Has Switzerland continued its excellent form? Will Italy qualify for the World Cup for the 15th time in a row? Can Croatia overcome the Greeks? Will Ireland finally have luck in the World Cup qualifiers? WhoScored analyst Martin Laurence attempted to answer these questions and more about the crucial World Cup qualifying matches.
North Ireland - Switzerland
In the Swiss camp, the thought of injustice should be buzzing around: this team failed to top their group even after collecting 27 points in ten matches. This was not only the best performance in history of this national team in qualifiers, but also a better result than five out of nine European zone group winners. On the other hand, North Ireland will go into this match hoping that the Swiss were not in the strongest qualifying group.
The Swiss national team composition has changed very little since the team played in the 2016 European Championships. This can be seen as both positive and negative. The players know each other well, but there has been a lack of young talent integrating into the national team for some time. 20-year-old "Schalke" forward Breelas Embolo is still not noticed in his national team. One player who could break into the team during the knockout stages is Denis Zakaria, who has shone for "Gladbach", following in the footsteps of his compatriot Granit Xhaka.
If the Swiss are the highest-ranked team in the FIFA rankings heading into the knockout stages (11th place), then on the opposite side of the barricade, Michael O'Neill has the smallest selection of high-ranking players. North Irish defender Jonny Evans shines in defense, forming a great duo with his team mate Gareth McAuley at "West Brom", where their mutual understanding plays a crucial role. North Ireland's national team kept their goal "dry" seven times in the group stage securing second place group two games before the end of the qualification cycle.
The recent key player in the team's attack, Josh Magennis, third highest scorer in the English League, "Charlton", will likely be a spectator. This team's key to victory is not based on attacking football: they will seek to keep their goal "dry" and look for opportunities to counterattack or score from set-pieces. In the last four years, they have suffered just one defeat in official home matches, so they hope to go into the return leg in Basel with every chance of securing a ticket to the World Cup.
This pair could produce two tough and low-scoring matches.
The first match will take place today at 21:45.
The return match will be played on Sunday at 19:00.
Croatia - Greece
After being considered favorites to win Group I, Croatia had to fight for second place in the group until the last round, which they secured only with a victory in Ukraine in the final match. Before the crucial match, coach Ante Cacic was fired, and the newly appointed coach Zlatko Dalic was thrown into the fire before the most important matches for his national team, where he managed to win such a crucial victory.
His opponent, Michael Skibbe, had much more time to select suitable players and formulate a new playing style for the Greek national team. It must be admitted that the German did a fantastic job. After arriving as coach following a tragic European Championship qualification campaign for Greece in 2016, where the Greek national team collected as many points as the Faroe Islands, he had a not so easy task, which he handled excellently. M. Skibbe's wards suffered only one loss in the group stage (against Belgium), conceding just six goals, securing second place in Group H.
Comparing these teams, it can be noticed that the Croatians have individually more talented players, but after a good performance in the European Championship, where they were defeated only after a tough battle by future champions Portugal, their form has declined. With only 15 goals scored throughout the qualifiers, the Croats could find an explanation for this result in the changed role of Mario Mandzukic at his club. He plays as a winger at Juventus, but in the national team, after returning to the center forward role, he is not as productive as in previous years. The team also lacks captain Darijo Srna, who has been a very important figure in his national team in recent years.
In this match, strong defenders such as Sokratis, Kostas Manolas, and Kyriakos Papadopoulos could give the Greeks an advantage against the Croatians as they try to frustrate the attacking players. Greece's weak point is the midfield, where the opponents' defensive midfielders are the stars. However, it should be noted that in the qualifiers, defender Kostas Mitroglou was the most dangerous Greek player, scoring six goals in eight matches. For Greece to reach the World Cup, he will continue to pose threats to the opponent's goal.
The first match will take place today at 21:45.
The return match will be played on Sunday at 21:45.
Denmark - Ireland
After a strong performance in the qualification stage, Martin O'Neill probably hoped to avoid this national team in the draw, but now he is determined to fight with his players from the first to the last moment. However, the Danish national team can boast not only having a star player like Christian Eriksen, but also a commendable selection in forming their lineup, with which they surely wouldn't disappoint in next year's World Cup in Russia.
In attack, we will likely see the most prolific player of last season's "Eredivisie" Nicolai Jorgensen after recovering from an injury, and the fact that a player like Kasper Dolberg may have to watch the match from the bench only confirms the team's strength and coach Age Hareide's wide selection options. With goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel and defenders Andreas Christensen and Simon Kjaer, they also have a strong defensive line that will not give in to the attacking potential of the team.
Meanwhile, Martin O'Neill's team has already exceeded expectations, as it was the only team in the fourth pot draw to continue the fight for a place in the World Cup. The most important victory in the group against Wales was not the most beautiful moment in Irish football history, but it was definitely not a coincidence: the Irish team went into the match with a clear plan to make life difficult for their opponents and take advantage of their defensive mistakes.
This team performed well defensively during the qualifiers and only conceded more than one goal on one occasion - in the match against Serbia away, which ended 2:2. Their ability to adapt to different opponents and situations is the team's biggest hope, and they will definitely not be afraid to score goals on opponent's turf. James McClean's precise strikes in the opponent's area will be a serious weapon as always, Daryl Murphy and Shane Long will make sure the Danes do not find their rhythm and everything will be decided in the return match in Dublin.
The first match will take place on Saturday at 21:45.
The return match will be played on Tuesday at 21:45.
Sweden - Italy
The most intriguing clash in the knockout stage. Both the Swedes and the Italians were clearly disappointed with the draw, as both teams were considered the strongest teams grouped together to fight for the last tickets to the tournament in Russia.
The Swedish national team has started to thrive after Zlatan Ibrahimovic's retirement, and there is a greater sense of freedom in attacking now that they no longer have to aim all chances live to the country's legend.
The Swedes scored 26 goals in the group stage, which is not only the highest among all eight teams continuing to fight for a place in the next stage, but also surpassed the performance of group favorites, the French. Moreover, this year, the Swedes have already defeated the French, and this team has a killer mentality against the top teams. The creative midfielder Emil Forsberg is the engine of the team's midfield, and Marcus Berg, currently playing for "Al Ain" in Abu Dhabi, is finally showing the form and performance that earned him the title of future star in his early career.
Meanwhile, Italy's qualification campaign has unfolded exactly as most football fans predicted after the draw -- the Italians finished second in the group, conceding the lead to the Spaniards. At home against the Spanish national team, they managed to play a 1:1 draw, but away, the opponents showed no mercy, and the Italian national team suffered a crushing 0:3 defeat. Moreover, the Italians did not finish the qualification with the best results and last month, they failed to beat Macedonia. Gian Piero Ventura's tactics have not been effective recently and have been heavily criticized, and the former "Torino" coach himself does not hide the fact that he knows that losing to the Swedes is not an option, as if the Italian national team did not qualify for the World Cup, it would be the equivalent of a disaster, tragedy or even an apocalypse according to the coach's words.
If there are questions about the team's coach, the Italian lineup looks promising. With Andrea Bellotti and the current top scorer of the last season Ciro Immobile, the team has a fearsome attacking line, but it would be beneficial for the Italians to use Lorenzo Insigne more. The "Napoli" forward is already 26 years old, and he should be given a bigger role in the team now. If the Italian national team manages to find the right tactics, no one would be surprised if they go far in the next year's World Cup. However, whether they will succeed remains the most important question when discussing Italy's potential.
The first match will take place on Friday at 21:45.
The return match will be played on Monday at 21:45.
