December 8, 2022 (Jack87 News) – We have witnessed an exciting World Cup this 2022 in Qatar with full of surprises along the way. Right from the start, we’ve seen the biggest upset in tournament history with Saudi Arabia beating the Argentina BK8. Germany also have experienced such disappointment plus they failed to make it to the knockout rounds along with last year’s top 4, Belgium.

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Seeing the list of teams remaining in the tournament, one can say that there are no surprises though. No more traces of Japan almost making it to the top 8 or Croatia almost getting eliminated. Of the eight countries still in contention for the World Cup, seven are ranked in the top 12 of the FIFA rankings. Only Morocco, at No. 22, is outside the top 20. Here’s how we view the teams heading into the final three rounds of the tournament.

Morocco – (FIFA Ranking: 22)

Morocco have shown great improvement in today’s World Cup, ending up as the top rank in their respective group with Croatia under their tail. BK8 Morocco features international stars like Hakim Ziyech and Achraf Hakimi and has allowed just one goal over four games. Their presence in the quarterfinals is also a sigh of relief for the Africans as no teams from their nation have reached this stage since Ghana in 2010.

Croatia (FIFA Ranking: 12)

Croatians must be praying hard at this point considering that their key players are already aging. They have sent the same core performers from the 2018 tournament where they emerged as the runner-up. Luka Modric, who is the recipient of last World Cup’s golden ball award is present today with Mateo Kovacic and Ivan Perisic. It is not a good idea, though, to put on high stakes because another run to the final seems improbable with Brazil trying to block their chance on Friday.

Portugal (FIFA Ranking: 9)

Portugal is a team full of talented players, sweeping the opponent with Cristiano Ronaldo sitting on the bench. With recent news about their aging star opting to train with their substitute players, can be a hindrance to their future success considering this is a team sports. They may be dominating the field as of the moment but the finals is still a long way and the opponents are getting tougher and tougher. The last thing any team needs now is drama.

The Netherlands (FIFA Bet99 Ranking: 8)

The Netherlands seems to be the team to watch out in today’s tournament. They maybe silent and unpopular but they have proven to be deadly. They have easily dispatched the United States in the top 16 with the huge help from Barcelona striker Memphis Depay, who is getting healthier now coming from injury. There is also no denying talents from their young player Cody Gakpo who scored three goals in the group stage. Then, they have Denzel Dumfries, one of the best attacking fullbacks in the world.

England (FIFA Ranking: 5)

The journey of England entering the quarterfinals is not as suspenseful as the other teams. They have beaten countries under their rank, so no surprise that they are where they are now. Their real strength can only be tested on their next game with the defending champion France as their opponent.

France (FIFA Ranking: 4)

As the defending champion of the 2018 World Cup, seeing France in the quarterfinals is a no shock to everyone. Winning the Best Young Player award last time, Kylian Mbappe is proving to be worthy of a much mature role today playing as the attacker of the tournament. Though, questions surrounded the football media recently about the French national lineup picking Giroud instead of Benzema, they are now zipping allegations with continous breakthrough.

Argentina (FIFA Ranking: 3)

After the Argentina’s biggest disappointment of getting beaten by Saudi Arabia in their opening game, they started dominating the field by sealing three consecutive wins. No doubt, Messi is still the key player on their team with continued good performance under his name. The Argentines got higher chance in winning this World Cup with added help from Julian Alvarez, Lautaro Martinez, and Angel di Maria Boda8.
Brazil (FIFA Ranking: 1)

Just like the Argentinians, Brazil also have their fair share of shame against a less powerful team. Cameroon defeated them in the group stage which is a no bearing match for them because they already qualified to the next stage even after the defeat. Being the crowd favorite of becoming champion in today’s World Cup, puts them in a lot of pressure. Let us just hope they’ll have a healthy players until the end.

Boda8 Tips: Hearing the recent bad news for Brazil about Neymar back from injury, Brazil’s winning odds dropped dramatically while Argentina’s chance go up a little after winning the knockout round. With Ronaldo’s attitude, Portugal’s numbers go down along with Morocco who might have a power shortage for the next stage.

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