Spain and Portugal headline Group B, but Morocco and Iran are no slouches. This looks like an easy pick, but could an upset be brewing?

GROUP B – PORTUGAL | SPAIN | MOROCCO | IRAN

PORTUGAL

How they qualified: First in UEFA Group B ahead of Switzerland

Manager: Fernando Santos

Star player: Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid)

Player to watch: Bernardo Silva (Manchester City)

Preferred system: 4-4-2

Elo Rank: 6

2014 finish: Group stage (1-1-1)

Odds: 22-1

Here’s a brief introduction to Fernando Santos, Portugal’s 63-year-old manager: In 2012, when he was in charge of Greece, reporters asked him if his players were concerned about his smoking habit. “I smoke because I like it,” he responded. “When I stop liking it, I’ll quit.” Smoking, he explained, helps him think more clearly when making tactical decisions and he’d be damned if anybody questioned his nicotine-dependent routine. His stubbornness has suited Portugal — since September 2014, when the Lisbon-born tactician took over managerial duties, they have won 24 of their 29 competitive matches, losing only two. The wily old manager has instilled an uncomplicated, somewhat boring system, but it has made Portugal extremely difficult to defeat. While his style is not overly complicated or exciting, it’s obviously effective, and he has done a fine job blending an aging core with younger talents.

Most of that aging core is stationed in defense, with Pepe (35 years old) — who Catalan station TV3 once depicted as Hannibal Lecter because of his tenacious style — supported by José Fonte (34) and Bruno Alves (36). Keeping the veteran defenders fit will be key as Santos does not have the benefit of a deep bench. Rúben Dias, the impressive 21-year-old central defender from Benfica, has been a revelation in the Portuguese Primeira League this season, but there are question marks as to whether he is ready for the international stage.

Bernardo Silva, whose unassuming style of play reflects his choice in automobiles, is a star on the rise, but when it comes to the Portuguese attack, one-star outshines them all. Cristiano Ronaldo is a football demigod and although he is now 33 years old and embarking on his fourth World Cup campaign, he has, in his own words, the “biological age of 23.” Part of the reason Santos instills such a defensive style is because Ronaldo is such a virtuoso, capable of individual brilliance that can swing a game. Of the two games lost during Santos’s tenure, neither featured Ronaldo, who was out with injury both times, underlining his importance and showing Portugal’s vulnerability if he’s marginalized. A.C. Milan’s André Silva lifted some of the burden throughout qualifying (the two combined for 24 goals), but Portugal’s scoring hopes will mostly rest of Ronaldo’s chiseled delts.

Like adversary Lionel Messi, Ronaldo’s accomplishments are too long to list (seriously), but one still eludes him. Euro 2016 showed that Portugal can win a major tournament, but with an aging team, the World Cup might be a bridge too far the Selecao.

SPAIN

How they qualified: First in UEFA Group G ahead of Italy

Manager: Julen Lopetegui

Star player: David Silva (Manchester City)

Player to watch: Isco (Real Madrid)

Preferred system: 4-5-1

Elo Rank: 3

2014 finish: Group stage (1-0-2)

Odds: 6-1

In November 2016, Julen Lopetegui was set to become the manager of Wolverhampton Wanderers, when Ángel María Villar, president of the Spanish Football Federation, called with an offer that he couldn’t refuse: to coach the Spanish national team. Lopetegui has long been part of Spain’s youth system, coaching Spain Under-19s, Under-20s, and, most recently, the Under-21s, who he led to victory in the 2013 European Championship. Seven members of that team — David de Gea, Isco, Nacho, Koke, Dani Carvajal, Thiago Alcantara, and Rodrigo — were recently called upon by Lopetegui to join the national squad for their assault on Russia. There is a natural progression that Villar identified; at youth level, Lopetegui instituted the same system as the senior squad, which at the time was dominating world football — a relentless, possession-based game of ‘keep away’, dominating territory and creating chances with their attacking flair. It is this continuity and Lopetegui’s relationships with the next generation of stars, which is a big reason why Spain has not lost a competitive game since Euro 2016.

Lopetegui took over the job from Vicente del Bosque, the stoic, mustached tactician who had been at the helm of the Spanish national team since 2008. On the wall of Del Bosque’s first-floor office, which Lopetegui inherited, were photos of Spain’s triumphs in the 2010 World Cup and 2012 European Championship. Six years have passed since they dominated Italy 4-0 in Kiev and the starting line-up is beginning to feature less and less of the heroes from those framed memories. Iker Casillas, Xavi, Carles Puyol, Xabi Alonso, and David Villa have all been put out to pasture, but Andres Iniesta, Sergio Busquets, and the wonderful David Silva still remain and the veteran midfielders from Del Bosque’s Spain will be integral to La Roja’s success. Few players are more gifted than Silva, and Iniesta, who recently retired from Barcelona after a decorated 22-year career with the club, will be the on-field general in his final World Cup campaign.

