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.

After a four year wait, the World Cup finally returns and this year Russia would be the host. This game is not the most outstanding opener to a competition, but it looks like it would be a close game between not very good teams. The host are the lowest FIFA ranked team in this competition and they face Saudi Arabia who are only three place above them in that ranking. The Russians also have a really poor recent record as they start this World Cup with no win since October, they have lost 4 and drew 3 of seven fixtures since that time. Saudi Arabia may be just three places better than Russia in the latest FIFA rankings, but they have performed better in their most recent games. They lost 2-1 to Italy, succumbed to a 3-0 loss at the hands of Peru, but they did impress in their last game against Germany even though they ended as losers by 2-1. Saudi Arabia have won just two of their last 11 games, however, they have what might be considered an advantage as 11 of their 23 players play in the same team – Al Hillal, this would offer them more understanding on the field of play. The only previous meeting between these two nations ended 4-2 to Russia back in a 1993 friendly clash.

Santos head into this game after a positive week and they would be looking to get yet another good result here as Internacional visits them. Just a week ago, it appeared as if Jair Ventura would lose his job as Santos manager after a really poor start to the season. But his players have relieved some of the pressure by beating Victoria 5-2 before earning a respectable 1-1 draw against Corinthians in their last game. The hosts are still 15th on the league table, although they have a game in hand. A poor result in this game could see the fans turn on the manager again, and that would be on the minds of their players when they take to the field in this game. Internacional, on the other hand, have made a strong return to the top flight after playing last season in the Brazilian second division. They currently have 16 points from ten games and they would be eager to make that better in this game. Internacional are, however, not the best travellers as they have won just one in seven away games, and four of those matches have ended in defeats for them. The sides last met in 2016, with Santos beating Internacional 2-1 in their home leg of a Brazilian Cup clash but eventually going out after losing 2-0 away from home.  

Vancouver Whitecaps did not compete in the midweek US Open Cup and that may have given them some more time to rest, nevertheless, they would have preferred to play a lesser opposition in this game as they try to regain some confidence. The Whitecaps managed to get a win away from home against the Colorado Rapids the last time out, however, before that match, they were winless in five games and although four of those games ended in draws, they would still be disappointed by how they have started the 2018 season. Whitecaps finished 3rd in the Western Conference last season, but they are currently sixth and they have played a game more than all the teams above them. Orlando City played Miami United in midweek and they would have been happy to get a much-needed win after coming out of the game victors by 3-0. That win brought to an end a run of four successive losses and they would now be looking to get their first MLS win in five games. Orlando were on a 6 games winning streak before they started losing and lost four straight. They come into this game, 6th on the Eastern Conference table and they need a win here to lift their spirits. Vancouver Whitecaps have won two and drawn one of their three meetings with Orlando City, with their only previous clash at the BC Place Stadium ending 2-2 in July 2016.

This is Brazil’s last warm-up game before the World Cup and they would be looking to head to Russia on a high. More importantly, they would be keen to avoid another injury before the competition begins. Austria have a free summer having failed to qualify for the World Cup and they have less need to avoid injuries, they would be looking to build on their good recent run of form in this game. The World Cup would have been great with the likes of David Alaba, and Marko Arnautovic playing in it. But Austria made a mess of their qualifying campaign and now they would have to watch from home. This would be a huge disappointment for them as they would have liked to build on their qualification to Euro 2016 which was their first competition in 8 years. The Austrians come into this game in fine form having won all of their last seven games against opponents that include Russia, Uruguay, and Germany. Their 2-1 comeback win over Germany should make Brazil think of them as very good oppositions. Brazil beat Croatia 2-0 at Anfield in their last warmup game with the returning Neymar scoring the opener, however, this game would see them try their best to avoid another injury after Fred injured himself in training last week. The last time these teams met was in 2014, Brazil won the friendly 2-1

This game would be one of the biggest of the week in Brazil as Sao Paolo play host to Internacional. The home side just suffered their first loss of the season and this game offers them the chance to bounce back to winning ways, but that would be easier said than done. That first loss did hurt more because it came at the hands of their archrival Palmeiras, but confidence is still high in their camp as they have made a good start to the season with 16 points collected from their last 9 games, and they come into this game sitting in the 4th position on the league table. They are also unbeaten in their last 11 games at home. Internacional are also not doing badly themselves and they come into this game just a point below their host. For a team that has just been promoted to the first division that is not a bad position to be. They won their last away game, but that does not mean they do well when they travel as they have lost four of their last six away games and could not even score in five of those games. They come into this game having failed to win Sporting Recife at the weekend at home. Sao Paulo have lost just 1 of the last 7 meetings between the two, winning 3 times in the process.