Follow the money. Russia must advance from group stage in order to maintain a WC-hype in a country where icehockey is the most popular sport. However, watching Brazil make ‘em look like lame ducks last week, shows that they are miles from world class. This should come as no surprise since they’re listed as No. 62 in the FIFA ranking.
Well I think we always knew Russia was nowhere near world class. There is no comparison between Brazil and Russia. If anyone expected them to beat Brazil, they are out of their mind.
They sure are. But that’s the conditions for most countries against Brazil, ain’t it. They don’t stand a chance.
No not necessarily. I'd say any top European team has the chance to beat Brazil. France, Germany, Croatia, Belgium, Spain, Portugal. Not saying that they all would be favorites against Brazil, but all of the teams I listed would have a good chance at the very least. Maybe England on a good day as well, although I am not sure what to expect from them.
I see no reason why Russia can’t mimic what South Korea did in 2002. Anyone really see France winning in 1998 before the tournament?
Brazil 3/1 France 11/2 Italy 6/1 Argentina 7/1 Germany 7/1 England 8/1 Holland 10/1 Spain 14/1 From: https://www.bigsoccer.com/threads/whate-were-the-odds-in-the-tournaments.1945504/ Damn I guess I was too young to remember
Anyone surprised by the VAR reversal in England-Italy yesterday that awarded Italy a PK? The announcers (not sure if they were American or English) weren't even taking the possibility seriously, and then boom, a reversal. I'm wondering if VAR will lead to more PKs, as any kind of impeding contact in the box is technically a foul, but referees prior to VAR have always had the discretion to find the amount of contact to be insufficient to warrant a PK. That may not be possible with VAR.
Maybe they come up with plays that aren’t reversible. Do the refs on the forum known the guidelines what is considered a dive and what is not. Sometimes they call it a dive in the penalty box but there is contact which would suggest it isn’t a dive.
I have the same concern about VAR. Furthermore, it could disrupt the flow of the game. When combined, these two factors pose a disadvantage that should be evaluated in order to make VAR a fully integrated and functionally part of The game. This will naturally take some time.
Oh come on. In the slow motion, you can see that Chiesa feels the tug on his arm, deliberately makes contact with the other English defender and goes to ground. Slight contact, but not enough to knock him off his feet. Pretty much a dive, IMO. Play starts around 2:15.
I think Russia will get out of the group, but would be shocked if they made it much further... mind you, if they did make the quarters as group winners that would be awesome as I'm going to that QF in Nizny....
100% sure they will r16 at the expense of Egypt or Uruguay. More likely Egypt. They gonna intimidate them like nuts. Then be pitted against Portugal in the r16. Gonna be scary for any Portugal fans. Could stop here, but I think they will quarterfinals to semifinals. So that means a win against Ronaldo’s team. If Argentina wins group D they will face them in the qfinal and lose, but they might face Nigeria, Iceland, Croatia, Australia, Peru, or Denmark who are all very beatable and then advance to the semis where they will run into Germany. If Mexico tops Germany in group F. Russia could go all the way to the Final.
That is some wild speculation. The Russian team I've seen over the past couple of years, they will be hard-pressed to even get out of the group, much less past R16.
Crazier things can happen. Germany might not repeat as champions it hasn’t been done since Pele times. When you win something unless you are super overpowered or ruthless it’s hard to repeat because your drive is gone. I would say same goes for Spain and France (though it’s more the fact that most of their players do not play together on club teams). France barely survived Germany save for that pk @ the euro. Argentina might be hungriest, but their defense is unproven (Messi has so much pressure on him). England will probably do better now that there is no expectations on them anymore. Belgium has good individuals also but they are all on different teams in the premier league (which is a bonus). Croatia and Russia could do better than expected. There are no clear favorites outside of Germany and Brazil, but they are susceptible. It will be a fun World Cup... no guaranteed wins
Russia will face SA in the first match. Russia will take the home country advantage. The match will be more exciting beyond you think.
We all talked about something happening to allow Russia to succeed and now we have it. Spain is without a manager... will they fall apart like France 2010? It is possible. I 100% believe Russia will make it to the quaterfinals at the very least now. Love it! Makes the atmosphere of the World Cup 100% better if the hosts play 7 games