Wow. What a tournament we have seen so far. From upset victories to last second winners, Qatar has delivered on every level (not with their own team though). It was heartbreaking to see one of my favorite players (Romelu Lukaku) exit out with such a tough game, but my country (Morocco) has made their first knockout stage since 1986. I was negative 23 years old then. Up the Atlas Lions. As for my predictions, we’re going to revisit them and then predict the knockout stages. Let’s get into it.
MY GROUP STAGE PREDICTIONS
Group A
- Netherlands
- Senegal
- Ecuador
- Qatar
Result: 100% Correct
Group B
- England
- Iran
- USA
- Wales
Result: 1. England 2. USA 3. Iran 4. Wales
Group C
- Argentina
- Poland
- Mexico
- Saudi Arabia
Result: 100% Correct
Group D
- France
- Denmark
- Australia
- Tunisia
Result: 1. France 2. Australia 3. Tunisia 4. Denmark
Group E
- Germany
- Japan
- Spain
- Costa Rica
Result: 1. Japan 2. Spain 3. Germany 4. Costa Rica
Group F
- Belgium
- Croatia
- Morocco
- Canada
Result: 1. Morocco 2. Croatia 3. Belgium 4. Canada
Group G
- Brazil
- Serbia
- Cameroon
- Switzerland
Result: 1. Brazil 2. Switzerland 3. Cameroon 4. Serbia
Group H
- Portugal
- Uruguay
- Ghana
- South Korea
Result: 1. Portugal 2. South Korea 3. Uruguay 4. Ghana
9/16 teams correct for the Round of 16
YSN Round of 16 Predictions
Netherlands vs. USA (Dec. 3rd, 10 a.m. ET)
The tale of two sides. Netherlands, a team with a long history of footballing legends and three finals appearances, are taking on the United States, a team that has been on the rise for the past couple of years. Both sides have not lost a game at this tournament so far, but the Netherlands have two wins instead of one. The US are captained by 23 year-old midfielder Tyler Adams of Leeds United while the Netherlands are captained by Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk. The US fought to the end against Iran to secure a victory, some might say one person sacrificed it ALL for the victory. I originally predicted this US team to finish third, but I was thoroughly impressed by one specific group of players on their team. The midfield three of Adams, Weston McKinnie & Yunus Musah have been by far the glue that has been holding this team together. All three have played extremely well controlling the pace, cutting off passing lanes and creating attacking opportunities at the same time. The Dutch haven’t looked all that convincing, but they’ve been able to get the results needed. They started off with a 2-0 win against a good Senegal team, drew against Ecuador and then capped off their group stage campaign with a 2-0 win against host nation Qatar. The one thing that concerns me with the OnsOranje is that their attack hasn’t looked convincing at all outside of Cody Gakpo. There is not a clear cut winner to call here, but it is a tough one to predict.
Prediction: 1-1, (Netherlands win 4-2 on penalties)
Argentina vs. Australia (Dec. 3rd, 2 p.m. ET)
After starting off his last World Cup campaign with a shock loss to Saudi Arabia, fans around the world were concerned about Lionel Messi and Argentina. They then proceeded to respond with two straight victories against both Mexico and Poland. Australia on the other hand, strung together a pair of 1-0 wins against Tunisia and Denmark. The Socceroos have exceeded expectations and made it to the knockouts, but they’ll have to do a lot more to beat this Argentina team.
Prediction: Argentina 2, Australia 0
Japan vs. Croatia (Dec. 5th, 10 a.m. ET)
GERMANY IN THE MUDDD LET’S GOOOO!!! The Blue Lock Project is in full effect. Japan is an interesting team to predict because they go and beat Germany, lose to Costa Rica and then beat Spain in a comeback win. Croatia on the other hand, squeaked into this game off of that crazy draw against Belgium. Japan is such an exciting side that has won two comeback games against top European countries, but this Croatia team has been to a World Cup final before. I think that Croatia’s experience and leadership of Luka Modrić will help them prevail.
