Group D
This group contains the most important Barca player: Lionel Messi. He will be desperate to come away with World Cup glory after Argentina came up short in the last World Cup Final against Germany. This was followed by consecutive losses to Chile in Copa America finals. Messi even retired after becoming despondent following the last loss. However, he changed his mind and dragged La Albiceleste to the tournament with some amazing individual efforts. The hat-trick against Ecuador was the pick of the bunch.
Jorge Sampaoli’s appointment appears to have stabilised the team and he has started to create a cohesive unit. He hasn’t had a lot of time, though, so this tournament may have come too soon with an over-reliance on Messi likely. How far they can will depend on how far Messi can take them, but there is a talented group of players around him. Former Barcelona fan favourite Javier Mascherano is also in the squad.
Ivan Rakitic will also be playing in this group as part of the Croatian national team. They should be considered as a potential dark horse because they have one of the strongest midfields in the tournament as well as a good supporting cast in other positions. Rakitic, Luka Modric, Mateo Kovacic and Marcelo Brozovic are just some of the midfield options.
Argentina should come top of this group, with Croatia second. However, it’s likely to be tight because Iceland and Nigeria are no pushovers.
Group E
Brazil have two Barcelona players in their World Cup squad. Philippe Coutinho and Paulinho should both be starters for the tournament. Selecao came top of South American qualifying in dominant fashion because they only lost one game, which was the opener against Chile. They scored 41 goals and conceded 11, with a 10 point gap on Uruguay in second. Tite became manager six games in, but the difference was noticeable with 10 wins from the 12 games under him.
The only game they have lost under him was a friendly against Argentina this time last year. He’s had a major influence through his ability to blend creativity and stability in a 4-3-3 system. They have flair which is a traditional part of Brazilian sides, but are also hard to break down. Paulinho is a key part of that through his ability to break up opposition play while also offering a late attacking threat.
Coutinho usually starts in a fluid front three alongside Neymar and Gabriel Jesus. They are a dynamic and innovative side that possesses individual quality in abundance, while also having a structure which ensures they are balanced.
Brazil will probably qualify with ease and will be confident of going all the way to make up for the embarrassment last time around. Serbia and Switzerland are likely to be fighting for second spot in this group. However, Costa Rica shouldn’t be underestimated because they finished top of the ‘Group of death’ in 2014.