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What to watch for today
Colombia v. Japan | Group H
Group H may be the most unpredictable in the tournament. Four nations from four continents that could realistically finish in any order. Japan is probably the weakest of the four, but it wouldn’t be a shock were they to get the results to make it to the knockout round. The unknown is whether manager Akira Nishino, who only took the reins in April, has been able to organize the squad to his liking, or simply create more confusion. Colombia striker Radamel Falcao will make his World Cup debut and James Rodriguez should recover from a muscle injury to at least make an appearance.
Poland v. Senegal | Group H
Poland qualified confidently with Robert Lewandowski scoring 16 goals in 10 matches to lead Europe. Much of the core of the squad will look familiar from recent tournaments, although 24 year old Napoli midfielder Piotr Zieliński is an emerging name to keep an eye on. His club teammate Kalidou Koulibaly will anchor Senegal’s defence, with Saido Mané leading the attack alongside Monaco’s Keita Balde with Idrissa Gueye providing support. Senegal will be bolstered by Poland’s best defender Kamil Glik likely missing out, after injuring himself attempting a bicycle kick in training.
Russia v. Egypt | Group A
It’s less than a week into the World Cup and already we could have our first nation qualify for the knockout rounds. A win for Russia would likely be enough to get out of Group A. Mo Salah looks set to feature for Egypt who must get a result after their late heartbreak against Uruguay. Russia will be content to force Egypt to create something from possession, which could prove frustrating for the Pharoahs, who would much rather counterattack.