Ladies and gentlemen!

The time has come to take a look at group C of the upcoming 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. This group seems to be much tougher to predict on paper than the previous two groups. France seems to be the obvious favorite to win the group but the other three national teams of Australia, Denmark and Peru seem to be quite equally matched. Let's take a closer look at these four teams today.

Team: France

Strengths: France has numerous strengths. After a troublesome time under Raymond Domenech and a quite short stint by Laurent Blanc, head coach Didier Deschamps has been in charge for six years and has done a great job dealing with numerous narcissistic players and avoiding scandals involving training boycots, death threats among players and players in contact with prostitutes of minor age that shook up the national team in the past. France's squad is very close to the quality of the generation that won the last World Cup title in its home country twenty years ago. Goaltender and captain Hugo Lloris is calm and composed and has had a fabulous season with Tottenham Hotspur FC. Real Madrid CF's Raphaël Varane and Barcelona FC's Samuel Umtiti and Lucas Digne are only three of numerous world-class defenders in the squad. Creative midfielders like Manchester United's Paul Pogba can decide games on their own. France's forwards are among the best in the world with Atlético Madrid's Antoine Griezmann and Chelsea FC's Olivier Giroud. The squad features many successful youngsters like nineteen-year old Paris Saint Germain forward Kylian Mbappé and twenty-year old Barcelona FC forward Ousmane Dembélé.

Weaknesses: France's squad is probably the best of all participants in the World Cup. The French squad can only beat itself if the lack of discipline, focus and team spirit that have harmed the team in past tournaments come back haunting them. This is why the job of the coaching staff can determine whether France will win its second World Cup title or fail miserably.

Prediction: I will go ahead with a bold prediction. I think France will win the 2018 FIFA World Cup. 

Team: Australia

Strengths: Australia has won the 2015 AFC Asian Cup in its own country. The success was based upon a very balanced team which is still the case these days. The squad can count on experienced veterans like Millwall FC's thirty-eight year old forward Tim Cahill who has scored fifty goals in one hundred five appearances and Aston Villa FC's thirty-three year old midfielder Mile Jedinak who has scored eighteen goals in seventy-five appearances and who also serves as captain for the national team. The multi-ethnic team features experienced players who play for teams in exotic countries like South Korea, Saudia Arabia and Israel. 

Weaknesses: Successful former head coach Ange Postecoglou resigned from his position earlier this year after qualifying for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. New Dutch head coach Bert van Marwijk hasn't been particularly successful in recent years and only has a few months to get familiar with the squad. To make things worse, it has already been announced that Bert van Marwijk will be replaced by Graham Arnold after the conclusion of the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Those conditions are particularly difficult to deal with for the head coach and his staff. In addition to those questionable procedures, Australia's squad is overall very old. The youngest member of the squad right now is twenty-two year old defender Aleksandar Susnjar, who plays for Mlada Boleslav in Czech Republic and who only has accumulated one cap so far. 

Prediction: Australia's squad is too old, the head coach doesn't know its team very well and most players earn their money in exotic leagues that are not known for great football. Despite having won the last AFC Asian Cup three years ago, I would be surprised to see Australia survive the group stage.

Team: Peru

Strengths: Experienced head coach Ricardo Gareca has been in charge for more than three years and has successfully guided the team through a tough qualifying process. The team has performed very well in friendly games so far this year, beating Croatia and Iceland away from home. The team has a solid mixture of promising youngsters and a few experienced veterans.

Weaknesses: Peru has only finished in fifth position out of ten teams of the South American CONMEBOL section of the qualifying stages. The team had to beat New Zealand in the Inter-confederation play-offs where it got a goalless draw in the first leg and a two-goal victory in the second leg. Peru didn't play convincingly at all. Most players in the Peruvian squad don't have much international experience. The only member of the squad who could be considered the star player is thirty-three year old forward Jefferson Farfan who plays for Lokomotiv Moscow. Peru hasn't qualified for any World Cup since 1982.

