Winner: Portugal @ 9/1.....................Alternative/Value: Croatia @ 80/1, Sweden 200/1 Top Goal scorer: L Suarez @ 40/1........Alternative/Value: Luis Diaz @ 50/1 or Nunez @ 66/1 Most Assists: Messi @ 14/1................Alternative/Value: James Rodriguez @ 66/1, Odegaard @ 66/1 Golden Ball: Olise @ 10/1..................Alternative/Value: Rice @ 20/1, Doue @ 40/1
Strong faves are France and Spain, Mbappe and Kane top scorer, but they're too boring to pick.
If heat and humidity will be the big issue everyone expects, then looking at passing teams is the way to go, rather than teams full of runners like England or maybe Belgium, so the likes of Portugal even the Dad's army of Croatia worthy of an outside punt. Harry Potter at Sweden the same.
Top goal scorer could be decided in the groups before the cagier, closer knockout games, therefore Colombian players are worth looking at, Uzbekistan and Congo up first and second, Uruguay have the hand choppers first up followed by Cape Verde, who are a group of islands somewhere splattered over the middle of the Atlantic, if you turn up and ask for citizenship, good chance you get a game. Messi looking quite good for a 38 year old in recent friendlies albeit against sub standard oppositions, still the movement, passing and vision is still there, in a fairly weak group, downside is he wont be playing back to back 90's, but he will be feeding Alvarez and Martinez. James Rodriguez is expected to start and topped assist chart in South American qualies, Diaz second top scorer in the hardest qualifying region in terms of calibre of teams rather than % chance of getting through. Suarez will lead the line and scored 28/38 games in Portugal - bearing in mind 5/6 goals is usually what it takes to be top scorer historically. Of course Germany have Curacao and Spain have Cape Verde up first, but goal scorers in those teams could come from anywhere.
Olise is World class and France will go far, can see him winning the Golden Ball.
Group stage Bracket predictions
Morocco, Senegal, Japan, Ecuador, Paraguay, Czechs, Bosnia and Ghana best 3rd placed teams
Scotland to finish second , I knew you must have some redeeming features mes Norway to top group ( 3/1) is not a bad shout, they are monster goals team, there not just about Haaland, they could do it on goal difference.
Scotland to finish second , I knew you must have some redeeming features mes Norway to top group ( 3/1) is not a bad shout, they are monster goals team, there not just about Haaland, they could do it on goal difference.