yardbarker 
Five dark horses at the FIFA World Cup
Every FIFA World Cup has a surprise contender that shakes up the competition and shocks fans. This year’s World Cup, which begins Nov. 20 in Qatar, should be no different. Here are five dark horses heading into the big event.
- Canada (Group F: Canada, Croatia, Morocco, Belgium)
Last Cup: 1986
Top players: Alphonso Davies (Defender), Jonathon David (Forward)
Davies, who has played well for Bayern Munich, is a world-class talent and will be the driving force for Canada. Along with Davies, forward Jonathon David is a great goal-scoring option. He helped Lille lift the Ligue 1 trophy in 2021.
Canada head coach John Herdman has a 70% win percentage with the national team through 43 games. He will look to sneak past the group stage against 2018 World Cup runner up Croatia and FIFA world-ranked No. 2 Belgium.
Quotable: “I do know that we’ve built a strong culture here,” said Herdman, via Bruce Arthur of the Toronto Star. “We have got a good ‘next man up’ sort of chemistry in this group, but we are aware that this is the world stage now.”
4. Senegal (Group A: Senegal, Netherlands, Qatar, Ecuador
Last Cup: 2018
Top players: Sadio Mane (forward), Kalidou Koulibaly (defender), Edouard Mendy (goalkeeper)
Senegal is in top form after defeating Egypt, 2-1, in the Africa Cup of Nations. Mane will be the lead attacker for Senegal while Koulibaly and Mendy make up a strong defensive support.
Senegal first qualified for the World Cup in 2002, advancing to the quarterfinals of that tournament. But it has struggled in the Cup since. It qualified in 2018 but was a quick out. Senegal’s young stars from 2018 have matured and are in the primes of their careers.
Quotable: “Mendy and Koulibaly might be as important for Senegal as Mané. The Chelsea teammates are among the best in the world in their positions and give Senegal the kind of solidity it will need at the World Cup,” the team at sportsstar.thehindu.com observed.
3. Wales (Group B: Wales, Iran, USA, England)
Last Cup: 1958
Top players: Gareth Bale (forward), Aaron Ramsey (midfielder)
Bale and Ramsey are the most notable players to come out of Wales in recent memory. Both found new homes in the offseason, with Ramsey going to French club Nice and Bale joining Los Angeles FC in the MLS. Bale helped secure the first MLS title for LAFC.
In the 2016 European Championship, Wales advanced to the semifinals.
Quotable: “After all these years, Bale can do still things that no other player on that field can do,” former Wales international Iwan Roberts told Fox Sports’ Martin Rodgers. “No other player in that game will have as much potential power to influence the result.”
2. Croatia (Group F: Croatia, Belgium, Morocco, Canada)
Last Cup: 2018 (2nd Place)
Top players: Luka Modric (midfielder), Marcelo Brozovic (midfielder), and Mateo Kovacic (midfielder)
No one expected Croatia to make the knockout stage of the 2018 Cup, let alone play in the final where it lost to France. Multiple star players from Croatia’s 2018 World Cup team have retired from international play.
Croatia will count on Modric to lead it on another miracle run. Along with Brozovic and Kovacic, he will be key in the meshing of the offense.
Quotable: “Modric’s natural talent and tireless work ethic have allowed him to become one of the greatest players of his generation,” opined vanguardngr.com.
1. Netherlands (Group A: Netherlands, Senegal, Qatar, Ecuador
Last Cup: 2014 (3rd Place)
Top players: Memphis Depay (forward), Virgil van Dijk (defender), Cody Gakpo (forward)
Netherlands, coached by Louis Van Gaal, has young talent at many positions and quality veterans to back them up. The Dutch aren’t considered favorites after failing to qualify for the last World Cup and not seeing much success since 2014.
For the Netherlands to make a World Cup run, star striker Depay must perform as he did in qualification (12 goals). Van Dijk is regarded as one of the best defenders in the world. Gakpo has shined this season, earning multiple player of the month awards in the Dutch Eredivisie. He could be the team’s future star.
Quotable: “It’s hard to win against this Dutch team. In the third spell under Van Gaal, the team are still unbeaten after 11 wins and four draws,” ESPN notes.
For Yardbarker’s ranking of World Cup favorites, go here.
Related News & Content
-
Use wp.media templates to create totally custom modal
Use wp.media templates to create totally custom modal,Following up on this answer I'm trying to determine how to create a modal with completely unique menu items/content than the media modal. If you add a new state you can add a new menu tab and hav... -
Get post by tag
Get post by tag,I want to get several post by tag. So I try to use get_posts() function: <?php $args = array( 'numberposts' => '3', 'post_status' => 'publish', 'tag' => 'travel' ); $ -
Elementor + ACF: How to insert dynamic JSON-LD formatted code into ACF field without sanitizing the script tag?
