2018 FIFA World Cup: Group B

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.