France are expected to top the group easily with the other three teams battling it out for second spot.

The worldwide extravaganza, that is the FIFA World Cup is almost here and we can hardly contain ourselves. Billions of fans all over the world will turn their attention to Russia this summer as the competition kicks off on the 14th of June. The 32 teams taking part in the quadrennial competition have been drawn into eight groups (A – H), with each group consisting of four teams.

We at Khel Now, bring you an in-depth analysis of the teams in Group C, their squads, their qualifying campaigns and their chances at the World Cup finals.

The group consists of Australia, Denmark, France and Peru and will have its first game played on the 16th of June between France and Australia, at the Kazan Arena.

France

Factsheet

Last World Cup Finish (2014): Quarterfinals

Best World Cup Finish: Winners (1998)

Manager: Didier Deschamps

Confederation: UEFA

Captain: Hugo Lloris

FIFA Ranking: 7

Likely Formation: 4-3-3

Road to World Cup

France come into the World Cup on the back of topping Europe’s Group B in qualifying. They are by far the favourites to top the group and proceed to the Round of 16 and go even further.

Despite topping the group, their qualifying campaign was not perfect due to the points dropped againt Sweden and Luxembourg. Les Bleus finished top of their group and will be considered as favourites to win not only the group, but maybe even the tournament, depending on the way the team gels.

Manager

Didier Deschamps was hired as the manager of Les Bleus in 2012 and led France to the quartefinals of the World Cup in 2014 and to the final of UEFA Euro 2016. Deschamps has bags of big game experience and is undoubtedly the best man to lead this team, that is bursting at the seams with world-beating talent.

Squad

Notre équipe pour la Coupe du Monde ???????????? #FiersdetreBleus #ListeDes23 pic.twitter.com/Wq2KGAYoQX

— Equipe de France (@equipedefrance) May 17, 2018

Players to Watch

Paul Pogba is a player that is capable of taking the game away from the opposition almost single-handedly. He has failed to do so on a consistent enough basis for his club, but Les Bleus will be hoping that the mercurial midfielder finds his best form to lead them to World Cup glory.

Antoine Griezmann has had a highly mixed season for Atletico Madrid but has proved his worth to the team time and time again, most recently when he grabbed a brace in the Europa League final. He will want to continue his goalscoring form for the French in Russia.

Football’s most recently adopted golden boy, Kylian Mbappe will look to prove his worth at the World Cup, coming in on the back of a season in which he took his place as part of one of Europe’s most feared attacking trios at Paris Saint Germain.

SWOT Analysis

Australia

Factsheet

Last World Cup Finish (2014): Group Stage

Best World Cup Finish: Round of 16 (2006)

Manager: Bert van Marwijk

Confederation: AFC

Captain: Mile Jedinak

FIFA Ranking: 40

Likely Formation: 4-3-2-1 

Road to World Cup

The Socceroos have established themselves as competition regulars as they find themselves in their fourth consecutive World Cup finals.  The Australians’ last appearance was in the last edition of the competition in 2014, where they were knocked out in the group stage, despite a few spirited performances and a certain Tim Cahill screamer.

Australia endured a nail-biting qualifying campaign after they were forced into playoffs with Syria and Honduras after finishing third in Group B of the third Asian qualification round. They went on to win the playoffs securing themselves a place in the World Cup finals.

Manager

Lambertus ‘Bert’ van Marwijk was appointed as the coach of the Men in Green and Gold on 24th January 2018 and was given the solitary task of guiding Australia to a respectable finish in the World Cup. The former Netherlands boss will be replaced by Aussie Graham Arnold once the campaign is over.

Squad

Players to Watch

Huddersfield Town midfielder, Aaron Mooy has put in a season of strong performances and is capable of acting as Australia’s creative spark at any given point. The 27-year-old will look to carry on his Terriers’ form into the World Cup.

The old guard of the Australian team, Tim Cahill will want to carry on his form from the Socceroos’ qualifying campaign, where he bagged a mammoth 11 goals, onto the World Cup finals. His experience will prove to be invaluable as he looks to guide a largely inexperienced side through what is a very tricky group.

Australian skipper, Mile Jedinak will add a powerful presence to a very creative midfield and could prove to be pivotal.

