Preparation for the upcoming 2022/23 English Premier League campaign are well underway with all clubs back in pre season training, and plenty of top flight member sides have even begun their pre season friendly regime this past weekend.
The domestic competitions across all European leagues will be a little bit different this season, of course, owing to the first ever winter World Cup to be held out in Qatar and for those who like a flutter, FIFA World Cup betting sites will be the friend of many in the coming months.
With the prestigious tournament getting underway in late November of this year, it will definitely be a different kind of competition this time around and with so much of the normal campaign left following its conclusion, there will be those who will wonder how committed some players may be – equally, players will be far less fatigued than is usually the case as we will not even be at the halfway point on a domestic front, so there is a good argument to be made that games will be even more intense and competitive and the competition could be even more entertaining that is usual for fans across the world.
With the French national side coming into the Middle East competition as 2018 victors from the last Russian held World Cup, there has already been a massive shock as 2020 European Championship holders Italy, failed to qualify for the second consecutive time – a first in their rich international history.
With Italy no longer in the equation, there are a number of other sides who will be seeking global glory for themselves and looking to knock Les Bleus from their incredibly lofty perch.
With a total of 32 countries vying for the ultimate prize there are some very clear and obvious favourites, alongside other outside nations who could spring an incredible surprise – here are the favourites to begin with.
Brazil have not tasted World Cup success since 2002, but the five time winners boast an incredible crop of talent again this year and plenty will have eyes on the likes of Neymar, Vinicius Junior and Alisson to see them through to the later stages of the competition.
Having already mentioned France, coming in as reigning holders they have to be massive favourites to again make a serious challenge for the trophy with Didier Deschamps’ side boasting the likes of Paul Pogba and Kylian Mbappe.
Gareth Southgate’s England side will also undoubtedly be in the mix. Despite more recent poor form in Nations League encounters, they again reached the semi-final stage back in 2018 and went one step further on home soil at the European Championships in 2020 and if that upward trend is maintained, the next step is to bring a 56 year wait for international success to an end in Saudi Arabia.
2010 winners Spain with their renewed youth should not be discounted at this stage, neither should CONMEBOL-UEFA Cup of Champions (rebranded as the Finalissima) champions Argentina as superstar and Barcelona legend Lionel Messi will be even more determined to finally lift the one major honour that has so far eluded him during his illustrious career – particularly as this is most likely his last outing at this level.
As perennial challengers, Germany also have to be considered as one of the favourites, and then most in the wider football world would be looking at Kevin de Bruyne and Belgium, Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal, the Netherlands side and maybe even Christian Eriksen’s Denmark side as a stunning and emotional triumph for them would write its own headlines after darker moments at Euro 2020.
True but sensible outsiders would have to be the likes of Croatia (2018 finalists), and then Uruguay given the fire power of Edinson Cavani and Luiz Suarez but it would take a brave fan to risk a bet on any of the remaining countries – even though there are some great odds available for the almost unthinkable.
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