World Cup Countdown - Group D
Portugal - Mexico - Iran - Angola
This will be one of the easier groups to predict for this World Cup, and it will also offer an easy opportunity for one of the World cup regulars to progress to the last sixteen. It will be really difficult to look past Portugal and Mexico to qualify out of this group. The only downside of it will be a last sixteen clash with the winners and runners up from Group C, which is probably the strongest group.
The only real question to answer is who will finish top and third. Angola will be very much and unknown. They were not a team that was expected to qualify and had a fairly average African Nations at the turn of the year. The bookies have them at 400-1, which in this case looks very generous. Having said that Portugal will not be looking forward to the opening game with them and will want to get that early goal to diffuse any enthusiasm that the African have. Iran are a different kettle of fish and will most likely be rolled over fairly easily by Mexico and Portugal, but they may well pale for a draw in both these game hoping to get a win over Angola and qualify.
It will take a very vivid imagination to see that happening and they will struggle. The only unanswered question now is how will Mexico fair and will they be able to top the group. They play Portugal in their last group game and by then both sides could have qualified. If they opt to play out for the draw it will be down to goal difference as to who wins the group. I don't think that Mexico have the same strike power as Portugal so predict that the group will finish up like this:
1. Portugal
2. Mexico
3. Iran
4. Angola
This will be one of the easier groups to predict for this World Cup, and it will also offer an easy opportunity for one of the World cup regulars to progress to the last sixteen. It will be really difficult to look past Portugal and Mexico to qualify out of this group. The only downside of it will be a last sixteen clash with the winners and runners up from Group C, which is probably the strongest group.
The only real question to answer is who will finish top and third. Angola will be very much and unknown. They were not a team that was expected to qualify and had a fairly average African Nations at the turn of the year. The bookies have them at 400-1, which in this case looks very generous. Having said that Portugal will not be looking forward to the opening game with them and will want to get that early goal to diffuse any enthusiasm that the African have. Iran are a different kettle of fish and will most likely be rolled over fairly easily by Mexico and Portugal, but they may well pale for a draw in both these game hoping to get a win over Angola and qualify.
It will take a very vivid imagination to see that happening and they will struggle. The only unanswered question now is how will Mexico fair and will they be able to top the group. They play Portugal in their last group game and by then both sides could have qualified. If they opt to play out for the draw it will be down to goal difference as to who wins the group. I don't think that Mexico have the same strike power as Portugal so predict that the group will finish up like this:
1. Portugal
2. Mexico
3. Iran
4. Angola
posted by Sports Potato at 2:48 PM
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