Champions League Tips

American ace Taylor Fritz reached the Wimbledon semi-finals last season, losing out to Carlos Alcaraz, and he’s warmed up with runs to the final in both Stuttgart and Halle, which should have him spot on for a tilt at a first Grand Slam title.

Despite having the powerful groundstrokes for grass, Keys has flattered to deceive at Wimbledon, but she impressed in winning the Eastbourne title last week and her draw could really open up if she can get past likely third-round opponent Amanda Anisimova.

Belgium have scored two or more goals in five of their last nine competitive matches while Senegal have conceded at least two goals in three of their last five games.

Sadio Mane is yet to score at the World Cup but he has been getting chances with five shots in total across the three group stage games. Two of those attempts have been on target and he can at least test Thibaut Courtois in the Belgium goal.

Tyler Adams has also been attracting plenty of attention and has suffered five fouls in two games, three against Paraguay and two against Australia. The USA midfielder stands out as a candidate to be fouled at least twice.

Belgium have the edge in attack and Senegal’s back-up goalkeeper could have his work cut out to contain them. The Lions of Teranga have scored in all three of their games, however, and can do so again in Seattle.

The USA’s performances so far in the World suggest they should be able to see off Bosnia fairly comfortably but they may struggle to keep a clean sheet. The USA have conceded in 10 of their last 11 games and Bosnia rarely draw a blank, having scored in 17 of their last 18 games.

The USA’s performances so far in the World suggest they should be able to see off Bosnia fairly comfortably but they may struggle to keep a clean sheet. The USA have conceded in 10 of their last 11 games and Bosnia rarely draw a blank, having scored in 17 of their last 18 games.

Since winning Euro 2024, Spain have extended their unbeaten record to 28 matches, reaching the final of the Nations League and breezing through their World Cup qualifying campaign. European sides have historically struggled in tournaments held in other continents, but that trend appears to be turning. Spain won in South Africa in 2010, followed by Germany’s success in Brazil four years later. France were a shootout away from repeating the trick four years ago. There hasn’t been a World Cup final without a European side since 1950, and the European champions can extend that streak this summer.

In terms of technical ability Neuer is right up there with the best stoppers of all time and the fact he is now playing for a fairly average Germany side, by their standards anyway, could actually work in his favour in the battle for Golden Glove honours as he may have more saves to make and more work in terms of organising his defence.

Portugal have landed in a winnable group alongside Colombia, DR Congo, and Uzbekistan. Winning that group would give them a softer run in the early knockout rounds, before a potential meeting with Argentina in the quarter-finals. They beat hosts Germany 2-1 in the Nations League semis before triumphing over Spain, and edging those big clashes suggests they could become the ninth country to win the World Cup.

World Cup surprise packages tend to have solid defensive records and a core group of quality players. Japan have some real midfield quality in Real Sociedad’s Takefusa Kubo, Eintracht Frankfurt’s Ritsu Doan, and Liverpool’s Wataru Endo. After five straight wins to nil, Japan look capable of recording their best ever tournament finish this summer. The expanded field should play into their hands, but they’ve proven capable of upsetting football’s elite in the past.

Ecuador conceded only five goals across their 18 South American qualifiers, losing just two of 18 games across the toughest qualifying route in the world. They put together an 18-game unbeaten run ahead of the tournament, which is largely built on defensive solidity. While they aren’t thrilling in the final third, being hard to beat helped take Morocco and Croatia far four years ago. In a tournament where the heat is expected to work against progressive, attacking sides, Ecuador could thrive.

Ecuador conceded only five goals across their 18 South American qualifiers, losing just two of 18 games across the toughest qualifying route in the world. They put together an 18-game unbeaten run ahead of the tournament, which is largely built on defensive solidity. While they aren’t thrilling in the final third, being hard to beat helped take Morocco and Croatia far four years ago. In a tournament where the heat is expected to work against progressive, attacking sides, Ecuador could thrive.

Kylian Mbappe finished last season as the top scorer in La Liga with 25 goals and he scored five goals in four games during qualifying. France are among the tournament favourites and are likely to reach the latter stages and they will face Iraq, Senegal and Norway in the group stages, so Mbappe may be able to score a few goals in the earlier rounds.

Spain are the current favourites and seem set for a deep run at the World Cup. La Roja also have a kind draw with Cape Verde and Saudi Arabia joining them in Group H. Lamine Yamal scored 16 goals in La Liga for Barcelona in 28 games and is among the contenders to top the World Cup 2026 scoring charts.

Julian Alvarez has developed a reputation as a striker who raises his levels in cup competitions having scored 22 goals in 32 Champions League games for current club Atletico Madrid and Manchester City across the last three seasons. Argentina will face Algeria, Jordan and Austria in the group stages, so Alvarez could grab a few goals in the group phase and that makes him a contender to top the scoring charts.

