World Cup Preview (Group G)
- BRAZIL
Brazil is the nation many associates with the game of football. Historically, they are the gold standard. They have won the World Cup five times, more than any nation on earth and have been to every World Cup since it began in 1930. Pele, Garrincha, Carlos Alberto, Zico, Socrates, Romario, Rivaldo, Ronaldo, and Ronaldinho have all worn the famous yellow jersey, becoming household names in the game. Since winning the World Cup in 2002, Brazil has been unable to reach the World Cup Final. They only made the semifinals once in 2014, which ended in complete humiliation, losing 7-1 to Germany on home soil. In the last World Cup, Brazil was eliminated in the quarterfinals by Belgium. In South America, Brazil won the Copa America in 2019 and made it to the final in 2021 but lost to rivals Argentina. Qualification was a breeze for the Selecao, going the entire campaign unbeaten, scoring 40 goals and conceding just five. Tite has been Brazil's coach since 2016 and has done well, balancing their attacking flair with defensive solidity. Given this will be his last tournament, he will be looking to go out with a bang and has a wealth of riches in his squad. Neymar is soon to become Brazil's all-time leading scorer but does not have the success with Brazil to be considered a great for his country. In this tournament, he has a supporting cast that complicates him from Vinicius, Raphinha, Richarlison, Gabriel Jesus and Rodrygo in the attack alone. Alisson Becker starts in goal while Thiago Silva and Marquinhos marshall the defence. Casemiro anchors the midfield, with Fred or Lucas Paqueta being his midfield partner. Brazil is the main favourite to win it in Qatar and should top their group. The Selecao are back and is coming for the crown.
Can They Go Through: YES
- SWITZERLAND
Switzerland is a regular face we regularly see in international tournaments. This is their fifth consecutive World Cup appearance and their twelfth overall appearance. They have reached the knockout stages four times in their last five outings but have not reached the quarterfinals of the World Cup since 1954. They did make the quarterfinals of Euro 2020, beating France on penalties after a 3-3 draw after extra time. Switzerland is a notorious side to play against, as they give very little away. That was their mantra during World Cup qualification, going the entire campaign unbeaten and beating European champions Italy to the automatic qualification spot by two points, capitalising on Italy dropping points elsewhere to determine their fate. This modern form of Switzerland started with Vladimir Petkovic, serving for seven years and took them to three tournaments, including the 2018 World Cup, where they beat Serbia to advance to the knockouts, losing to Sweden in the last 16. Now they are under the stewardship of Murat Yakin, who is encountering his first tournament as Swiss coach. This Swiss team has been together for years, and this could be their final tournament as a group. Xherdan Shaqiri, Granit Xhaka and Yann Sommer are the stalwarts of this Swiss team, with other talents like Manuel Akanji, Breel Embolo and Noah Okafor having gained attention with Red Bull Salzburg. They faced Brazil and Serbia in 2018 and will meet them again in Qatar. Nati is familiar at this stage, which could give them the edge over Serbia, but Serbia has become better and can this Swiss generation go for another round?
Can They go Through: NO
- CAMEROON
Including the 2022 edition, Cameroon has been to eight World Cup editions. The most appearances from any African country. Their most famous showing was the 1990 World Cup, where they beat Maradona's Argentina, Romania and Colombia to become the first African nation to reach the quarterfinals. Having provided the likes of Roger Milla, Thomas N'kono and Samuel Eto'o, Cameroon is one of the biggest football nations in Africa. They have won the African Cup of Nations five times, with Egypt winning the most with seven. They failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup but gained more joy recently, finishing third in the 2021 African Cup of Nations. They battled with Ivory Coast in the second round of World Cup qualifiers, and Cameroon came out on top with 15 points to Ivory Coast's 13 points. In the final round, they faced African powerhouses Algeria over two legs. It was a frantic affair, with the Indomitable Lions qualifying with the last kick of the game, as Toko Ekambi scored the winning goal. Former star Rigobert Song leads the team and is experiencing top-level management for the first time. As someone who had a successful career as a player, Song will command the respect of the dressing room and have a relationship with the squad that a foreign coach does not have. Captain Vincent Aboubakar lead the attacks, having won the golden boot in the African Cup of Nations. Karl Kolo Ekambi partners with Aboubakar, while Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting is a great understudy. Frank Zambo Anguissa provides physicality and skill in midfield, while Andre Onana is between the sticks. This Cameroon team is not star-studded like it was during Song's time as a player. They are the weakest side in the group, and their chances of making the knockouts are very slim. Onana may have to do a lot of saves, and Aboubakar has to be clinical for the Lions to have a slight chance.
Can They Go Through: NO
- SERBIA
Serbia looks at their Balkan neighbours and rivals with envy, failing to replicate what Croatia has done on the international stage, despite producing talented players like Nemanja Vidic, Branislav Ivanovic, Sinisa Mihajlovic, Nemanja Matic and Dejan Stankovic. Having been part of former Yugoslavia, Serbia is going for their third World Cup as an independent nation, having gone to the 2006 World Cup as Serbia and Montenegro, and had its finish best finish in the 1962 World Cup as the former SFR Yugoslavia. They have made the knockouts as Serbia and have fared worst in the European Championships, unable to qualify as an independent state. Having been placed with Portugal in their qualifying group, Serbia were the main rival against Portugal for the automatic spot but very few fancied Serbia to make the automatic qualification. Somehow, they did. They qualified automatically with a big victory against Portugal in the final qualifying game of the group. Dragan Stojkovic was the former captain of Yugoslavia and has been around for 18 months. His previous stints were in Asia before coming to Serbia, and have only lost three games in twenty under his leadership. What Serbia can boost is their attack. Fulham's striker Aleksandar Mitrovic is Serbia's all-time leading scorer with 50 goals and scored the winning game against Portugal to seal the Orlovi's place in Qatar. His strike partner Dusan Vlahovic is one of the best young strikers with Juventus, and Ajax's Dusan Tadic provides the creative spark. Filip Kostic is a threat out wide, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic provides a threat from midfield and Nikola Milenkovic marshalls the defence. They failed to get out of the group and will face a familiar opponent in Switzerland, but Serbia is a dark horse for a reason. If they can play to their potential, they can make it to the knockouts for the first time.
Can They Go Through: YES
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