Matchplug

The World Cup gets underway in barely 24 hours before we get our very first big game as Spain take on Portugal in the Iberian derby. These two sides are the teams who should go through from this group as games against Iran and Morocco would likely end in wins for them, however, the winner of this match may decide who tops the group.

Portugal were more of a defensive team when they went all the way to win Euro 2016, however, they have yet to bring new defenders into the fold, so they would be relying on the trio of Pepe, Bruno Alves and Jose Fonte who are between the ages of 34 and 36. A fast attacking team could cause them some real problems.

The Portuguese have only won three of their seven warm-up games, failing to beat any of USA, Belgium, Tunisia and Netherlands.

Spain dropped just two points in qualifying and were 5 points better than Italy who came second in their qualifying group. They also netted 36 times and conceded just three goals throughout the qualifiers, they would be looking to build on the form that has seen them avoid defeat since their exit from Euro 2016.

However, their performances may be affected by the Spanish FA’s decision to sack Julen  Lopetegui just a day before the World Cup, it would be interesting to see if the players would be affected by that decision.

Portugal and Spain have each won two, drawn three, and lost two of their last seven Iberian derbies. The last and only World Cup meeting came in 2010 as Spain beat them 1-0 on their way to lifting the trophy.

Morocco have not participated in the World Cup for the last 20 years and they would be looking to impress in this very tough group that also includes Spain and Portugal. The difficulty in playing the two European heavyweights makes this game a must-win for both of these teams and the loser would most likely be the first team to be eliminated from the competition.

The Moroccans have an impressive team led by Mehdi Benatia at the back, Hakim Ziyech in midfield, and the impressive Ayoub El Kaabi who has 11 goals in 10 international games up front. They have also remained unbeaten in over a year, winning 14 of the 18 games they have played in that period of time.

Iran on the other hand, do not have the talent or form to match the Moroccans. They were beaten 2-1 by Turkey last month before earning a boring 1-0 win over Lithuania in their last warm-up game. They have lost to Tunisia and Syria in the last nine months, so they would need to pull something different out of the hat to stand a chance of earning a point in this group.

Mohamed Salah has had a stunning league season with Liverpool, scoring 32 league goals to break the Premier League’s all-time record for a single 38 games season. He has also risen as a star for his national team. However, he may miss this game through injury and the Egyptians seem to suffer without him.

Egypt lost 3-0 to Belgium in their last warmup game, that result followed a goalless draw against Colombia. They are now without a win in their last six games, so confidence is not in high supply in their camp.

Uruguay have surprisingly opted not to play in any high profile games before the World Cup begins properly, so their 3-0 win over Uzbekistan is the only game their opponents can analyse before playing them. That win means they have won their last three friendly games after two wins in the China Cup earlier in the year. They have also kept a clean sheet in those matches.

They are favourites to win this game for good reason. Their defence is being marshalled by the Atletico Madrid duo of Diego Godin and Jose Jimenez, while their attack is led by Luis Suarez and Edison Cavani, two of Europe’s most feared attackers.

This will be the first time since 2006 that these nations have faced each other, with Uruguay winning that friendly 2-0 in their one and only meeting with Egypt.