Achraf Hakimi, Either Isco, Cristiano Ronaldo and Sardar Azmoun.If the 32 teams taking part in the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia justify their billing, it won’t be difficult for the top-ranked sides to progress from their respective groups.
Going by that theory, former world champions Spain and current European champions Portugal should be advancing to the round of 16 from Group B. The other two teams in the fray are this year’s African Nations Championship winners Morocco and Iran, the highest ranked team in Asia.
In this segment, we take a look at the four teams drawn in Group B which offers a lip-smacking showdown between fancied Iberian neighbours Spain and Portugal.
Morocco
FIFA Ranking: 42
Head Coach: Herve Renard
Morocco are going from the proverbial frying pan to the fire. In the African qualification campaign, they quelled the challenge of heavyweights such as Ivory Coast and Ghana to book a spot in the finals after a gap of 20 long years, only to find themselves pitted against some of the top footballing sides in the quadrennial event. Obviously, they will not fancy their chances against Spain or Portugal. Iran, the other team in the group, too look much stronger than them on paper.
Strengths: Morocco are boosted by the presence of some exceptionally talented players such as Juventus defender Medhi Benatia and 19-year-old Real Madrid right back Achraf Hakimi.
Weaknesses: Morocco, who will be playing the World Cup after a gap of 20 years, seemingly lack the experience and the big match temperament to win against stronger opponents, especially those from other continents.
Number to remember
When the World Cup qualification campaign began, Morocco were ranked a lowly 84. However, they went past many of the top-ranked teams to seal a berth for the finals.
Spain
FIFA Ranking: 8
Head coach: Julen Lopetegui
Though Spain’s golden era of Tiki-taka and the generation that helped them achieve six years of dominance in world football is well and truly gone, they remain a force to reckon with in major tournaments. Spain continue to benefit from their top-flight league and clubs that have mastered the process of developing players and churn out top performers. The painful first round exit after losing 1-5 to Netherlands in the 2014 World Cup might still be lingering in their minds. La Roja will be looking to kick off their campaign in Russia on a winning note when they take on Portugal on June 15 in their first group encounter.
Strengths: Spain enjoy the luxury of having proven players in each position. They also have reasonably strong bench strength. The only challenge for the coach is to draw up a tactical formation to tap the full potential of this excellent talent pool.
Weaknesses: Spain’s forward line-up looks so confused. Diego Costa's inconsistent form is a big cause for concern for the team management. To overcome this, Either Isco or David Silva could be deployed as the False 9.
Number to remember
In the qualification rounds, three players – David Silva, Diego Costa and Isco - scored five goals each for Spain.
Portugal
FIFA Ranking: 4
Head coach: Fernando Santos
Until their unlikely Euro 2016 glory, Portugal were perennial underachievers on the international stage. They are one of the main European soccer powerhouses who could never win the World Cup title. They will be flying to Russia to prove two points. First, their victory at Euro 2016 was not a fluke. Second, they are not a team made up of one superstar and ten average players. However, Cristiano Ronaldo will be held responsible if they have a successful campaign or a forgettable one in Russia!
Strengths: Portugal is hoping a red-hot Cristiano Ronaldo will continue his sparkling form in Russia. There has been so many games in which he has carried the national team on his shoulders.
Weaknesses: Most of the defenders are past their prime. Their backline consists of veterans such as 35-year-old Pepe who currently plays for Turkish outfit Besiktas, Jose Fonte, who plies his trade in Chinese league, and Scottish Premiership Rangers defender Bruno Alves.
Number to remember
Ronaldo scored as many as fifteen goals in Portugal’s qualification campaign to be second on the top-scorer’s list in Europe behind Poland’s Robert Lewandowski.
Iran
FIFA ranking: 36
Head coach: Carlos Manuel Queiroz
Iran was the second team to qualify for Russia 2018 after Brazil. They booked their spot by beating Uzbekistan 2-0 in June 2017. One of their forwards - Sardar Azmoun – is familiar with Russian conditions as he plays for Rubin Kazan in the Russian league.
Having a Portuguese as their head coach would also come in handy for them while playing against the Selecao in the group stage.
Strengths: They made it to the finals with some authentic performances in the qualification rounds. In the ten matches in the third round of the qualifiers, they did not lose a single match. The only goal Iran conceded in that round was in their final game.
Weaknesses: The friendly matches Iran played post-qualification were against relatively weaker opponents. Yet, they lost to Tunisia and Turkey.
Number to remember
Iran were ranked 122 in 1996. However, they managed to qualify for the 1998 World Cup where they failed to progress to the knockout stage despite beating USA 2-1 in one of the group matches.
