By Tommy Kane

Published: July 4th, 2018

Volume II: Issue XXXVI

The field is now down to eight! Only one will hoist the World Cup on July 15th! Who will it be? The Round of 16 had it’s surprises, as well as the usual twists and turns soccer matches show. Some came down to penalties, which benefited some more than others. July 6th will be here sooner than we know it. The first match will be Uruguay against France, at 10:00 AM EST. Three more matches will follow, and the final four teams will then be revealed. Let’s take a look at each of the match-ups below.

Uruguay Vs. France:

By now, Kylian Mbappe is known to the world as the first teenager since Pele to score multiple goals in a Knock-out Round match. France rallied from a 1-2 deficit against Argentina, to win 4-3. France looked impressive, as they played as a unit and played with determination. Group Stage France did not show up to that one. Uruguay beat Portugal 2-1, with Edvinson Cavani scoring both of the goals before going down with a apparent calf injury. He should be back, but nonetheless, Uruguay out-played Portugal in every way. They were the team that went perfect in the Group Stage, allowing no goal past them. After analyzing both of the teams and their respective matches, France appears to be the stronger of the two, as they have more attackers that could be potentially dangerous for Uruguay. Expect Mbappe to help lead the French to the Semi-finals. France wins the match, 3-1.

Brazil Vs. Belgium:

Brazil dominated Mexico, winning the match 2-0, while Belgium was trailing Japan most of the game, before Nacer Chadli scored in the 94th minute to eventually win it. One thing is certain between these two: they are both dominant and serious contenders for hoisting the World Cup. Now, one of them will advance to the Semi-finals, while the other one will go home in disappointment. Both sides have the firepower that will get them far. Neymar is on the Brazilian side, while Eden Hazard and Romelu Lukaku are on the Belgian side. Both Goalies are lock-headed as well. Alisson Becker for Brazil, and Thibaut Courtois for Belgium. Both have had a great campaign so far, as mentioned in the previous article. It is tough to predict what is going to happen in this match, but one thing is true: both teams will push it until the end. Will we see another Brazil-Germany match? Since one of them has to win, it could come down to the penalty kicks. Courtois is a more experienced and confident Goalie. Because of this, Belgium wins in PKs.

Sweden Vs. England:

Sweden fans are happy after a huge 1-0 victory against a tough Swiss squad. Emil Forsberg knocked in the game-winner off a defender in the 66th minute. They are now set to face off against a hot English squad that beat Colombia in a brutal, but heart-skipping, penalty match. The key in this match is if Sweden can take control of opportunities and cash in. They are a great defensive squad, but they will need some more offense to counter-act England. As most know, Harry Kane is leading the Tournament in goals and looks to not stop as of late. Look for Sweden’s Goalie, Robin Olsen, to play a huge part in this match-up. Despite Sweden making it this far, especially without Zlatan, England is no doubt the stronger opponent. To reiterate, they are quick at striking, as well as a great counter-attacking squad. It will be difficult to beat England, but certainly not impossible. If Sweden can take control of the game and let the chances come naturally, they could be in the Semis. Overall, England should be able to handle the Swedish side though. England wins 2-1.

Russia Vs. Croatia:

The true excitement of penalties showed up for Russia and Croatia. Both teams went to penalty shots to determine the winner. Russia knocked off the heavy favorites, Spain, in an epic PK showdown, making Spain still win-less against host nations. Russian Goalie, Igor Akinfeev, was ice cold as he stopped a couple of PKs to lift his team past the Spanish. Croatia had the help of Ivan Rakitic against Denmark. Rakitic was able to convert the game-winning PK to send Croatia to the Quarter-finals against the Hosts. Luka Modric and Rakitic are just two of the great attackers on the Croatian side. Russia are the hosts; they have the home-field advantage in this match. To be successful, they will need to utilize this and make a run like Korea did in the 2002 World Cup (hosted by Korea and Japan). The biggest problem is that Croatia is the stronger squad by a long-shot. Russia will have to hope that the game goes into another penalty shoot-out, or the Croatians should be able to get by. Croatia wins 2-1.

So, there will be some great matches to watch for in the Quarter-finals. The winners will advance to the Semi-finals, with the chance to be able to hoist the World Cup. There are currently a couple of teams that have yet to win the World Cup, or some that haven’t won in ages. Look for those teams to come out on Friday and Saturday. What do you think about these predictions? Will it go a different direction? Enjoy watching some great matches in the next couple of days! Happy World Cup!

Stats:

https://www.fifa.com/worldcup/statistics/