The FIFA World Cup’s matchday No 2 of the group stage will end on Monday, November 28, with Group G and Group H.
Brazil currently lead group G after their 2-0 win against Serbia. On Monday, the Selecao will face off with Switzerland, who were also winners on Group G matchday No 1. The Swiss defeated Cameroon 1-0.
In Group H, Portugal are at the top of the group thanks to a 3-2 win versus Ghana to open the tournament. South Korea and Uruguay are joint-second after a nil-nil draw to start the group off.
Monday’s games will have a major impact on which teams qualify for the round of 16. Let’s look at our preview and predictions.
Group G: Cameroon vs Serbia
Cameroon could have come out of matchday No 1 with Switzerland with a point. However, due to poor finishing, the Indomitable Lions couldn’t get a goal to equalise.
Serbia lost 2-0 to Brazil to open the group stage. The Serbians were poor overall and didn’t live up to expectations. Manager Dragan Stojkovic could use a more attacking formation and select his best-attacking players Dusan Vlahovic, Filip Kostic, and Aleksandar Mitrovic together.
Serbia are a stronger team than Cameroon. Mitrovic is a fantastic striker and should get more chances to score versus the African team. Serbia should win the match in a low-scoring game.
Eleven of the opening 18 matches at the World Cup finished with under 2.5 goals. Monday’s game should see Serbia win 1-0.
Pick: Serbia 1-0 Cameroon
South Korea vs Ghana
South Korea are looking for a win against Ghana which could be enough to send them through to the knockout rounds. Ghana fell 3-2 to Portugal but had a chance to equalize late in the game to draw 3-3.
South Korea’s tournament opener against Uruguay didn’t provide any goals as the game ended nil-nil. South Korea posted an xG of 0.6 and an xGA of 0.6.
Ghana had an xGA of 2.0 in their opening game versus Portugal. The Ghanaians will need to be better defensively to defeat South Korea on matchday No 2 of the group stage.
South Korea’s performance will be dictated by their top player Heung-min Son. Son is still recovering from broken bones around his eye socket. The forward was off his game against Uruguay.
The Soccer Buddy app picks South Korea to win this match. However, Ghana’s performance against Portugal leads me to believe they can get something out of this match.
Pick: South Korea 1-1 Ghana
Brazil vs Switzerland
Brazil and Switzerland will battle for first place in Group G. The winner of Monday’s game will likely finish as the group winner, providing (arguably) an easier route to the final.
The Brazilians and the Swiss met in the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. The match finished 1-1 at full-time. Switzerland have a good head-to-head record against Brazil in their all-time meetings.
The Swiss’s record is 2W-4D-3L, which isn’t bad against a team as strong as Brazil. The key to Brazil will be Neymar. He did enough to power Brazil to the win on matchday No 1 in Group H. Meanwhile, teammate Richarlison scored twice.
Brazil should post a victory at full-time in a close game with Switzerland.
Pick: Brazil 2-1 Switzerland
Portugal vs Uruguay
Portugal and Uruguay will clash for the second straight World Cup. The teams met four years ago in Russia with Uruguay winning 2-1. The teams played three times previously with Portugal winning once, Uruguay winning once, and the teams drawing once.
Uruguay are a sleeping giant at this year’s tournament with the likes of Liverpool striker Darwin Nunez and Tottenham midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur in the team.
Yet, Portugal are one of the strongest sides in the World Cup tournament. The Portuguese are being overlooked as possible world champions and a lot of them being overlooked is due to Cristiano Ronaldo’s issues with Manchester United.
Ronaldo scored in Portugal’s opener, as the team won 3-2 against Ghana. Portugal posted an xG of 2.0 and an xGA of 0.9, which shows that Ghana scored goals from difficult chances.
Portugal should get a win against Uruguay at full-time. Manager Fernando Santos has a deep squad. Ronaldo may be the team’s biggest name, but Santos can call upon a host of top players including Bruno Fernandes, Joao Felix, and Ruben Neves.
Pick: Portugal 2-1 Uruguay
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