The back five is anchored by De Gea, whose hairstyles have been studied as exhaustively as David Beckham’s were at Manchester United, with Dani Carvajal, Gerard Pique, Sergio Ramos and Jordi Alba perhaps the most talented group of defenders in the tournament and easy selections for Lopetegui. It’s upfront where Spain has its biggest question mark. Iago Aspas, Alvaro Morata, and Rodrigo could all start, but Lopetegui will likely look to football anarchist, Diego Costa, as the passage to goal. When he’s on form, Costa is brilliant, capable of wrecking opposition defenses with scintillating runs and powerful finishes, all while infuriating opposition fans with his immeasurable hubris and provocative nature. Costa’s confrontational personality makes him easy to root against and has led to several combative encounters with club managers, including a screaming match with Chelsea’s Antonio Conte that led to Conte telling him to leave and ‘go to China.’ Still, with Real Madrid wunderkind Isco a constant goal threat and Koke’s exquisite passing ability, Spain should not be devoid of scoring opportunities. From back to front, Spain has few flaws, and should — Diego Costa red card notwithstanding — be contending at the end of the tournament.

MOROCCO

How they qualified: First in Africa’s Group C ahead of the Ivory Coast

Manager: Herve Renard

Star player: Hakim Ziyech (Ajax)

Player to watch: Achraf Hakimi (Real Madrid)

Preferred system: 4-5-1

Elo Rank: 40

2014 finish: Did not qualify

Odds: 300-1

If there’s one thing for certain at this World Cup, it’s that Hervé Renard, manager of the Morocco national team, will be wearing a crisp white shirt when the Atlas Lions take on Iran at Saint Petersburg Stadium on June 15. Renard, who has broad shoulders, a chiseled jaw, and a rich tan from his summers spent in the Côte d’Azur, started the superstition at the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations when he was coach of the Zambia national team. After a draw against Tunisia in their opening game, Renard switched to a blue shirt against Cameroon and the Chipolopolo lost 2-3. The following game, he switched back to white, and Zambia prevailed 2-1 over Gabon, propelling them to the knockout stage. Renard hasn’t dare changed his shirt color since and the slim-fit button-down will be a fixture on the Morocco sideline in Russia.

Equally as tight are his defensive tactics. Morocco went unbeaten in their six qualifying matches and did not concede a single goal. Much of this has to do with Renard’s ability to institute an impermeable defensive scheme, with Morocco captain Medhi Benatia marshaling a hard-working and well-organized back four. Renard’s system has resulted in Africa Cup of Nations titles for both Zambia in 2012 and Côte d’Ivoire in 2015 and has made him one of the most revered coaches in Africa.

In the midfield, all eyes will be on Hakim Ziyech. The 25-year-old is currently drawing the attention of top-flight clubs such as Liverpool, Roma, Lyon, and Borussia Dortmund, and Morocco will rely heavily on his intelligent play through the spine, linking up with Juventus’ Medhi Benatia to create chances. With such a stout defense and a wealth of attacking options, the Atlas Lions have an opportunity to cause an upset in Group B, and Renard, when he packs for Russia, will be hoping that his white shirts are lucky once again.

IRAN

How they qualified: First in Asia’s Group A ahead of South Korea and Syria

Manager: Carlos Queiroz

Star player: Sardar Azmoun (Rubin Kazan)

Player to watch: Alireza Jahanbakhsh (AZ Alkmaar)

Preferred system: 4-2-3-1

Elo Rank: 20

2014 finish: Group stage (0-1-2)

Odds: 500-1

Carlos Queiroz’s résumé is an interesting skim-read: One season at the helm of the New York/New Jersey MetroStars in the mid-90s; One season in charge of Japanese club Nagoya Grampus Eight, as the successor to Arsène Wenger; One season at the Santiago Bernabéu during the galáctico era in 2003, managing the likes of Zidane, Figo, Ronaldo and Beckham; Two stints leading the Portugal national team; and twice the assistant manager to Alec Ferguson at Manchester United, helping transform the Red Devils into a more tactically sophisticated team that won the 2008 UEFA Champions League title.

Since 2011, Queiroz has coached the Iran national team — a position that he’ll walk away from at the conclusion of the World Cup after a tumultuous relationship with the Iranian football federation — and he has transformed Team Melli into one of the best in Asia. Queiroz’s system relies on a deep-lying defense that provides heavy pressure and has the ability to frustrate opponents as it did to great effect in their match-up with Argentina in 2014. Perhaps the antithesis of Spain’s “beautiful football,” Iran will be a hard watch and their intriguing match-up with Portugal, whom Queiroz is intimately familiar with, will likely feature a lot of Cristiano Ronaldo with his arms up in the air bleating incoherently at the referee.

Iran qualified for the tournament with 12 consecutive clean sheets, so their defensive proficiency is not in question. It will be their ability to score goals, which they struggled to do playing a similar style in 2014, that will determine whether they can escape what is projected to be the strongest group in the tournament. To create chances, Iran uses its deep pressing style to launch vicious counter-attacks, with Alireza Jahanbakhsh and Sardar Azmoun possessing enough speed and ability to cause havoc at the other end of the pitch. Mehdi Taremi, who has twice been the top goalscorer in the Persian Gulf Pro League, will also feature, but the likelihood is that Iran will be playing off the back foot for long periods, and chances will come late, if at all.