World Cup Round of 16 and Quarterfinals Preview
After about two weeks of group play, the tournament will go to knock out play and that’s when the World Cup starts to get real interesting! Some teams will be on cloud nine after shocking the world and making it to this point. Others will be expected to make it this far.
So the 16 teams I think will make it to this point are as followed (group winners listed alphabetically by group for the first eight, followed by the 8 runner ups also listed alphabetically by group): Uruguay, Spain, France, Croatia, Brazil, Germany, Belgium, Poland, Egypt, Portugal, Peru, Iceland, Switzerland, Mexico, England, Colombia.
So how will these first two rounds of knockout play pan out? Well let’s take a closer look!
World Cup Round of 16 Predictions
Uruguay vs Portugal
Some prolific goal scorers will be featured in this game. Portugal might have a slightly better defense, but their big difference will be in goal. I expect a few goals to be scored and Portugal to come out on top, 2-1.
France vs Iceland
Iceland will be one of those teams just happy to have made it this far, but France is head and shoulders better and will be looking to make a deep run this World Cup. France will win easily, 3-0.
Brazil vs Mexico
Brazil, once again, are one of the favorites to win it all, and for good reason. Their attack is absolutely lethal and the curse of game four will continue for Mexico. Brazil will dominate this game, winning 3-1.
Belgium vs Colombia
In the 2014 round of 16 game for Belgium, they faced Tim Howard who ended up saving 16 shots, and they still won. This Belgium team is a lot better than it was four years ago and will move on with a lot more ease than they did back then, winning 3-0.
Egypt vs Spain
A bit of a redemption game for Egypt’s Mo Salah, as he’ll go up against some Real Madrid players in this one. He won’t have much help and Spain will dominate this game, coming out on top 2-0.
Croatia vs Peru
Peru will be thrilled to make the round of 16. But Croatia will be able to control this game with their midfield. They might have a hard time scoring goals, but they won’t give Peru many chances to score. Croatia will capitalize on one of their chances and win 1-0.
Germany vs Switzerland
After rolling through the group stage with relative ease, Germany will look to start flexing on teams and show they’re still the top team in the world. And it’ll start here, winning 4-0.
Poland vs England
This could be the game of the round. Poland are hoping to make a deep World Cup run, but England has a few different guys they could rely on to score goals for the. However, Poland’s defense should be strong enough to not allow many chances, so England would have to be clinical when they get opportunities. Poland should come out victorious, winning 2-1.
But why stop there? Why not look at the quarterfinals as well!
Portugal vs France
A rematch of the 2016 Euro final. While France will be looking for some revenge, Portugal should have Cristiano Ronaldo for a full 90 minutes this time. France will be all over Portugal and get some revenge for 2016, winning 3-1.
Brazil vs Belgium
This should be one of the top games this World Cup. If either team’s captain holding the trophy above their head after the final, it wouldn’t surprise you. But there can only be one winner, and ultimately, Belgium have the better overall team. I expect a very close game that has a late goal to lift Belgium to a 1-0 victory.
Spain vs Croatia
There’s not too many teams that can say they have as good a midfield as Spain, but Croatia is one of those teams. Croatia have the ball more than Spain, but they have a better defense and attack than Croatia, and that will be the difference. Spain will win a close game, 2-1.
Germany vs Poland
Robert Lewandowski will face quite a few Bayern teammates in this one. This is the game where it goes wrong for Poland. Germany will be all over Poland and have tons of opportunities to score. Poland’s defense won’t hold up, and Germany will win 3-1.
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