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2018 World Cup Team Profiles: Group A

In the first edition of our World Cup Team Profiles, Group A gets a thorough examination. Will Russia be able to capitalise on their home ground advantage? Can Mo Salah lead the Egyptians to the promise land? Can Saudi Arabia cause an upset? Is it Uruguay's time? We break it all down here.

Want to hear more about these groups? Check out our Betting on the World Cup Podcast! You can listen to Stats Insider staff go in deep on each group. Here's their Group A & B Preview.

Average Group Outcome (According to Stats Insider Models): 
Russia
Uruguay
Egypt
Saudi Arabia

RUSSIA

Average Finishing Place In Group: 1st
Odds to Qualify from Group (Percentage Chance): $1.30 (76.5%)
Odds to Win Group (Percentage Chance): $2.20 (44.9%)
Odds to Finish Bottom of Group (Percentage Chance): $16.50 (6.0%)
Odds to Win World Cup: $51 (1.9%)

Stanislav Cherchesov leads a youthful, underdog Russian side into the World Cup as the host nation. They enter the tournament as the lowest-ranked of all 32 qualified countries. Times have certainly changed from when they originally bid for the tournament, off the back of making the Semi-Finals of Euro 2008. Since that tournament, they’ve failed to get out of any group stage but with a favourable group in 2018 they now have their chance.

Unlike every other nation there was no need to qualify, but in EURO 2016 and the Confederations Cup, the Russians underperformed to say the least with Group Stage exits. Igor Akinfeev is still the goalkeeper and Captains the side, and the team has moved to a three-man defence since Cherchesov succeeded the likes of expensive foreign managers Fabio Capello and Guus Hiddink.

Igor Denisov has proved to be the controversial exclusion from this Russian side. Arguably the best defensive midfielder for his country, Denisov fell out with Cherchesov when the pair were at Dynamo Moscow and was not picked for this summer. Outside of Yuri Zhirkov (34) and Akinfeev (31), the team is now built around young players.

Keep your eye on: Their attack is promising, although Cherchesov is very much a defence-minded coach. Alan Dzagoev, Fyodor Smolov, Aleksandr Kokorin, Aleksandr Golovin twins Aleksei and Anton Miranchuk compile an intriguing and mostly youthful Russian attack. Kokorin, who plays for Zenit St. Petersburg, has had a superb campaign, with 19 goals in all competitions including being the third-top scorer in the Europa League.


SAUDI ARABIA

Average Finishing Place In Group: 4th
Odds to Qualify from Group (Percentage Chance): $8.40 (11.9%)
Odds to Win Group (Percentage Chance): $32 (3.2%)
Odds to Finish Bottom of Group (Percentage Chance): $1.50 (65.0%)
Odds to Win World Cup: $5000 (0.0%)

To outsiders, Saudi Arabia enters the World Cup for the first time since 2006 as an unknown quantity, particularly with the coaching merry-go-round that has taken hold in recent times. Bert Van Marwijk led the team through the majority of qualification before departing, before Edgardo Bauza led the team for five friendlies until Chile’s Copa America 2016 winning manager Juan Antonio Pizzi took charge. Now providing he survives until the World Cup we’ll see what he can muster with this group.

Qualifying was not always pretty on the eye (a warning perhaps to Australia now that Van Marwijk is coaching the Socceroos), but the Saudis found a way to get things done against the weaker teams in their group and they did just enough against Japan and Australia to slot into second behind the Japanese forcing Australia into the Playoffs. 

This squad has talent but a lack of experience puts a big question mark on them ahead of Russia 2018.

Keep your eye on: Levante’s Fahad Al-Muwallad and Al-Hilal’s Nawaf Al Abed will be crucial to any chance of getting out of Group A, but hope rests on the shoulders of 30-year old Mohammed Al-Sahlawi more than anyone else. Al-Sahlawi was the joint top scorer in Asian qualifying with 16 goals, and he’ll need to find the net if the Saudis are any chance to make the knockout stages since their last appearance there in 1994.


EGYPT

Average Finishing Place In Group: 3rd
Odds to Qualify from Group (Percentage Chance): $2.60 (37.8%)
Odds to Win Group (Percentage Chance): $7.30 (13.6%)
Odds to Finish Bottom of Group (Percentage Chance): $4.40 (23.0%)
Odds to Win World Cup: $500 (0.2%)

The Egyptians have waited a long time to be back at the World Cup, and their Group A rivals shouldn’t underestimate Hector Cúper’s men. The Argentine has turned them into an incredibly difficult team to break down, and whilst he has been criticised heavily for his defensive playing style there’s no doubting it’s been successful.

The Egyptians made the Final at the African Cup of Nations in 2017 and qualified with ease from a tough World Cup qualifying group. Cúper has manufactured a playing style around sitting deep and being tough to break down, before launching fast, blistering counter-attacks in open space.

With Essam El-Hadary in goal, the man set to become the oldest to ever play in a World Cup at 45 years old, sits behind central defenders Al-Ahly’s Rami Rabia and West Bromwich Albion’s Ahmed Hegazi. Ahead of them sits Arsenal’s midfield anchor Mohamed Elneny and Ah-Ahly midfield creator Abdallah Said. Egypt will not make life easy for any of the teams who will face them, and they’ll fancy their chances to make it out of the group.

Keep an eye out for: Mo Salah is the obvious and only choice here. The forward has exploded onto the world football scene this season, scoring for fun for Liverpool. He also scored five goals in six games in Egypt’s final round of qualifiers, including a memorable penalty (see below). Ramadan Sobhi and Trézéguet are two wide forwards also worth keeping an eye on, as Salah won’t be wanting to do it all on his own.



URUGUAY

Average Finishing Place In Group: 2nd
Odds to Qualify from Group (Percentage Chance): $1.40 (73.8%)
Odds to Win Group (Percentage Chance): $2.60 (38.3%)
Odds to Finish Bottom of Group (Percentage Chance): $15.80 (6.0%)
Odds to Win World Cup: $36 (2.8%)

For a team renowned for their turbulence, Uruguay’s qualification for the World Cup was anything but. An impressive attacking campaign bore fruit for Óscar Tabárez’s men, finishing second in the South American Qualification, only behind a barnstorming Brazil side.

Though they’ve had disappointing recent International tournaments, including two early exits at the last two Copa America’s, their manner of qualification could indicate they are ready to put that behind them. Edinson Cavani and Luis Suarez anchored their superb qualification campaign, and it might be the last hurrah for an ageing core of Cavani (30), Suarez (30), and Diego Godin (31).

They are aided however by a burgeoning young midfield, consisting of Real Madrid’s Federico Valverde, Juventus’ Rodrigo Bentancur, Inter Milan’s Matías Vecino and Boca Juniors Nahitan Nández.

Keep your eye on: their star strikers and youthful attacking midfield group. Cavani and Suarez need to be at their best if the Uruguayans are to make some noise in Russia. Cavani bagged 10 goals in qualifying, and both players will be at the forefront of their country’s hopes this summer.

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Adam Joseph

Manchester United diehard, Oklahoma City Thunder tragic, New England Patriots fanboy and Carlton Blues sufferer. I like last minute goals, three pointers in transition, unlikely comebacks and underdog stories. Tweet way too much at @AdamJosephSport.

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