ยฉ Reuters
Until 2022, there is very little time left to wait for the World Cup. Tomorrow, on Sunday, the World Cup in Qatar will begin, which will be watched by millions of football enthusiasts in front of their blue screens.
On this occasion, "Eurofootball.com" website presents six bold predictions for this World Cup.
1. Portugal will suffer a fiasco
Let's be honest, all signs indicate that this tournament will be a fiasco for Portugal, marking the end of Fernando Santos' era. The coach has been leading this team since 2013 and, of course, has achieved a fantastic result during that time - the title of European champions that was previously only a dream - but in the opinion of Portugal's fans, the coach seems to have lost his touch recently. The football being played doesn't look beautiful and often lacks effectiveness. Some players, like Danilo Pereira, seem to play more than necessary, simply because they are the coach's favorites. Another factor is Cristiano Ronaldo. In the first part of the season, he didn't look like himself playing for "Manchester United". This could be due to the lack of a normal preseason. However, the 37-year-old striker was definitely not a problem for this team at the European Championship, where he became the top scorer. If Ronaldo steps into his role and focuses on one goal - becoming a world champion at the end of his career - then he will be the least of this team's worries. However, it seems that Portugal, which has nurtured perhaps the best generation of footballers, could end Fernando Santos' era earlier than planned - perhaps even in the group stage.
๐๐น๐ฎ๐๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ฎ. ๐๐ธ๐ต๐น #VesteABandeira #WearTheFlag pic.twitter.com/B0B1sQuf5P
— Portugal (@selecaoportugal) November 19, 2022
2. Two South American teams will play in the WC semi-finals
In this tournament, there are only 4 South American national teams, but three of them are real contenders for the semi-finals. Argentina and Brazil need no arguments, Uruguay's candidacy could be more difficult to propose. With young stars and experienced veterans, their team has more potential than one might think, and the tournament format is quite favorable. If Uruguay finishes first in their group, the most serious challenge could await them in the quarter-finals against teams like Belgium or Croatia. On the other hand, the team's midfield line consists of some of the best European midfielders of this season, such as Real's Federico Valverde and Tottenham's Rodrigo Bentancur. Their defense includes Jose Gimenez, Mathias Olivera, and experienced Godin, Coates, and Caceres. Uruguay hopes that Ronald Araujo will return from injury during the tournament. The success of the team will depend heavily on Darwin Nunez. While the forward started the season impressively at Liverpool, for Uruguay, he is a crucial piece of the puzzle. The roles of veterans Cavani and Suarez could be important in decisive moments, as they know how to reach the WC semi-finals.
3. This World Cup will see the most hat-tricks since the 1986 World Cup
It's hard to believe, but in the last 6 tournaments, we have seen only 9 hat-tricks. The previous tournament featured Harry Kane and Cristiano Ronaldo achieving this feat, as well as players like Thomas Muller, Gonzalo Higuain, Gabriel Batistuta, Xherdan Shaqiri, Pauleta, and Miroslav Klose before them. This number of hat-tricks is quite low. We believe that in this tournament, at least 3 players will score three goals in a single match. The main candidates for this achievement are H. Kane, C. Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Richarlison, Robert Lewandowski, Neymar, Lautaro Martinez, Darwin Nunez, Romelu Lukaku, Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior, Dusan Vlahovic, Alvaro Morata, and Son Heung-min.
4. Jamal Musiala will be named the tournament's young player
When players like Paul Pogba, Pele, Kylian Mbappe, Franz Beckenbauer, Marc Overmars, Thomas Muller, Michael Owen have won the FIFA World Cup Young Player award, there's no doubt about the prestige of this award. The good news is that in this World Cup, we will see all the best young talents vying for this title. According to the prediction by Eurofootball.com, the prize will be won by the young German talent Jamal Musiala. This 19-year-old has full confidence from Hansi Flick, and Germany is aiming for the top goals. However, Spanish talents like Pedri and Gavi, as well as French defender Eduardo Camavinga, Borussia's Jude Bellingham, and Portuguese left-back Nuno Mendes, will also seriously contend for this title.
4 days left ... โณ๐ฅ pic.twitter.com/ByTpkYBLbq
— Jamal Musiala (@JamalMusiala) November 19, 2022
5. Canada and Ecuador will advance to the knockout stage
This prediction is influenced by the favorable groups of these national teams and the unpredictable factor. Ecuador has a much better chance of reaching the knockout stage after Senegal lost Sadio Mane. Additionally, the team has many interesting players, such as Moises Caicedo, Gonzalo Plata, and Piero Hincapie. The situation is similar for Canada, which has many interesting young players, but their group situation is much more challenging. The North American team will have to fight against Belgium, Croatia, and Morocco. Two of these national teams were among the top four strongest teams in the previous World Cup. However, both teams are not as strong as they were four years ago, and surprises can be expected. Led by Alphonso Davies and Jonathan David, this national team will not face any pressure because the most important thing in the long run is the 2026 World Cup held at home. Now is a good opportunity to compete against the strongest, gain experience, and perhaps deliver a surprise in the tournament.
6. Serbia - the dark horse of the World Cup
If before each World Cup there is no talk of which team will be the dark horse, then what kind of tournament is it? In this case, Serbia seems like a very real candidate for this unofficial title. First of all, the "Eagles" have coach Dragan Stojkoviฤ, who is trusted by the entire nation. This is quite rare for this country because when expectations are not met, all eyes turn to the team's head coach. It is worth mentioning that Serbia defeated Portugal in the World Cup qualifiers, somewhat with a touch of luck, but they managed to beat these European champions and advance to the tournament without qualifiers. Serbia has just under 7 million inhabitants, but even in such a relatively small country, they have one of the best forward lines in the world. With Aleksandar Mitrovic shining in the Premier League, Juventus forward Dusan Vlahovic, Ajax attacking midfielder Dusan Tadic, and what about Luka Jovic? Nemanja Gudelj, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, and Filip Kostic form a solid defensive line, while Fiorentina center-back Nikola Milenkovic ensures stability in defense. In conclusion, Serbia has all the ingredients to surprise us and become the dark horse of the tournament.
Official Serbia list for the 2022 World Cup. ๐จ๐ท๐ธ #WorldCup #WorldCup2022 pic.twitter.com/7qoybSHHGb
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) November 12, 2022
