There’s not long to go now until the World Cup kicks off in Russia, but which teams are likely to do well outside of the usual suspects? Today we’ll delve in and take a look at those minnows that we think will exceed expectations and triumph at the largest football tournament in the world.
Uruguay
With the likes of Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani in their attacking ranks, few would argue that they don’t have the firepower to see off any rival team on their day. They have one of the easier groups to navigate too, with Russia, Saudi Arabia and Egypt also in their group. Priced at 25-1 to win the tournament, they are outsiders, but William Hill have an offer running where you place a £10 bet on the winner of the tournament and get a £5 free bet every time your selection wins. By our reckoning Uruguay should progress from the group with at least 2 wins, anything else is a bonus.
Senegal
Senegal have Mane in their squad and he has had a very good season for Liverpool. Their group isn’t the toughest in the competition and if they manage to get a result against Colombia, they have every chance of qualifying. Their form hasn’t been great in the last 3 games, having drawn all 3, but friendly form isn’t really something that we should read too much into. If they progress from the group, the last 16 would be a fantastic achievement for them. They are priced at 150-1 to win the tournament, which is probably just about right.
Russia
Russia have never really done much on the international stage, but they are on home turf this time and we know that tends to raise the hope and expectations for the home nation. Just look at how South Korea performed when they hosted the tournament back in 2002. With the home crowd behind them, we wouldn’t write off a run for the host nation this time around.
Of course, for any of these teams to be successful, they will need to upset the giants of the world stage. Germany and Brazil nearly always perform well. Then there are the likes of Spain and France. Both teams have an abundance of talent, with France leaving out some players that would walk into many international teams. But isn’t that what the World Cup is all about? Unexpected runs and the underdog triumphing against adversity.
