Will Brazil lift their sixth title? Are Belgium set to sneak up on the big guns? Can Lionel Messi guide Argentina to glory or could it be a shock South American country that takes the world by surprise? Or dare we say it … England?
With the World Cup all set to kick-off on Thursday, we spoke to management, players and members of staff here at AFC Fylde to get their predictions on the winners, ones to watch, goal getters and our own chances in Russia…
Dave Challinor – First Team Manager
Winner: (After some lengthy and careful calculations) Brazil. They have a very winnable group and although their route to the final could be tough, I think they are going to be strong this year.
Dark Horse: Mexico
Top Goalscorer: Neymar (Brazil)
England: Quarter-Finals
Colin Woodthorpe – Assistant Manager
Winner: Germany. Chall took an hour to work out the winner, all I got was a headache!
Dark Horse: France
Top Goalscorer: Diego Costa (Spain)
England: Quarter-Finals
Neil Gillespie – Goalkeeping Coach
Winner: France. They have the best squad by far. They have three or four players in each position that would get into most other teams. Even players like Karim Benzema and Anthony Martial didn’t make the cut.
Dark Horse: Belgium
Top Goalscorer: Timo Werner (Germany)
England: Last 16
Conrad Prendergast – Fylde Ladies First Team Manager
Winner: France. I watched a clip of Paul Pogba nutmegging someone with France recently and thought it’s got to be them!
Dark Horse: Belgium
Top Goalscorer: Olivier Giroud (France)
England: Quarter-Finals
Danny Rowe – Striker
Winner: Argentina. I just think they have the best squad. A lot of the best players at the tournament play for Argentina!
Dark Horse: Belgium
Top Goalscorer: Sergio Aguero (Argentina
England: Quarter-Finals
Neill Byrne – Defender
Winner: France. They have quality all over the pitch and their midfield and strike force are particularly strong. Plus they have real strength in depth.
Dark Horse: Nigeria
Top Goalscorer: Roberto Firmino (Brazil)
England: Semi-Finals
Neil Joy – Chief Executive
Winner: Spain. They boast the best midfield in the competition and if they can find someone to stick the ball in the back of the net then they could be unbeatable. They have refreshed their ageing squad and look a force.
Dark Horse: England!
Top Goalscorer: Neymar (Brazil)
England: Quarter-Finals at least. We are well organised and expectations are low. We have a decent route to the quarters and from there anything could happen. There is pace throughout the team and although the football may come across as a little ‘dull’, it is rarely the most exciting team that wins the World Cup.
Daniel Agnew – AFC Fylde Head of Media
Winner: Brazil. Similar explosive attacking talents to Argentina, who will be one to watch, however they have a far superior defence and their midfield has a bit of everything. With Neymar, Gabriel Jesus, Roberto Firmino, Coutinho up top … they will blow some teams away.
Dark Horse: Uruguay
Top Goalscorer: Neymar
England: Quarter-Finals
Gary Scott – AFC Fylde Ticketing Manager
Winner: France. Pure depth of their squad make them my favourites. In every position, they have at least one world class player, in my opinion.
Dark Horse: Argentina
Top Goalscorer: Romelu Lukaku
England: Last 16
