Possible opponents for England predictions and key players in FIFA world cup 2022
Image : The Football Association
In November, the FIFA World Cup 2022 will begin, and Gareth Southgate wants to lead England to its first World Cup victory since 1966.
The Three Lions begin the competition as one of the favourites to win the historic trophy, and Southgate has a lot of talents to choose from in the lead-up to the tournament in Qatar.
Here, we analyze England's opponents in the tournament's group stage and the possible road to victory for Southgate's team in pursuit of the sport's top prize.
There will still be some difficult obstacles for The Three Lions to get through in order to advance into the group stage. They will play an Iran team led by the veteran manager Carlos Queiroz in the opening encounter.
For his time working with Alex Ferguson at Manchester United, Quieroz is best recognised in England. The 69-year-old, who has led teams like Sporting Lisbon, Real Madrid, Portugal, Colombia, and Egypt, has a tonne of experience, both at the club and international levels.
The United States, who will play England, have a number of excellent young players at their disposal, including Juventus midfielder Weston McKennie, Brendan Aaronson, of Leeds, and Chelsea attacker Cristian Pulisic. England has failed to defeat the United States at a World Cup; they were tied 1-1 with them in 2010 and lost to them 1-0 in 1950.
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Wales beat Ukraine in the final and qualified for the FIFA world cup 2022
The Three Lions' match versus Wales will be the first-ever "Battle of Britain" at a World Cup finals before Group B is finished. Wales and England have never met at a World Cup, although in 2016's European Championships, England defeated The Dragons 2-1.
The oddsmakers favour Gareth Southgate's team to advance from the group stage and go to the knockout rounds.
Image by Daily Sabah
According to Betting odds, the two most likely teams to advance from Group A are the 2010 champions Netherlands, with odds of 1/9, and Senegal, the reigning African champions, with odds of 4/6.
The winner of Group A will be played on Saturday, December 3, at the Khalifa International Stadium in Al Rayyan assuming England advances as the runners-up of Group B.
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France would need to win Group D before defeating Group C's runners-up in order for this scenario to occur. Les Blues are the favourites to win Group D, but this result is far from guaranteed given how challenging the last three World Cups have been for the defending champs.
Germany, the defending champions, lost in the group round of the competition in 2018. Similarly, despite being the reigning champions of the previous tournament, Spain in 2014, Italy in 2010, and France in 2002 all failed to advance past the group stage of the competition.
Denmark, Argentina, Mexico, or Poland are some additional potential challengers who might pose threat for England. The last-eight match would take place on Sunday, December 10, at the Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor, where England would also play for the second round in a row.
England, who finished second in Group B and first in the round of 16, would take a different route to the grand finals and might face either Argentina or Denmark in the quarterfinal round. The Lusail Iconic Stadium will host the game, which will also be played a day earlier on Saturday, December 9.
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It is expected that England will face Spain in the competition's semifinal round if they win their group and defeat their first two opponents in the knockout stage. Belgium or Portugal are two additional potential opponents. The match will take place on Tuesday, December 13 at the Lusail Iconic Stadium.
The competition's favourite team, Brazil, will likely face off against The Three Lions if they finish second in Group B. Brazil, the most dominant team in World Cup history, memorably broke the hearts of the English in 2002 with a Ronaldinho free kick.
Germany, who notably eliminated England from the World Cup in 1990 at the semi-final stage, is another potential opponent. The match would take place on December 14 at the Al Bayt Stadium.
Who might England play in the World Cup final?
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England advanced all the way to the final of Euro 2020 last summer; if they can replicate that achievement as group B leaders at the World Cup, they will likely face off against five-time champions Brazil in the grand finals. The final Lionel Messi World Cup is most probable in Qatar, and England's final opponents could potentially be the Copa America champions.
If The Three Lions place second in Group B, France, Belgium, or Portugal are likely to be England's potential opponents in the final.
On Sunday, December 18 at 7 p.m., the grand final is scheduled to be held at the Lusail Iconic Stadium.
Throughout the competition, he hardly made any changes to his starting defence and midfield, and there currently seems to be little incentive to do so.
However, a mixed return to Premier League participation for some in 2021/22 has dismissed several players, with Marcus Rashford, Harry Maguire, and Luke Shaw of Manchester United facing the most pressure. Additionally, Southgate is likely to be unafraid to play young, rising talents.
His heroics in penalty shootouts further strengthened his position as Southgate's No. 1, and despite missing the UEFA Nations League games in September due to injury, he still has Nick Pope and Aaron Ramsdale as backups.
If Walker and James can return to club play before the World Cup, they will both be included. However, there are still concerns regarding United captain Maguire.
With John Stones appearing to be a lock for a spot alongside him in either a back four or a three-man defence, Maguire's problems at United have not reduced his significance to Southgate.
Shaw performed well at Euro 2022, but he might receive a serious damage if Southgate selects Trippier as a left-back backup option.
Jude Bellingham's quick development gives Southgate a further option, but so yet he has chosen to exercise caution when it comes to the Borussia Dortmund playmaker.
Mason Mount may start as the link player between midfield and attack depending on the formation, and England's manager must decide whether to select Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson or a more youthful, energetic player like Chelsea's Conor Gallagher.
Raheem Sterling's goals at Euro 2020 were crucial, and if he continues to play well for Chelsea, he will remain in the starting lineup. Bukayo Saka, Phil Foden, and Jack Grealish will compete for the other starting spot in an advanced attacking role.
Although Southgate has plenty of possibilities, finding Kane a different, more conventional partner might prove to be more difficult.
Tammy Abraham's outstanding goal tally for Roma in Serie A keeps him in the race, but Brentford's Ivan Toney, who was called up for the first time for the September internationals, would be a wildcard selection and provide Southgate an extra option if Plan A needs to be changed.
