England, Belgium, Panama and Tunisia will compete in Group G at the 2018 World Cup in Russia. Here’s what to expect from each side.

Group G consists of two European teams who will have sights on going deep into the competition, and two other sides who would be overjoyed to advance to the last 16. Belgium and England are odds on to get out of the group, and with no giants in Group H to provide their opponents in the first knockout round, they have a very decent chance of reaching the last eight at least.

Aside from Portugal vs. Spain on day two of the tournament, England vs. Belgium is the most intriguing match in the group stage. It’s the third match for both, so they may have qualified for the last 16 by that point, but as it’s essentially a Premier League derby, there will be plenty of tasty matchups. Manchester City, the English champions, will have several players on both sides for starters.

Tunisia are appearing at their fifth World Cup, but they’ve only won one of their 12 matches to date, and that was in 1978. However, they had the best qualification record of any African side, winning six of their eight matches, so will head to the finals in high spirits. They’re a solid if unspectacular side, so may be capable of holding the other sides at bay.

Panama are making their World Cup finals debut. They only won three games in the final CONCACAF qualification group, but won’t care as they reached Russia. It will be surprising if they make much of an impression, and a 6-0 defeat to Switzerland in March will have done nothing for their confidence.

Belgium

Belgium don’t have a history of success at the World Cup, aside from a semifinal spot in 1986. However, they head to Russia third in the FIFA rankings, with a squad full of elite talent.

The majority of their team will be very familiar to Premier League followers, and they have quality throughout their side. England were burdened with a ‘Golden Generation’ tag a decade ago, but this is what Belgium are currently enjoying. Players like Thibaut Courtois, Vincent Kompany, Kevin De Bruyne and Eden Hazard need no further introduction.

Key player: Romelu Lukaku

Romelu Lukaku may not be the best player in the squad, but he will be expected to deliver the goals. As the Manchester United man scored 11 in qualifying, he’s well set there. While there are goal threats further back in the side, Belgium’s other forwards (Christian Benteke, Nacer Chadli and Michy Batshuayi) didn’t have great campaigns in 2017-18.

Biggest question: How will Roberto Martinez cope under pressure?

The pedigree of manager Roberto Martinez is one area of concern. He hasn’t managed at a tournament before, and has just 10 Europa League games to call upon from beyond domestic soccer at club level. It will be interesting to see how he fares should Belgium reach the business end of the competition.

England

England usually turn up at tournaments hampered by unrealistic expectations from their media and fans. Not this time though. Gareth Southgate is taking a young squad to Russia, who have very little experience at this level. Just five of them were at the World Cup four years ago, and their average age is 26.

Even so, the majority of the 23-man squad play for teams in the Premier League top six. They have plenty of big-game experience at club level, but do they have enough international goals?

Key player: Harry Kane

England have not been a high scoring team under Southgate, only netting 23 times in his first 16 matches. The World Cup squad have scored just 16 of them, so Harry Kane is unquestionably their most important player. He’s scored seven, when nobody else has bagged more than three, and assisted one too.

Biggest question: How will inexperienced keepers perform?

Like Martinez, Southgate is untested at this level, but he has at least coached at an international tournament, in the form of the U-21s European Championship in 2015. The main question mark for England, aside from a potential lack of goals, is with their goalkeepers.

Jack Butland has seven caps spread across the last six years, Jordan Pickford has two and Nick Pope has none. The trio don’t play for big clubs either, so will they cope with the intense pressure of a World Cup? Having omitted the vastly experienced Joe Hart, Southgate has to hope so.

Tunisia

Tunisia were very impressive in qualifying for Russia, as only they and Senegal from Africa remained unbeaten. The Eagles of Carthage’s success was built upon a strong defense, as they conceded just six goals in qualification.

Nabil Maaloul is enjoying his second spell in charge of Tunisia, and they won five and drew three of his first eight matches. This includes coming from 2-0 down to draw with Portugal, so they shouldn’t be written off if they go behind.

Key player: Wahbi Kazri

Wahbi Khazri spent this season at Rennes in Ligue 1. He may have only scored nine league goals, but his record of 12 in 36 for Tunisia is decent. Khazri also netted the winner against Libya in qualifying, which proved crucial in getting his side to Russia.

Biggest question: How will they cope without Youssef Msakni?

The main issue surrounding them is how they will cope without their star man. Youssef Msakni scored a hat-trick in a key qualification match against Guinea, but sustained a knee ligament injury in April. Without him, where will the goals come from?

Panama

Panama head to Russia as the rank outsiders to lift the trophy, alongside Saudi Arabia. It’s understandable, as they lost 4-0 to the United States in qualifying. They must be bad, right USMNT fans?

While that scoreline and their 6-0 defeat in Switzerland make this hard to believe, their strength lies in keeping games tight and taking rare chances. Their 16 qualification games averaged less than two goals per match, and their recent friendlies included a 1-0 win over Trinidad and Tobago, a 0-0 draw with Northern Ireland and a 1-0 defeat to Denmark. You may not see many goals when Panama are in town.

Key player manager: Hernan Dario Gomez

Rather than having an MVP, Panama’s key man is their manager, Hernan Dario Gomez. The Colombian took his nation to the World Cup in 1998, then did the same for Ecuador in 2002. While his players have never appeared on this stage, their manager can call upon plenty of experience. Perhaps captain Felipe Baloy is the man to watch, if only by the referees; he has picked up 142 yellow cards and 20 reds in the league since 2003.

Biggest question: Can experience make up for lack of quality?

The obvious question mark over Panama is how they will cope when on the biggest stage and up against two of the strongest soccer nations around. However, there is plenty of international experience in their squad, as six of their players have over 100 caps.

All eyes will be on Blas Perez and Luis Tejada, as the forwards both have at least 100 international appearances and over 40 goals. Panama are unlikely to spring many surprises in Russia, but this pair could make themselves national heroes if they do.

Prediction: 1. Belgium 2. England 3. Tunisia 4. Panama