The first tip comes from Morocco against Croatia, with Zlatko Dalic’s men coming into this match as firm favourites, having finished as runners-up in the 2018 World Cup.
A stalwart of Croatian football is Tottenham Hotspur winger Ivan Perisic, who played a key role for Croatia at the 2018 World Cup. In tournament football, the 33-year-old has nine assists which is an impressive record. Perisic has managed seven assists in the 2022/23 season for Spurs.
Germany come into their fixture with Japan in Group E as heavy favourites, with Hansi Flick’s side expected to challenge for the World Cup crown itself.
Bayern Munich winger Serge Gnabry is a frequent goal threat for Die Mannschaft, as the 27-year-old has scored 20 goals in 36 matches.
The last meeting between these two sides was all the way back in 2006, which resulted in a 2-2 draw. However, Germany’s last competitive match did see them draw 3-3 against England in the Nations League - in this match, there were a combined total of eight corners.
Spain and Costa Rica face off in Group E with Luis Enrique’s men looking to battle against Germany to top Group E.
La Roja managed a 3-1 win over Jordan in an international friendly of late and will look to assert their dominance in this match from the first whistle. In Spain’s recent 1-0 win over Portugal in the Nations League, they managed to have seven corners over the course of the match.
Costa Rica only managed to qualify for the World Cup via intercontinental play-offs as they finished fourth in CONCACAF. It would take a herculean effort like that of 2014 to have any impact in this group. In their last three matches, Costa Rica managed 2-0 and 2-1 wins over Nigeria and Uzbekistan after a 2-2 draw with South Korea.
Belgium goes up against Canada with Roberto Martinez’s men expected to make light work of the Maple Leafs who are playing in their first World Cup finals since 1986.
Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne has been in scintillating form for Manchester City this campaign ahead of the World Cup and will hope to replicate this for the Red Devils, having created 12 assists already in the 2022/23 season.
On top of this, Leicester City’s Youri Tielemans has found form of late and will likely partner De Bruyne in the middle of the pitch. The 25-year-old has scored twice in his last four games at club level, whilst also managing five shots on target in these matches against Wolves, Man City, Everton and West Ham.
In Canada’s last international match, they beat Japan 2-1 and received two yellow cards. Belgium also had nine corners in their recent friendly match with Egypt.
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