Prediction: Peru's squad is lacking depth and experience. The team might get eliminated at group stage.

Team: Denmark

Strengths: Denmark is a team that should never be underestimated. It won the first modern Olympic Games back in 1896 even though no medal was officially awarded back then and once more in 1906, Denmark won the UEFA Euro 1992 in spectacular manner and the team won the 1995 King Fahd Cup, today known as FIFA Confederations Cup. In addition to this, the team is on quite a streak and hasn't lost one single game in 2017 and 2018 so far, winning 4-0 against Poland, 1-5 against Republic of Ireland to qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup and beating Panama 1-0 earlier this year. The team has a balanced squad with Leicester City FC's goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel, captain and defender Simon Kjaer who plays for Sevilla FC, Tottenham Hotspur's midfielder Christian Eriksen who has scored twenty-one goals in seventy-seven caps and legendary striker Nicklas Bendtner who has scored thirty goals in eighty-one appearances and who now plays for Rosenborg BK. The squad is overall quite young, with most players being in their mid-twenties.

Weaknesses: Denmark did not qualify for the last World Cup and the last time the team managed to survive the group stage at such a tournament was back in 2002. The team hasn't had much international success recently. Norwegian coach Age Hareide who has been in charge for two years has been doing a solid job but isn't known as a particularly outstanding coach. Most people outside Scandinavia haven't heard much about him. 

Prediction: Denmark has surprised the world of soccer before by winning the 1992 UEFA European Championship when nobody expected it to win. This won't happen this time around but Denmark is a team that shouldn't be underestimated. The team might not beat the mighty French squad but has good chances to defeat Australia and Peru, hence advancing to the next round. Denmark could potentially meet Argentina in the round of sixteen. I predict the squad to survive the group stage but don't expect it to go any further.

Ladies and gentlemen!

Four years after my detailed predictions for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, here are now my predictions for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. Two months before the start of the biggest sporting event in the world, it's time to look at the thirty-two teams that are going to participate. Today, I will focus on group B.

Team: Portugal 

Strengths: Nobody really expected Portugal to win the 2016 UEFA European Championship after a mellow start into the tournament. However, the team defies the odds thanks to excellent defensive play around players like Bruno Alves and Pepe developed by experienced head coach Fernando Santos. This strategy will also help the Portuguese side this year. In addition to this, the team can still count on brilliant strikers like Nani and Cristiano Ronaldo who will conduct fast counter-attacks. The team also has several promising youngsters in its squad like twenty-two-year old striker André Silva who has scored eleven goals in twenty appearances. 

Weaknesses: Portuguese teams usually have slow starts into a tournament. This could become a problem is such a strong group with experienced veterans Spain and two underdogs that shouldn't be underestimated with Iran and Morocco. Portugal needs to play with focused precision right from the start.

Prediction: The Portuguese squad convinces with great team spirit, intelligent strategies and strong individual players. I expect them to advance to the quarter-finals where the team could potentially face France again. The French side will be hungry to get its revenge for the lost 2016 UEFA European Championship at home and I expect them to beat Portugal this time.

Team: Spain

Strengths: Spain has a very balanced squad, including excellent goalkeeper David de Gea from Manchester United, experienced captain and defender Sergio Ramos from Real Madrid, veteran midfielder Andrés Iniesta from FC Barcelona and efficient striker Diego Costa from Atlético Madrid. The Spanish La Liga is still one of the best football leagues in the world and produces many promising talents. Some of them, like twenty-two year old midfielder Marco Asensio from Real Madrid or twenty-three year old midfielder Saul from Atlético Madrid are already important players in the squad.

Weaknesses: Head coach Julen Lopetegui doesn't have as much  experience as his predecessors and has only been coaching the team for less than two years. Despite a few youngsters, the Spanish is slightly older than the squads of its concurrents and it's questionable whether some of the older players will perform at top level after an exhausting season with more than fifty games. Another issue is the fact that the team's forwards aren't as deadly as in the squad's highly successful past between 2008 and 2012. Several players have less than ten caps and only scored a handful of goals so far while more experienced players like Chelsea FC's Alvaro Morata or New York City FC's David Villa haven't played for the national team since last autumn.  

