Okay, so admittedly, I was surprised that nobody called me out on my lack of predictions for this World Cup. Admittedly, just a few short weeks ago, I kind of half expected the Germans to successfully defend their World Cup championship of 2014. Obviously, that is not going to happen now.
Even though we are well into the elimination rounds, it seems like it is better late than never to officially make predictions now.
My brother pointed out that I had not made any predictions yet, which is obviously true. But seeing how many upsets and surprises this World Cup have been almost defined by so far, I am kind of glad. Surely, my predictions would have been loaded with mistakes, just like so many others have been. Just look at how poorly the two teams that made the final in the last World Cup have played in this one.
Still, it is long past the time to make something in the way of predictions.
So, here goes:
My brother pointed out that I had not made any predictions yet, which is obviously true. But seeing how many upsets and surprises this World Cup have been almost defined by so far, I am kind of glad. Surely, my predictions would have been loaded with mistakes, just like so many others have been. Just look at how poorly the two teams that made the final in the last World Cup have played in this one.
Still, it is long past the time to make something in the way of predictions.
So, here goes:
Quarterfinal Predictions:
France defeats Uruguay, 2-1: France is hot. They seem to be coming into their own. And although Uruguay is tough, France has enough on both offense and defense that they should hopefully be able to win this one.
Brazil 4, Belgium 2: I suspect that Brazil is very tough and driven to erase the embarrassing memories of that 7-1 drubbing in the last World Cup. Belgium is obviously extremely talented, yet they seem to only come alive when necessary and under pressure. Thus, they flirt with disaster, and that is not something that you want to do when playing Brazil. In this game, Brazil will make them pay.
Sweden 1, England 0: I have been enormously impressed with England, but Sweden has actually been, in many respects, even more impressive. Were it not for a bad missed call in the first half, they likely would have beaten Germany. So far, they have kept their composure quite well. As good as England has looked, I believe Sweden wins this one, albeit narrowly.
Russia 2, Croatia 1: Croatia has not looked nearly as strong as I expected them to, while Russia really seems to be milking the home field advantage. Sooner or later, I know Russia will fall before they can win it all. And no, I do not believe that they will make it to the final. However, I suspect that they will have just enough to edge out Croatia in this one.
Semi-Final Round:
I expect France to continue their winning ways against Brazil, and meet Sweden in the final.
Third Place Game:
Brazil defeats Russia
2018 World Cup Final:
France wins their second World Cup!
Hopefully, this is not all just wishful thinking!
Just for the record, here were my brother's predictions, at least for the upcoming quarterfinal round:
Croatia – Russia: This could really go either way, but I'm going to say 2-1 for Croatia. I don't think Russia has enough scoring threats to advance to the semifinal round (let alone the final), despite their elimination of La Roja, aka Spain.
Sweden – England: 1-0 for England. They seem to be playing with a level of quiet determination and poise that we haven't seen from the English national team in years.
Brazil – Belgium: I think Brazil will prevail in a high-scoring game, let's say 3-2. Belgium has a great team that could feasibly pull off an upset here, but I don't think this is the year they make it to their first major final since losing to West Germany at the 1980 Euro.
Uruguay – France: Unsurprisingly I'm going to predict a victory for Les Bleus. Aside from the fact that I'm obviously rooting for that scenario, I think there's objective reason to think it will happen. France seems to be peaking at the right time, and unlike certain other teams they have a sufficiently balanced attack not to live and die based on the performance of any one player. Plus, and I'm not happy about this, but Edinson Cavani – Uruguay's best player and Kylian Mbappé's PSG teammate – is injured, and his status for Friday's match remains uncertain as I write this. My main concern is the defense. Les Bleus aren't likely to score 4 goals in one game again at this WC, so they'd better be careful not to allow 3. (Granted, that 3rd one against Argentina was a careless lapse when the result was all but guaranteed, but such lapses could prove very costly at this stage.) I'm going to say 2-1 for France.
A couple of divergences, I see. As long as you're right about the "France wins their second World Cup!" part, the rest is details to me anyway. That star on the France jersey is getting lonely, and needs a buddy. ;-)
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