Elementor + ACF: How to insert dynamic JSON-LD formatted code into ACF field without sanitizing the script tag?,On a normal website, I am able to add JSON-LD structured data, such as below, into a Elementor HTML widget, in a proper way. However, as soon as I insert JSON-LD format into an ACF field (Textarea)... -
Gutenberg InnerBlocks noallowedblocks on parent but allowedblock on Child
Gutenberg InnerBlocks noallowedblocks on parent but allowedblock on Child,This is a continuation of the following post: Custom Gutenberg block with nested InnerBlocks renderAppender not displaying add button I solved one problem but created a different problem. I'm recr... -
Delay Issue: Using Wget with JSON Endpoint – Need Help Understanding Headers
Delay Issue: Using Wget with JSON Endpoint – Need Help Understanding Headers,On a WooCommerce website, I have a REST endpoint created with register_rest_route that returns a JSON response. To perform a routine with a certain frequency and urgency, I have added this instruct... -
How do I change top header background color
How do I change top header background color,Please refer to website: https://virginiafrank.com I cannot get the top header background color (or phone numbers) to change color. I would prefer the background gold and text black. I can't make t... -
How to display the_tags() as plain text
How to display the_tags() as plain text,the_tags by default is displaying as URL. I need to display it as plain text to insert inside HTML attribute. <?php $tag = the_tags(''); ?> <div class="image-portfolio" data-section... -
Give to site admin the option to "skip confirmation email" when adding new user
Give to site admin the option to "skip confirmation email" when adding new user,in wordpress multisite when we give to site admin the option to add new users, site admin dont have the "checkbox" to add the new user without sending the user email with link activation (see the -
Facing Hamas and Tehran, Israel is left with only vengeful madness | Opinion
Facing Hamas and Tehran, Israel is left with only vengeful madness | Opinion,Despite the Terrible Disaster on October 7, and the Failures It Exposed, Israel Is Still Convinced That the Image of the Mad Man Will Ensure Its Security -
Carol Kirkwood stuns in figure-hugging dress amid BBC Breakfast technical chaos
Carol Kirkwood stuns in figure-hugging dress amid BBC Breakfast technical chaos,CAROL Kirkwood stunned in a figure-hugging dress amid a technical blunder. BBC Breakfast was flung into chaos this morning after a string of sound issues. However Carol, 61, was all smiles as she p… -
Families ‘to sue prison’ where loud inmates ‘terrorise kids’ with screaming
Families 'to sue prison' where loud inmates 'terrorise kids' with screaming,Residents living next door to a new prison who say their kids have to sleep wearing headphones and some leave during weekends due to the racket are threatening to sue the prison service -
Doctor Strange’s Secret Wars Role May Be More Important Than You Thought – Looper
Doctor Strange's Secret Wars Role May Be More Important Than You Thought - Looper,According to entertainment leaker Alex Perez, Doctor Strange will find himself confronting his inner struggles as he headlines "Avengers: Secret Wars." -
Choctaw artist Jeffrey Gibson confronts history at US pavilion as its first solo Indigenous artist
Choctaw artist Jeffrey Gibson confronts history at US pavilion as its first solo Indigenous artist,Jeffrey Gibson’s takeover of the U.S. pavilion for this year’s Venice Biennale contemporary art show is a celebration of color, pattern and craft -
Mexican film wins top prize at Moscow International Film Festival while major studios boycott Russia
Mexican film wins top prize at Moscow International Film Festival while major studios boycott Russia,A Mexican film has won the top prize at the Moscow International Film Festival which took place as major Western studios boycott the Russian market and as Russia’s war in Ukraine grinds into its third year -
‘What Jennifer Did’: Netflix doc explores shocking Ont. murder-for-hire case
'What Jennifer Did': Netflix doc explores shocking Ont. murder-for-hire case,Most of Jennifer Pan's entire life was made up of lies. When her parents began to catch on, she decided to bring in hired hitmen. -
What’s behind the lack of enthusiasm for this year’s music festivals?
What's behind the lack of enthusiasm for this year's music festivals?,The public sentiment about this year's crop of music festivals is an overwhelming "meh." There are good reasons for this. -
JERA backs AboitizPower’s plan to build offshore wind projects
JERA backs AboitizPower’s plan to build offshore wind projects,JERA Co. Inc., Japan’s largest power generation company, is willing to back Aboitiz Power Corp. should it decide to pursue offshore wind projects. -
Insurance penetration declines to 1.75% of GDP
Insurance penetration declines to 1.75% of GDP,The insurance industry saw its net income slightly decline to almost P10 billion in the first quarter amid a drop in the life segment.
Warning: file_get_contents(https://www.scienceradars.com/wp-output-content.php?pg=1&cat=&kw=&lvl=): Failed to open stream: HTTP request failed! HTTP/1.1 526 in /home/wwwroot/xuenou.com/wp-content/themes/chromenews/template-parts/content.php on line 169
Warning: file_get_contents(https://www.bayuexiang.com/wp-output-content.php?pg=1&cat=&kw=&lvl=): Failed to open stream: HTTP request failed! HTTP/1.1 526 in /home/wwwroot/xuenou.com/wp-content/themes/chromenews/template-parts/content.php on line 173
![iFi's GO Bar Kensei Dongle DAC Supports K2HD Technology With Some Samurai Swagger [Updated]](https://i0.wp.com/cdn.ecoustics.com/db0/wblob/17BA35E873D594/33FF/45A11/QTXOLJR4xDKSNMMk2WlTgjaIlvSgcYpeU1xJzUwIoYs/ifi-go-bar-kensei.jpg?w=768&ssl=1 "iFi's GO Bar Kensei Dongle DAC Supports K2HD Technology With Some Samurai Swagger [Updated]")
