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Star-studded Brazil headline a tough Group G, but Serbia and Switzerland are the two European sides aiming to make a splash in Qatar.
A Seleção goes to Qatar as one of the main favorites to lift the tournament trophy, especially with Paris Saint-Germain star Neymar leading the way. Neymar joins the in-form talents of Bruno Guimarares, Antony, and Casemiro, giving Brazil plenty of talent and experience on and off the pitch.
Serbia’s attack is led by Fulham’s Aleksandar Mitrovic and Juventus’ Dusan Vlahovic, two of their most prolific players in Europe over the past two seasons. Dusan Tadic is one of the more experienced midfielders in this group and will be hoping to set up his peers in some of his wins.
Switzerland’s veteran leadership will try and help them succeed in Qatar. Switzerland has several key players returning for the World Cup, including Chicago Fire midfielder Xherdan Shaqiri, Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka, and Borussia Moenchengladbach goalkeeper Yann Sommer.
Cameroon return to the World Cup after missing out on the 2018 edition and will rely on striker Vincent Aboubakar to fuel their attack. Aboubakar is one of three Cameroonian players with double-digit goals for his country and leads the others by a wide margin.
Here’s a closer look at Group G:
Plans
Thursday: Switzerland vs. Cameroon, Brazil vs. Serbia
Monday: Cameroon vs. Serbia, Brazil vs. Switzerland
December 2: Cameroon against Brazil, Serbia and Switzerland
Brazil
GAMES TO WATCH: Neymar, Bruno Guimaraes, Gabriel Jesus.
TOURNAMENT HISTORY: Since 2002, five times the winners of the World Cup did not reach the semi-finals or the final. Brazil reached the quarter-finals in 2018.
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ROSTER – Goalkeeper: Alison, Ederson, Weverton.
Protector: Dani Alves, Danilo, Alex Sandro, Alex Telles, Bremer, Eder Militao, Marquinhos, Thiago Silva.
Midfielders: Bruno Guimaraes, Casemiro, Everton Ribeiro, Fabinho, Fred, Lucas Paqueta.
Forward: Antony, Gabriel Jesus, Gabriel Martinelli, Neymar, Pedro, Raphinha, Richarlison, Rodrygo, Vinicius Junior.
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NIR: Brazil bring the greatest talent throughout their squad and should not have too much trouble winning Group G. A strong mix of youth and experience will be seen throughout the team with Neymar leading the offensive attack and Thiago Silva and Dani Alves the main defensive options in the team.
No matter which way Brazil decide the series, they will have plenty of good players to choose from and can break the team in many different ways. Premier League stars Gabriel Jesus, Richarlison, Antony, and Bruno Guimaraes have enjoyed strong first halves with their respective clubs and will now aim to add to an already dangerous attack.
Switzerland
GAMES TO WATCH: Xherdan Shaqiri, Ricardo Rodriguez, Granit Xhaka.
TOURNAMENT HISTORY: Switzerland has qualified for the World Cup in each of the past four rounds, but has not advanced to the round of 16 since 1954.
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ROSTER – Goalkeeper: Gregor Kobel, Yann Sommer, Jonas Omlin, Philipp Kohn.
Protector: Manuel Akanji, Eray Comert, Nico Elvedi, Fabian Schar, Silvan Widmer, Ricardo Rodriguez, Edimilson Fernandes.
Midfielders: Michel Aebischer, Xherdan Shaqiri, Renato Steffen, Granit Xhaka, Denis Zakaria, Fabian Frei, Remo Freuler, Noah Okafor, Fabian Rieder, Ardon Jashari.
Forward: Breel Embolo, Ruben Vargas, Djibril Sow, Haris Seferovic, Christian Fassnacht.
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NIR: Switzerland have a number of key leaders returning to the team and will be hard to beat with Yann Sommer between the posts and Ricardo Rodriguez leading the defence. The Swiss also have two 100+ goals between them with Granit Xhaka bringing aggression to the team, and Xherdan Shaqiri being one of the main two-way players in the tournament.
