up to the expectation in the cauldron of the greatest show on earth.
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#7 Portugal
The 2016 Euro Champions will be eyeing their first ever World Cup this time around. The Fernando Santos managed side will hugely depend on their talisman Cristiano Ronaldo to score goals. When it comes to scoring, there are very few players who are as good as him.
Over the recent years, the Real Madrid forward has emerged as a serious threat in front of goal. He is currently the highest active international goalscorer in the world with 81 goals, 17 ahead of Argentina's Lionel Messi. Cristiano has inspired Portugal to qualify for the World Cup as toppers of Group B.
He singlehandedly scored 15 goals in the qualifying campaign, making him the second highest scorer after Poland's Robert Lewandowski with all-time European Qualifying record of 16 goals.
Ronaldo will be appearing in his last World Cup and will be hoping to add his overall tally of 4 goals in the greatest stage. He is the spine of the Portuguese attack and the 5-time Balon d'Or winner is unlikely to disappoint this time.
Adrien Silva, the AC Milan forward is another crucial name in their attack. However, he hasn't had a great season with the Italian outfit, but 9 goals in the qualifiers will definitely make him one of the players to watch out for in the tournament.
Goncalo Guedes can be the X-factor for the European Champions. In a recently concluded friendly, he netted twice against Algeria and he is believed to start against Spain in their first group league game alongside Cristiano.
Sporting's Bruno Fernandes will be operating from the left wing. He has scored 16 goals and provided 20 assists this season and will be delivering crosses to his captain. Bernardo Silva, the other winger, could prove vital in their surge of becoming champions of the world. The Manchester City man had his fair amount of opportunities in their title-winning run.
Ricardo Quaresma may have reached the fag end of his career, but he has proven many times that he can score goals whenever his team needs it the most. Gelson Martins, with his 13 goals for Sporting this season, can also come off the bench and contribute to the scoresheet.
Portugal has high hopes of qualifying from the group stage and if their forward line clicks, they can even go a long way in the tournament.
#6 England
After a series of failures in the recent past, England has never managed to live up to their expectations. However, this time, things look different than previous years. They will play under the leadership of Spurs' striker Harry Kane, who is considered as the best centre-forward in the modern day football.
Kane surpassed Messi and Ronaldo in his tally of goals in a single calendar year (2017). The two-time Premier League Golden Boot winner, at a tender age of 24, will be hungry to prove his worth in the world cup.
The English striker registered 41 goals in the last season, once again, and 13 international goals besides his name, he will be the one eyeing the tournament's Golden Boot this time.
Gareth Southgate will deploy a 3-5-2 formation where Raheen Sterling will play behind their no 9. The Manchester City forward has enjoyed his best season so far in his club colours registering 18 goals and 15 assists.
He looks sharp and menacing in front of goal. With these front two, England has the likes of Dele Alli and Jesse Lingard, as well. Lingard has come from a breakthrough season under Jose Mourinho and will be stepping into the shoes of David Beckham, who once wore the No 7 jersey for England.
#5 Germany
The defending World Champions showed last time that they can bulldoze any team, any day after they beat Brazil in the semifinals by a whopping 7-1 margin.
Thomas Muller seems to become an altogether different player when the World Cup arrives. Having netted 10 goals in the last 2 occasions, he will be eyeing to become the all-time top scorer in the competition by breaking his fellow countryman Miroslav Klose's record of 16 goals.
RP Leipzig's Timo Werner, who will be Germany's lone striker up front, will be the player to watch in this tournament. Werner has already scored 8 goals for his country in only 14 games and will be definitely interested in increasing his tally and to defend the title for his homeland.
Furthermore Joachim Low has the likes of Marco Reus, Mesut Ozil, Julian Draxler who can also decide games with one fiery spell of their own.
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#4 France
The 1998 World Cup Winners will be eyeing nothing but winning the World Cup. On paper, Les Bleus has the most balanced side among all 32 nations.
Their star-studded frontline can send shivers down the spine of any defence in the world. Spearheaded by Atleti's Antoine Griezmann, France can emerge as the top scoring country in the World Cup. Apart from him, there are many big names to follow.
