Wednesday will mark the end of the opening week of the 2018 World Cup in Russia, and what a week it has been. We have already seen more than our fair share of surprises, and we can expect things to heat up now that we are into Matchday 2 in the group games. There are several teams who are going to be fighting for their lives in the second batch of group games, and a few who can book safe passage into the next round.
We now have a decent idea of who the favorites to win it all might be as we move forward, but can those teams continue to play well as the tournament progresses? Let’s take a closer look at the three games coming up on Day 7 at the World Cup, including action from Group A and Group B.
2018 World Cup Lines & Prediction for Day 7 Games
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— Cristiano Ronaldo (@Cristiano) 10 de junio de 2018
Portugal vs. Morocco
- Time: 3:00 p.m. (Local Time)
- Where: Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow
- 2018 World Cup Odds: Portugal -154 / Morocco +517 / Draw +260
Day 7 of the tournament opens with our second look at Portugal, or perhaps more importantly, Cristiano Ronaldo. Portugal opened the tournament with a thrilling 3-3 tie against Spain, and it was CR7 who delivered the hat-trick in that one. He is, of course, the man that Morocco is going to need to focus on, but you also need to wonder how they will react after losing to a last-minute goal in their opener against Iran.
It is the type of loss that can suck the life out of a team, so they really need to get out to a fast start. Morocco naturally plays an attacking style of football, and they really do need to come out and have a go if they are to survive in this group. Portugal should be able to take advantage of Morocco via the counterattack.
Possible Line-Ups
Morocco
- 12-Munir
- 5-M. Benatia
- 2-A. Hakimi
- 8-K. El Ahmadi
- 14-M. Boussoufa
- 10-Y. Belhanda
- 6-R. Saïss
- 7-H. Ziyech
- 18-A. Harit
- 16-N. Amrabat
- 9-A. El Kaabi
Portugal
- 1-R. Patrício
- 3-Pepe
- 6-J. Fonte
- 21-C. Soares
- 5-R. Guerreiro
- 8-J. Moutinho
- 14-W. Carvalho
- 17-G. Guedes
- 16-B. Fernandes
- 11-B. Silva
- 7-C. Ronaldo
Score Prediction: Portugal 2 – Morocco 0
Uruguay vs. Saudi Arabia
- Time: 6:00 p.m. (Local Time)
- Where: Rostov Arena, Rostov-On-Don
- 2018 World Cup Odds: Uruguay -613 / Saudi Arabia +1910 / Draw +627
We know who the best teams are in this tournament after the first batch of games, but we also know who the worst is. It’s tough to argue that Saudi Arabia does not belong among the awful group after losing 5-0 to Russia in the tournament opener. The Saudis looked totally ill-prepared for that game, continually turning the ball over in the midfield, which created multiple chances for Russia.
Uruguay created a lot of chances in their opening game against Egypt but needed a late set-piece winner to take the 1-0 win and the 3 points. Uruguay was wasteful in front of goal versus Egypt, but I expect them to be a whole lot better here in what should be a comfortable win.
Possible Line-Ups
Uruguay
- 1-F. Muslera
- 22-M. Cáceres
- 3-D. Godín
- 4-G. Varela
- 2-J. Giménez
- 15-M. Vecino
- 10-G. De Arrascaeta
- 8-N. Nández
- 6-R. Bentancur
- 9-L. Suárez
- 21-E. Cavani
Saudi Arabia
- 1-A. Al Maiouf
- 3-O. Hawsawi
- 13-Y. Al Shahrani
- 5-O. Hawsawi
- 6-M. Al Burayk
- 17-T. Al Jassim
- 8-Y. Al Shehri
- 7-S. Al Faraj
- 18-S. Al Dawsari
- 14-A. Otayf
- 10-M. Al Sahlawi
Score Prediction: Uruguay 4 – Saudi Arabia 0
Spain vs. Iran
- Time: 9:00 p.m. (Local Time)
- Where: Kazan Arena, Kazan
- 2018 World Cup Odds: Spain -568 / Iran +1812 / Draw +582
Spain was involved in the game of the tournament thus far with a 3-3 tie against Portugal in their opener. It was a game that they will feel they should have won, as they were in front for most of the second half before giving up a late wonder goal to Ronaldo. Spain proved that they are an offensive threat in that game, but they also showed that they may have some defensive frailties that need to be addressed if they are to make a deep run, despite that, they remain as one of the 2018 World Cup favorites.
Iran played a game of smash and grab against Morocco, soaking up pressure for most of the match before nabbing the winner in the last minute. Iran is solid on defense, but they are going to get a real test against Diego Costa and company.
Possible Line-Ups
Iran
- 1-A. Beiranvand
- 8-M. Pouraliganji
- 23-R. Rezaeian
- 4-R. Cheshmi
- 7-M. Shojaei
- 3-E. Hajsafi
- 9-O. Ebrahimi
- 11-V. Amiri
- 10-K. Ansarifard
- 20-S. Azmoun
- 18-A. Jahanbakhsh
Spain
- 1-D. de Gea
- 15-S. Ramos
- 3-G. Piqué
- 18-J. Alba
- 2-D. Carvajal
- 6-A. Iniesta
- 21-D. Silva
- 5-S. Busquets
- 22-Isco
- 8-Koke
- 19-D. Costa
Score Prediction: Spain 3 – Iran 1