Although Haris Seferovic and Breel Embolo have both scored double-digit goals for their country, the attack will be under a closer microscope than other parts of the Swiss team. If Switzerland can’t score consistently, then it could be a tough group for them to get out of.
Serbia
GAMES TO WATCH: Aleksandar Mitrovic, Dusan Vlahovic, Sergei Milinkovic-Savic.
TOURNAMENT HISTORY: Serbia has only qualified for two World Cups as an independent nation, failing to get out of the group stage in both.
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ROSTER – Goalkeeper: Marko Dmitrovic, Predrag Rajkovic, Vanja Milinkovic-Savic.
Protector: Stefan Mitrovic, Nikola Milenkovic, Strahinja Pavlovic, Milos Veljkovic, Filip Mladenovic, Strahinja Erakovic, Srdjan Babic.
Midfielders: Nemanja Gudelj, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Sasa Lukic, Marko Grujic, Filip Kostic, Uros Racic, Nemanja Maksimovic, Ivan Ilic, Andrija Zivkovic, Darko Lazovic.
Forward: Dusan Tadic, Aleksandar Mitrovic, Dusan Vlahovic, Filip Djuricic, Luka Jovic, Nemanja Radonjic.
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NIR: Serbia has been an underrated team for years and for many of its proven leaders, it’s time to put it all together on the world’s biggest stage. Aleksandar Mitrovic was lethal in attack for Serbia, scoring 50 goals in 76 games. The Fulham man will join Dusan Vlahovic and Dusan Tadic in creating chances for the team. Lazio’s Sergej Milinkovic-Savic will also be in the mix to help Serbia become one of the most attacking units in Qatar.
Stefan Mitrovic and Nikola Milenkovic will anchor the back line for Serbia after scoring more than 35 caps for their country. Serbia will be a tough team to beat, especially with Mitrovic, Tadic, and Vlahovic looking to wreak havoc on the other end of the field.
Cameroon
GAMES TO WATCH: Vincent Aboubakar, Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, Nicolas Nkoulou.
TOURNAMENT HISTORY: Cameroon bounced back after failing to qualify for the 2018 World Cup. Their best finish came in 1990 when they reached the quarter-finals.
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ROSTER – Goalkeeper: Andre Onana, Devis Epassy, Simon Ngapandouetnbu.
Protector: Jean-Charles Castelletto, Enzo Ebosse, Collins Fai, Olivier Mbaizo, Nouhou Tolo, Nicolas Nkoulou, Christopher Wooh.
Midfielders: Olivier Ntcham, Gael Ondoua, Martin Hongla, Pierre Kunde, Samuel Oum Gouet, Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa, Jerome Ngom.
Forward: Nicolas Ngamaleu, Christian Bassogog, Bryan Mbeumo, Georges-Kevin Nkoudou, Jean-Pierre Nsame, Vincent Aboubakar, Karl Toko-Ekambi, Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, Souaibou Marou.
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NIR: Cameroon will be one of the exciting teams in Qatar, especially with a dynamic attacking group in the mix to score plenty of goals in Group G. Vincent Aboubakar headlines the attacking group while Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting is no stranger to the bright lights of the top flight.
Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa is Cameroon’s midfield leader and will race around the field, covering every blade of grass if necessary. Nicolas Nkoulou and Collins Fai bring years of experience to the back while MLS defenders Olivier Mbaizo and Nouhou Tolo get their details. Cameroon can pull off a few shocks in Group G, but will need to stay strong defensively against attacking units that are better than them.
SBI Anticipated Order of Finish
1. Brazil. The World Cup favorites will be hard to beat in Group G.
2. Switzerland. The baseline will be crucial as Switzerland aim to challenge Brazil for the top spot.
3. Serbia. An underrated team with deadly attacking duos can be a threat.
4. Cameroon. It will be difficult to get things going against three teams with stronger offensive units.
Will Brazil qualify for Group G? Can Switzerland or Serbia pull off an upset?
Share your thoughts below.
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