Prediction: Croatia 2, Japan 1
Brazil vs. South Korea (Dec. 5th, 2 p.m. ET)
Please God just let Neymar be okay to play. Both of these teams have had interesting roads to the round of 16. Brazil won their first two games, but lost a surprising one to Cameroon through a Vincent Aboubakar goal. Even though they were playing their second team, they still should’ve had enough quality to be Cameroon. South Korea on the other hand, drew their first game against Uruguay, lost against Ghana and then scored a stoppage-time winner against Portugal to advance to the knockout rounds. Despite only one goal in their last two games, I still have faith in this Brazil team. It will just take a lot more to beat the Koreans than people may expect.
Prediction: Brazil 3, South Korea 2
France vs. Poland (Dec. 4th, 10 a.m. ET)
The defending champions are taking on Robert Lewandowski and Poland for their Round of 16 matchup. Lewandowski himself, usually not a stranger to goals, hasn’t had the strongest of tournaments for his country. Meanwhile, Kylian Mbappe has three goals in two games for Didier Deschamps & Co.
On paper, this is an easy game to call. And I think that France will just be too good for Poland at the end of the day. In three games, Poland have only scored two goals and have also only won one match. They haven’t looked convincing at all in the final third and I’m concerned about their defense coming up against Ousmane Dembélé and Kylian Mbappe on the wings. To be fair, I’d be concerned for any defense. I think France’s repeat campaign will be safe… for now.
Prediction: France 3, Poland 0
England vs. Senegal (Dec. 4th, 2 p.m. ET)
UP THE THREE LIONS!!
Look at what happens when you start Marcus Rashford, Jordan Henderson and Phil Foden. It was the perfect game played by Gareth Southgate’s men against Wales. The linkup play was incredible and you could just see the whole team’s confidence skyrocket after Rashford smashed that free-kick into the back of the net. Senegal on the other hand, have impressed me throughout their campaign by always playing to the final whistle no matter the situation. Moises Caicedo equalized for Ecuador, which would’ve knocked Senegal out, and only three minutes later Kalidou Koulibaly scored what would be the eventual winner (his first-ever international goal). This is going to be a battle, but only one team can be celebrating when the full-time whistle blows.
Predictions: England 1, Senegal 0
Morocco vs. Spain (Dec. 6th, 10 a.m. ET)
A 2018 rematch is in the cards for the Atlas Lions of Morocco. This time around, the conversation around the match is a LOT different than what it was four years ago. Morocco have won their last two games against both Belgium and Canada. While Spain haven’t won since their first match against Costa Rica, which was a 7-0 victory for Luis Enrique’s men. Morocco have only given up one goal the whole tournament and it was a freak accident of an own goal by Nayef Aguerd. The defense has been rock solid while the midfield has been anchored by Fiorentina’s Sofyan Amrabat. The Dutch-born Morocccan international has been one of the standout players of the tournament, and I’m not the only one that has been noticing.
This Moroccan team is a beauty to watch. And I’m not just saying that as a Moroccan. They are playing some great football and I think it’ll be on full display on Tuesday.
Prediction: Morocco 2, Spain 1
Portugal vs. Switzerland (Dec. 6th, 2 p.m. ET)
SIUUUUUU!!!!
This game could truly go either way. Portugal won their first two matches against Ghana and Uruguay, but when they rotated their lineup they lost to South Korea. Switzerland on the other hand, beat Cameroon by a one-goal margin, lost by a one-goal margin vs. Brazil and then beat Serbia in a five-goal thriller to reach the knockout stages. Switzerland’s game against Serbia was my favorite match of the whole tournament so far. The Swiss showed that they have the mentality to persevere in the toughest conditions (going 2-1 down after being up against the Serbs) and that is most needed in big games like these. After the Swiss beat France in the EURO’s last year, Portugal will definitely not overlook this side led by Xherdan Shaqiri and Granit Xhaka. This one will come down to the final seconds, I can just feel it.
Prediction: Portugal 3, Switzerland 2 (Extra-Time)
The world’s game has everyone locked in right now. I even drove to my shift today at work an hour early just so I wouldn’t miss the 2 p.m. games. This happens every four years so we all have to just take a deep breath and be thankful for what we are witnessing. Will Ronaldo and Messi meet in the final? Will Neymar come back and lead Brazil to glory? Or will a dark-horse team rise out of nowhere? Only time will tell. This is YSN, until next time, signing out.
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