Prediction: Spain has the potential to win the World Cup as it convinces with an outstanding goaltender, disciplined defenders, creative midfield players and pitiless strikers. My bet is that they make it to the final and finish the tournament in second place.

Team: Morocco

Strengths: Morocco is on quite a run and has beaten its last five opponents, including other nations participating at the 2018 FIFA World Cup such as South Korea. During the challenging qualifying process, the team has defeated respectable opponents like Ivory Coast and Gabon. The team can count on an internationally experienced squad around captain Medhi Benatia from Juventus Turin. The squad includes several highly skilled youngsters like Southampton FC's Sofiane Boufal. A player that could make his breakthrough during the upcoming tournament is twenty-four year old striker Ayoub El Kaabi who has scored ten goals in only eight appearances and who is so far still playing in Morocco for Renaissance Sportive de Berkane. French head coach Hervé Rneard has already coached the national teams of Zambia, Angola and Ivory Coast and has won the Africa Cup of Nations in 2012 and 2015.

Weaknesses: The team's most obvious weakness is its lack of experience. Morocco hasn't qualified for any World Cup since 1998 in France. This is only the country's fourth participation and Morocco has only survived the group stage once, losing in the round of sixteen in Mexico back in 1986. In addition to this, Morocco has been drawn into a challenging group with experienced opponents like Portugal and Spain.

Predictions: Morocco has one of the strongest squads in the existence of its national team. The underdog might have a promising future ahead over the next few years if it continues to work hard. However, I can't see Morocco beating Spain and Portugal yet. I predict the team to get eliminated in the group stage.

Team: Iran

Strengths: Iran has won five of its seven last friendly games against respectable opponents like Algeria and Panama. Experienced head coach Carlos Queiroz has been coaching the team for seven years in a row. The team can count on successful attackers like Charleroi SC's Sardar Azmoun who has scored twenty-three goals in only thirty-one appearances, SC Heerenveen's Reza Ghoochannejhad who has scoired seventeen golas in forty-one caps and Olympiacos FC's Karim Ansarifard who has scored sixteen goals in sixty-one appearances.

Weaknesses: Most players either play in Iran or in average European leagues as the squad doesn't include one single player with a contract in Europe's most competitive leagues in countries such as England, Spain, Germany, Italy and France. The younger players who had call-ups in the past twelve months haven't been particularly successful so far. In seven years, head coach Carlos Queiroz hasn't won one single tournament with the team. The last tournament the team has won was the West Asian Championship back in 2008 against opponents like Palestine, Qatar, Syria and Jordan. 

Prediction: Iran has been drawn into a very difficult group. The team might be able to challenge Morocco on a good day but I simply can't see Iran beating Portugal or Spain. Therefore, Iran won't make it past the group stage this time.

Ladies and gentlemen!

Four years after my detailed predictions for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, here are now my predictions for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. Two months before the start of the biggest sporting event in the world, it's time to look at the thirty-two teams that are going to participate. Today, I will start with group A, which is one of the easiest groups in the whole tournament which makes this one particularly hard to predict in my book.

Team: Russia

Strengths: The hosts of the tournament will be pushed by their fans and the entire country. The team's biggest advantage is that the players almost exclusively play in the Russian Premier League and know one another particularly well. The players who have been part of the squad over the past year are aged between twenty-one and thirty-four years which makes for a balanced mixture of experienced veterans and energetic youngsters. Coach Stanislaw Cherchesov has been in charge for two years and knows his players rather well by now. He has been the goaltender of the national team for twelve years and knows what his players are going through. He has been coaching for far over a decade and has enough experience. 

