It is no surprise if Belgium and Croatia make it to the knockout round with ease, but Morocco and Canada will be looking to spring few surprises in Group F when the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 kicks off in few more days.
Belgium, ranked second in the FIFA computer, are one of the serious contenders for the title in Qatar, but a technically proficient Croatia side will also be determined to go one position higher after ending up as runners up in Russia four years ago. The rest of the pack, Morocco and Canada could also carry mysteries that can shock the world, especially the latter who are making their first World Cup appearance since 1986.
However, Belgians will be looking to get away from the group stage without making any blunders, especially with their highly gifted ‘golden generation’ which include frontman Romelu Lukaku, Kevin De Bruyne, Eden Hazard, Thibaut Courtois and Thomas Meunier.
De Bruyne has been at his best for Manchester City this season nine assists so far in the Premier League, while Lukaku has a fantastic record on the international stage, with 11 major-tournament goals since 2014.
Belgium cruised to a top spot in their World Cup qualifying group against Wales, Czech Republic, Estonia and Belarus, maintaining an unbeaten run of eight games while Lukaku scored five goals.
Managed by Spaniard Roberto Martinez, Belgium enter the World Cup with a brilliant record after going unbeaten through the qualifiers with six wins in eight games while scoring 25 goals against six goals by their opponents.
Meanwhile, Croatia’s biggest strength is its midfield, led by their most experienced campaigner Luka Modric and his comrades Marcelo Brozovic and Mateo Kovacic, who altogether share over 300 international appearances between them.
Modric’s influence on Croatia’s journey in Russia 2018 was remarkable. The Real Madrid star won the Golden Ball award following the final at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow and then went on to win the Ballon d’Or later that year. The 37-year-old has made more appearances at major international tournaments than any other Croatian player (25). Modric will also be looking to achieve a new personal mark here in Qatar, by becoming the only Croatian player to have played in both the FIFA World Cup and European Championship in three different decades.
Apart from Modric, winger Ivan Perisic who has played 116 matches and young centre backs Josko Gvardiol and Josip Sutalo who have shown a lot of promise over the past few games, making the Zlatko Dalic-coached side a perfect blend of youth and experience.
On the other hand, Morocco, ranked 22nd, breezed through the World Cup qualifiers with a a perfect 6-0 record while outscoring their opponents by a combined 20-1.
The Moroccans were the only African nation to win all of their matches in the qualifying stage, mostly under their former coach Vahid Halilhodzic before the Bosnian was fired following their poor show at the African Nations Cup. New coach Walid Regragui, a former coach of Qatar Stars League’s Al Duhail, will be looking for a better show than their last Word Cup appearance, Russia 2018.
However, Morocco have had painful memories in Qatar.
Last time they played in Qatar, they were eliminated from the FIFA Arab Cup at the quarter-final stage by Algeria following a shootout. Paris Saint-Germain full-back Achraf Hakimi will be Morocco’s driving force while Chelsea winger Hakim Ziyech and Morocco’s fourth all-time leading goalscorer Youssef En-Nesyri are there for his support in the Atlas Lions’ campaign in Qatar. Qatar 2022 will be Morocco’s 6th World Cup appearance since gaining independence from France in 1954.
However, Canada, who are returning to the big stage after a 36-year hiatus, will do their best to hinder their opponents’ chances of advancing.
Since taking over the coaching duties, John Herdman has transformed Canada into an energetic, attacking unit.
The Canadians enjoyed a great qualifying campaign, finishing top of their group ahead of Mexico, United States and Costa Rica. They conceded only seven goals in the 14 matches while scoring a decent 23.
Due to world ranking (41) the focus might not be on them, but Herdman and the team, which includes Bayern Munich’s Alphonso Davies, will be looking to impress – at least in the Group stage.
Can Belgium’s Golden Generation of players finally take home the World Cup? Can Croatia go one higher? Will the Atlas Lions prevail? Can Canada spring surprises in Qatar? All will be revealed when their Group stage concludes on December 1.