Paris Saint-Germain's Kylian Mbappe is one of the significant names in their attack. The teen sensation has been compared to Brazilian Ronaldo already. He will be eager to showcase his set of skills when the biggest stage arrives. Mbappe was recently hacked down by an ugly challenge during training and is awaiting test results to know what the outcome is. Fingers crossed.
Olivier Giroud, who recently secured a move from Arsenal to Chelsea, is also among goals of late. Manchester United's Paul Pogba is another such name who can score a handful of goals along with Barcelona's Ousmane Dembele.
Lyon's Nabil Fekir and Monaco's Thomas Lemar can also chip in from the bench and etch their names on the scoresheet if Didier Deschamps gives them chance off the bench.
#3 Belgium
Considered as dark horses, the Red Devils will be going to Russia with one of the best attacks in the world. The golden generation of the country has lots of big names in their squad. Chelsea's Eden Hazard is the key player in their front line. Hazard, with his silky smooth touches and brilliant dribbling abilities, can produce moments of brilliance in the tournament.
Napoli's Dries Mertens, who will be operating from the right has enjoyed a great season with 22 goals and 12 assists.
Manchester United's Romelu Lukaku will be the target man for the free-scoring Belgium side. The 25-year-old striker has netted 11 times in the qualifiers and he is coming after a successful first season with the English Club where he has scored 27 goals. With 36 goals from 69 matches, Lukaku is the top scorer, already, for his country and he will be one of the serious contenders for winning the Golden Boot this time around.
With Kevin de Bruyne, the best playmaker in Premier League, feeding these forward line, Belgium can tear their opponents apart.
#2 Brazil
After a disappointing World Cup campaign on their home soil, the Selecaos will again try their luck to win their sixth world title. The team looks strong, determined and solid. Like their predecessors Ronaldo, Pele, Romario, this is the time for Neymar to showcase his string of abilities in the greatest stage of football. Neymar, who has recently made his comeback from an injury, has scored in both the friendlies against Croatia and Austria.
The world's most expensive player, who has also won the Ligue 1 Player of the Season award, will be hoping to end his blistering season on a high and nothing but winning a World Cup can ensure that.
Brazil, who lacked quality in their front line in 2014, has learned from their mistakes and Tite will be firing all his cylinders with Gabriel Jesus and Roberto Firmino. Both the strikers have enjoyed a prolific season in England with their respective clubs. While Jesus netted 17 times for Manchester City's title-winning campaign, the Liverpool forward became UEFA Champions League's Top Scoring Debutant ever with 11 goals.
Coutinho, who has moved to Barcelona this winter, is well-known for his goalscoring abilities. Chelsea's Willian is another addition to the squad who will provide a great amount of attacking threat. Douglas Costa will also be looking forward to the World Cup after a great domestic season with Italian giants Juventus.
Brazil is the hot favourite to lift the title and with this forward line, we can expect a lot of goals from the South American outfit.
#1 Argentina
It's always difficult to sit in the hot seat of the Albeceleste's head coach and Jorge Sampaoli might be facing the same heat. It becomes almost impossible to choose the best three upfront when you have a whole lot of options available.
The best player in the world, Lionel Messi, undoubtedly, will be the first name on the teamsheet. The 5-time-Balon d'Or winner has won anything and everything possible with Barcelona but is yet to win a silverware with Argentina.
After repeated failures in three consecutive finals, Messi will wear the famous No 10 jersey for one last time, possibly, in Russia and the 2014 Golden Ball winner will deliver his heart out this time.
To have Messi in the squad is always an advantage that no one can deny. But besides him, the presence of Juventus' Gonzalo Higuain and Manchester City's all-time leading scorer Sergio Aguero makes their attack a lethal one.
Paris Saint-Germain's Angel Di Maria will provide much-needed width down the left wing. They also have the firepowers of Paulo Dybala available with them.
And what more do you need to say that the two-time world champions have the best forward line in the tournament?
Let us know what you make of this list in the comments section below.