Weaknesses: The Russian team doesn't have any star players like Andrey Arshavin and Roman Pavlyuchenko ten years ago who gave Russian football a big boost and signed with successful foreign clubs after having their breakthrough at the UEFA Euro 2008. The team is also lacking a solid striker. Their best attacking players Aleksandr Kokorin and Fyodor Smolov have only scored twelve goals each. At the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup, the Russian side lost against Portugal and Mexico and only managed to defeat New Zealand. Since then, the team has only won one out of six games.

Prediction: The Russian side is too weak to compete at the highest international level. I predict the team to finish third in the group stage and get eliminated.

Team: Saudia Arabia

Strengths: Saudia Arabia has some very experienced players in its squad. Midfielder Taisir Al-Jassim has one hundred twenty-seven caps and central defender Osama Hawsawi even has one hundred thirty-one. The team has a very good striker in Mohammad Al-Sahlawi, who has scored twenty-eight goals in only thirty-six games. The squad is very homogeneous with most players earning their money in Saudia Arabia and three players performing in renowned Spanish Primera Division. 

Weaknesses: Saudia Arabia has only survived the tournament's group stage once: back in 1994 when the tournament took place in the United States of America. Since then, the team hasn't won one single game in the tournament and I still remember the crashing 0-8 defeat to Germany back in 2002. Saudia Arabia hasn't qualified for the last two editions of the tournament. Even on a more regional level, Saudi Arabia hasn't been too convincing as of lately. They were eliminated in the group stage during the last two Asian Cups in 2011 and 2015. They didn't even get past the group stage at the last Arabian Gulf Cup in 2017. That was also the case for the last two West Asian Football Federation Championships in 2012 and 2014. The team has only won one out of its four friendly games this year, against Moldova. Coach Juan Antonio Pizzi doesn't have much experience and has only been in charge for a year.

Prediction: Saudi Arabia doesn't have the assets to compete internationally. The team will finish last in the group stage and therefore get eliminated.

Team: Egypt

Strengths: Egypt has one of the world's most successful strikers right now in Mohamed Salah who has also scored an impressive thirty-three goals in only fifty-seven games for his national team. Experienced Argentinian head coach Hector Cuper has been in charge for more than three years and is fully supported by the Egyptian Football Association.

Weaknesses: Egypt's appearance at the 2018 FIFA World Cup is the first in twenty-eight years and only third overall. The team has never gone beyond the first round. The team participated in two FIFA Confederations Cup and didn't survive the group stage either. The team hasn't had a successful year so far, losing friendly games against Portugal and Greece. Aside of star player Mohamed Salah, most players in the squad don't have much international success. The team's captain and goaltender Essam Al-Hadary is already forty-five years old.

Predictions: Egypt will probably finish second in the group stage and is going to advance to the round of sixteen. They could face Spain or Portugal in the next round and I can't see them winning against these experienced squads. They won't survive the round of sixteen.

Team: Uruguay

Strengths: On paper, Uruguay is by far the strongest team in Group A. The team has an experienced goalkeeper in Galatasaray Instanbul's Fernando Muslera. Captain and defender Diego Godin and his colleague Jose Maria Gimenez both play successfully for Atletico Madrid. Strikers Luis Suarez from FC Barcelona and Edinson Cavani from Paris Saint-Germain are among the best attacking players in the world. Head coach Oscar Tabarez knows his squad very well. He is seventy-one years old and has been in charge of the team for an impressive twelve years in a row. The team has played an impressive qualification, finishing only second behind Brazil and in front of last tournament's finalist Argentina. The team has won the 2015 Pan American Games, defeating teams such as Brazil and Mexico.

Weaknesses: The squad's midfield isn't as strong as its defense and attack. It includes several young talents who haven't played that many games for their national team so far. The team hasn't won any major tournament since the Copa América title back in 2011.

Prediction: Uruguay is probably the strongest team in Group A and will advance to the round of sixteen without any problems. However, the team could meet Portugal or Spain in that round and I can't see Uruguay defeating either team right now. Uruguay will get eliminated in the round of sixteen.