Belgium



It’s been a rollercoaster. Roberto Martínez is delivering exactly what he promised: exciting but sometimes gung-ho football. It’s the total opposite of the rather dull and cautious football served by his predecessor, Marc Wilmots. The group stage was not the best of tests, but the first knockout game against Japan showed exactly what this team is about. They can be error-prone, but they showed great character and maturity to recover and win it with the last kick of the game.

Eden Hazard has been scintillating, but Romelu Lukaku has been even more impressive. It took exceptional confidence and unselfishness to dummy the last pass in the build-up to Belgium’s winning goal against Japan and not take a shot himself.

But I’m afraid the quarter-finals will be it for us. Brazil seem ruthless and flawless. We still have one too many errors in our team but perhaps Martínez will have a trick up his sleeve for the Brazil game. We’ll never stop believing, that’s for sure. Louis de Clippele

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Romelu Lukaku celebrates after Belgium’s 3-2 win over Japan in the last 16. Photograph: Jewel Samad/AFP/Getty Images

Brazil

Brazil have not done anything that was not expected of them yet. Neymar’s antics attract all the attention but the defining statistic is that Brazil have only conceded six goals in 25 matches under Tite. I’ve been pleased with the way Brazil have restricted opponents to very few chances. Captain Thiago Silva has banished the ghosts of 2014, which cast doubts on his leadership. He has been rock solid. We boast versatile, intelligent players such as Philippe Coutinho, Gabriel Jesus, Paulinho and Casemiro. Roberto Firmino has also had a glorious impact when he has come on.

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Brazil have what it takes to win the World Cup. Belgium are the team that can hurt us the most, with Eden Hazard and Dries Mertens running at our full-backs. France have a dominant midfield but are more predictable in attack. If we survive the Belgium test on Friday, the trophy is within reach. Pedro Fernandes

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Roberto Firmino has been a crucial option for Brazil off the bench. Photograph: Fred Lee/Getty Images

Croatia

I was impressed by how well we played in the group stage. The win against Nigeria was pretty straightforward, but demolishing Argentina in the second game was amazing. And we showed how deep the squad is when by beating Iceland in the final game. But we froze badly against Denmark. We lost focus and are probably lucky to have gone through on penalties.

Dejan Lovren and Ante Rebić have played superbly so far. Luka Modric has been great too and I was so happy he held his nerve in the shootout against Denmark after he had already missed a penalty in the game. That showed guts. If we play like we did against Denmark, then Russia could beat us. But if we show the group stage form, we can reach the final – where France will probably beat us. Luka Ivezić

Facebook Twitter Pinterest A relieved Luka Modric celebrates with Danijel Subasic after Croatia scrape past Denmark on penalties. Photograph: Martin Bernetti/AFP/Getty Images

England

We have performed well above my expectations. The players have been made to believe that they are good enough if they stick to the game plan and full credit must go to Gareth Southgate and the coaching staff for that. There seems to be a resilience in the team, a way of recovering from setbacks and finding a result, from the late winner against Tunisia to the penalty shootout success against Colombia. That feels very odd to type.

I’ve been impressed with the way Raheem Stirling and Jesse Lingard have been buzzing around, causing trouble and always looking to make things happen. John Stones has been an asset in both boxes and is in real danger of fulfilling his potential. Jordan Pickford deserves great credit for two stunning, match-winning saves against Colombia; he has banished any doubts about his suitability to be England’s new No 1. The star turn though has to be Harry Kane, a man whose self-confidence and ambition seem to have unlocked something for this team. Knowing there is someone on the pitch who will get the job done must be such a relief for these players. I don’t know anyone who thought he would be leading the scoring charts at this stage.

Whatever happens from here on in should be taken at face value and celebrated accordingly. That’s what my head tells me, but this hasn’t really been a head tournament so far. My heart tells me that ties against Sweden and Croatia or Russia are negotiable – although Argentina and Spain probably thought the same thing about their chances. I think Brazil will win it. Neymar has the talent and support to have a decisive say – if he stands up for long enough. Jack Roe

Facebook Twitter Pinterest The top scorer at the World Cup so far. Photograph: Alexander Nemenov/AFP/Getty Images

France

We look like a really strong counter-attacking team. We have quality players and a welcome sense of solidarity, so will be hard to handle. France are playing like a team and that was the big question mark before the beginning of the World Cup. Full-backs Lucas Hernández and Benjamin Pavard have been great discoveries, Paul Pogba and N’Golo Kanté are complementing each other very well in the middle, and up front young Kylian Mbappé has confirmed that he is world class.

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I’m pretty sure we can win this tournament. The toughest challenge will be the quarter-final against Uruguay. We have nothing to fear from the other teams. Maxime Lesaunier

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Kylian Mbappé, the 19-year-old global superstar. Photograph: Saeed Khan/AFP/Getty Images

Russia



I thought we would qualify from the group, but I did not expect us to do it so confidently. Russia’s domination against Saudi Arabia and Egypt was impressive, thanks to Stanislav Cherchesov’s wise decisions. Our win against Spain in the last 16 was due to a mix of luck, dedication, physical readiness and the Spaniards’ inexplicable refusal to take risks.

Mário Fernandes could easily be in a Brazil team; he has been that good. We are lucky to have him in the Russia squad. He had a brilliant game against Spain and kept Isco and Jordi Alba very quiet. It was telling that we lost 3-0 to Uruguay in the only game he didn’t play so far. I have tickets for the final, so hopefully Russia will be there. But it’s hard to look past Tite’s Brazil side. Ilya Sokolov

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Mário Fernandes leads the celebrations as Russia beat Spain on penalties in the last 16. Photograph: Manu Fernandez/AP

Sweden



I’m very impressed with our team’s performances so far. They don’t play the most attractive football but the team is exceeding expectations. Sweden have managed to build a solid team, especially in defence, and they’ve shown that fighting spirit and working hard can take you far. We may not have world class players in each position like many other teams in this tournament, but we have come this far by playing as a team and showing great character in every game. It has been a team effort.

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Our captain Andreas Granqvist has been incredible. He has been a true leader at the back – as he was in the qualifiers against Italy. As well as scoring decisive penalties against South Korea and Mexico, he has also shown the will to go forward and an ability to bring the ball up the field and create chances. Without him, we wouldn’t be where we are. This was his last chance to play in a World Cup and he is giving it everything.

The only thing that concerns me is our attacking play. We haven’t managed to score enough goals from open play and we lack the kind of player who can decide games. Marcus Berg has missed some good chances in pretty much every game. That is a bit of a worry. But we definitely have a good chance against England. They will be the favourites but Sweden are not to be underestimated. We are a hard team to beat or even score against. We have been underdogs in most games so far but we’ve won them when we needed to. Everything is possible and I’m confident, but we are one or two offensive players away from reaching the final. Morris Andersson

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Andreas Granqvist has been a true leader for Sweden. Photograph: Alexander Demianchuk/TASS

Uruguay

We’ve look well prepared for this tournament. A lot of thought has been put into teamwork and understanding among the players. They have left everything on the pitch and played with a lot of “garra charrua,” a term used in Uruguay to describe effort. The partnership between Edinson Cavani and Luis Suárez partnership up front has not disappointed. Not even Cristiano Ronaldo was able to stop those amazing goals against Portugal. I’m very optimistic and hope Uruguay will be lifting the World Cup trophy next Sunday. Natalia Tassino