The World Cup is the biggest sporting event in the world, and every four years, we see a team take their opportunity on the global stage with both hands and shock the tournament. In 2010, Ghana’s incredible run was only stopped by some dastardly play by Luis Suarez for Uruguay. In 2014, Costa Rica sprawled to the quarter-finals and took the Netherlands to penalties.
Now, in 2018, we have a new batch of underdogs ready to upset the order of world football. These are the three nations ready to escape their groups and defy the odds.
2Switzerland, Group E
Switzerland boasts a very talented batch of individuals but, in the major tournaments, they have failed to live up to their potential. But manager Vladimir Petkovic seems to have tweaked the unit to include enough characters and role players for the Swiss to be a solid team in this World Cup.
Brazil are the favourites to top Group E and, indeed, go on to win the entire tournament. Even though they have some big-name players dotted around the pitch, Serbia may be overrated at 10/11 to escape the group – making Switzerland’s evens odds rather tantalising.
With Manuel Akanji, Stephen Lichsteiner, and Ricardo Rodriguez in front of Yann Sommer, Switzerland should be very hard to beat at the back. The midfield is full of talent, and the main question will be who they start as their striker. Breel Embolo is the most talented of the bunch, but injury-stricken seasons for Schalke have hindered his hopes of starting in the World Cup. His blistering pace could still see him play a major role as an impact sub, though.