SWOT Analysis

Peru

Factsheet

Last World Cup Finish (1982): Group Stage

Best World Cup Finish: Quarter-finals (1970)

Manager: Ricardo Gareca

Confederation: UEFA

Captain: Alberto Rodriguez

FIFA Ranking: 11

Likely Formation: 4-2-3-1

Road to World Cup

The Peruvians are widely considered outsiders to proceed beyond the group stage of the tournament despite having a FIFA ranking of 11 which is the second highest in the group. They return to the tournament after a 36-year absence. However, they will be without captain Paolo Guerrero due to a doping ban.

Peru went through a very shaky start to their qualifying campaign, having only managed four points in seven games. A late run of spectacular form saw them go undefeated in 12 games to clinch the chance to play New-Zealand in the Intercontinental Playoff. They saw off the All-Whites to ensure that the south American country would play at Russia 2018.

Manager

Ricardo Gareca took over as the manager of the Peruvian National team in 2015 and led them to the semi-finals of the Copa America. With Gareca’s help, the once struggling team rose up the FIFA rankings and beat New Zealand to dramatically seal their spot in Russia.

Squad

A la fecha, esta es la lista provisional de jugadores de Perú para Rusia 2018 y sobre la cual el Profesor Gareca hablará hoy en conferencia. pic.twitter.com/JI9teYzlk4

— Selección Peruana (@SeleccionPeru) May 16, 2018

 

Players to Watch

Jefferson Farfan will be given the responsibility of scoring Peru’s goals at the World Cup, in the absence of starman Guerrero, the top scorer in the country's history. He will also have the burden of leading the team from the front, a task which Guerrero performed to perfection.

The architect of a large number of Peru’s goals is the 26-year-old Sao Paulo midfielder, Christen Cueva. He scored four times during the qualifiers and will be instrumental in anything the Peruvians do going forward.

Their greatest strength is their defence which has looked near impenetrable at times. 34-year-old central defender, Alberto Rodriguez has been crucial to this and will continue to be so in Russia.

SWOT Analysis

DENMARK

Factsheet

Last World Cup Finish (2010): Group Stage

Best World Cup Finish: Quarterfinals (1998)

Manager: Age Hareide

Confederation: UEFA

Captain: Simon Kjær

FIFA Ranking: 19

Likely Formation: 4-3-2-1

Road to World Cup

The Danes will fancy their chances of qualification through Group C with several of their players enjoying stellar club campaigns. They play Peru in their first fixture at the Mordovia Arena.

Denmark finished their qualifying campaign in second place behind Poland and qualified for the playoffs as one of the best eight runners up. They came up against the Republic of Ireland, whom they defeated to secure qualification.

Manager

Age Hareide, a former Norwegian international and manager of several teams in the Norwegian Premier League, was appointed as the boss of the Danish national team in 2015. He proceeded to guide them through their qualifying campaign, getting plaudits for the free-flowing attacting football that his young side play.

Squad

Disse 27 spillere møder i morgen ind i landsholdslejren i Helsingør. Den endelige VM-trup udtages senest den 4. juni.#ForDanmark pic.twitter.com/5iEbfNiNMN

— Dansk Boldspil-Union (@DBUfodbold) May 27, 2018

 

Players to Watch

Christen Eriksen, the Tottenham Hotspurs midfielder is one of the biggest star turns in a Denmark side that has impressed in recent matches. His hat-trick in Dublin is a testament to just how instrumental the midfielder is for his side,

23-year old forward Pione Sisto will add an enormous amount of raw pace to the Danes. The Celta Vigo man will look to stretch opposition defences, thereby opening up space for the likes of Eriksen to operate in.

Chelsea center-back Andreas Christensen will look to impress in his first outing at the World Cup finals. The youngster is highly rated in the Premier League and will undoubtedly attract a lot of attention if he is to perform on the biggest of stages in Russia.

SWOT Analysis

Group C Fixtures

16 June 2018 - France vs Australia, 3:30 pm

16 June 2018 - Peru vs Denmark, 9:30 pm

21 June 2018 - Denmark vs Australia, 5:30 pm

21 June 2018 - France vs Peru, 8:30 pm

26 June 2018 - Australia vs Peru, 7:30 pm

26 June 2018, Denmark vs France, 7:30 pm

[KH_RELATED_NEWS title="Related News"][/KH_RELATED_NEWS]

What to Expect

While one would not describe Group C as the infamous “group-of-death”, it certainly could prove to be a tricky prospect for some of its teams. On paper, France look nailed on to proceed, with either Peru or Denmark following them and Australia facing an early trip home. However, football is a fickle mistress, nothing is ever certain.