Rayan Cherki had 12 Premier League assists for Manchester City this season and he also provided a further four in 11 games across their EFL Cup and FA Cup successes. France have an incredible attacking line-up and Cherki will be picking out passes for the likes of Kylian Mbappe and Desire Doue.

Lamine Yamal is the most exciting attacking talent in a strong Spain side and he has a habit of scoring eye-catching goals, those attributes can be key in deciding where the player of the tournament award ends up.

Erling Haaland had 16 goals in eight games over qualifying and enjoyed another excellent season domestically with 38 goals across all competitions. Haaland’s Norway face France, Senegal and Iraq in the group stage and he could reach four goals in those three games alone.

World Cup surprise packages tend to have solid defensive records and a core group of quality players. Japan have some real midfield quality in Real Sociedad’s Takefusa Kubo, Eintracht Frankfurt’s Ritsu Doan, and Liverpool’s Wataru Endo. After five straight wins to nil, Japan look capable of recording their best ever tournament finish this summer. The expanded field should play into their hands, but they’ve proven capable of upsetting football’s elite in the past.

Joe Casey: Mexico were faultless in their three group games, winning all three without conceding. Ecuador finished second in South American qualifying, conceding just five times in 18 games, but they have struggled going forward. Just one goal might be enough to decide this clash.

Steve Davies: The Aussies have looked seriously limited thus far, somehow beating Turkey despite losing the shot count by 21 and were then played off the park for an hour by the US. Egypt went through their group schedule unbeaten with a 1-1 draw against Belgium arguably the pick of their results, and in all honesty they were unlucky not to win.

Tom Hill: Senegal look good value to beat Belgium in the last 32, despite only winning one of their group games. Senegal outclassed Iraq in a 5-0 success and Belgium did not exactly impress with two draws against Egypt and Iran.

James Mason: Norway impressed in their first two World Cup matches, beating Iraq 4-1 and Senegal 3-2. While attack is not a concern for Norway, they are less certain in defence and have kept just one clean sheet in their last ten games.

Enda McElhinney: Aside from thrashing Uzbekistan, it has been an underwhelming tournament for Portugal. Croatia showed for 45 minutes against England they remain a competent side, and they can cause problems for a dysfunctional team.

Aaron Rogan: Both teams have scored in all nine of Sweden’s matches under Graham Potter, and this feels like the end of the line for a Swedish side that finished bottom of their qualifying group. Sweden’s attacking talent should see them continue their scoring form, particularly as France haven’t looked great defensively. The French have conceded in eight of their last nine games, failing to keep clean sheets against Azerbaijan, Northern Ireland and a second-string Norway side.

Folarin Balogun was rested against Turkiye in the final batch of group games and he should come back into the starting USA side against Bosnia. The Monaco forward scored twice against Paraguay and had a couple of chances against Australia without scoring, he looks a solid contender for an anytime effort against Bosnia.

Bukayo Saka scored three times at the last World Cup and he has already had five shots in 106 minutes of action at this tournament. He is fancied to break his duck for this year’s edition in this clash.

Ismaila Sarr has scored three goals in his last two appearances for Senegal. The Crystal Palace ace is a big-game player who tends to score when it matters most.

Belgium have scored two or more goals in five of their last nine competitive matches while Senegal have conceded at least two goals in three of their last five games.

Eight of the USA’s last 10 games have featured at least three goals, while there have been nine goals scored in total across Bosnia’s last two games.

Seven of England’s last nine games have gone under 2.5 goals and this could be another cagey affair against a well-organised DR Congo side. The African outfit only conceded twice in the group stage and they could keep things tight against an England team who have struggled against teams who sit deep.

The USA’s performances so far in the World Cup suggest they should be able to see off Bosnia fairly comfortably but they may struggle to keep a clean sheet. The USA have conceded in 10 of their last 11 games and Bosnia rarely draw a blank, having scored in 17 of their last 18 games. 

DR Congo have made history by reaching the knockout stages for the first time but England can end their run. The Three Lions have four wins in their last five games, with one draw, while DR Congo’s win over minnows Uzbekistan ended a five-game winless run. England have kept back-to-back clean sheets and they can see off DR Congo without conceding.

Belgium have scored two or more goals in five of their last nine competitive matches while Senegal have conceded at least two goals in three of their last five games.

The USA’s performances so far in the World suggest they should be able to see off Bosnia fairly comfortably but they may struggle to keep a clean sheet. The USA have conceded in 10 of their last 11 games and Bosnia rarely draw a blank, having scored in 17 of their last 18 games. A 3-1 win for Mauricio Pochettino’s men has a chance. The States have scored more than once in all of their World Cup games so far, while Bosnia have scored exactly one goal in five of their last seven games.

England were 2-0 winners against Panama in their final group game and the same scoreline is well within reach against a well-organised DR Congo team.