World Cup Group H: Robert Lewandowski a dark horse for the Golden Boot with Poland and Colombia favourites for top spot
The odds suggest Group H does not possess the winner of the World Cup, but the mix of Colombia, Poland, Senegal and Japan sets up a series of intriguing fixtures.
Colombia were one of the most entertaining teams at the World Cup in 2014, but will Jose Pekermans side dazzle in Russia like they did in Brazil? Heres Metro.co.uks preview of Group H…
WHO WILL TOP THE GROUP?
Colombia and Poland are joint-favourites to top Group H and with such an array of different styles from all four nations, it will be interesting to see which approach triumphs.
Jose Pekermans side impressed at the last World Cup with such a free-flowing attack but heading into this tournament, cracks are starting to appear due to fitness concerns over Abel Aguilar and Cristian Zapata, two of the more experienced members of the squad, and a potential over-reliance on James Rodriguez.
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Pekerman also has a dilemma in central midfield as Wilmar Barrios, Mateus Uribe and Jefferson Lerma have all shown glimpses of talent but the trio have just 23 caps between them and no tournament experience.
Poland have the advantage of having such a prolific striker in Robert Lewandowski, but it comes at the expense of goals from other areas.
Group Winner odds
Colombia 6/4
Poland 6/4
Senegal 7/2
Panama 13/2
All odds courtesy of Betfair
Back-up striker Arkadiusz Milik barely played for Napoli this season, while it was Hull Citys industrious winger Kamil Grosicki who finished as Polands second-highest scorer in qualifying with three goals.
Senegal will have Sadio Mane as their inspiration in attack and defensively they have solid options in Napolis commanding centre-back Kalidou Koulibaly and Everton midfielder Idrissa Gueye.
But goals could be a problem for Senegal, which was highlighted by their 0-0 draw in a warm-up friendly against Luxembourg at the end of May.
Japan were solid in qualifying and possess a wealth of experience in their squad but they are starting from scratch after Vahid Halilhodzic was sacked as head coach in April.
Akira Nishino is the new man in charge for the tournament and he has been experimenting with a back three for Russia, although a 2-0 defeat to Ghana in May shows how much Japan need to improve in order to progress from Group H.
Nishino has been also been using a four-man defence in training sessions, indicating that even he is not completely certain as to how Japan will line up for their group opener against Colombia on June 19.
GROUP OVERVIEW
Poland sailed through qualification by winning all but two of their games, while Japan also had a comfortable route to Russia by losing just two of their 18 games played across two group stages.
Senegal also impressed in qualifying as they didnt lose a single game in their group, while Colombia just edged out Peru and Chile by a single point to secure automatic qualification.
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HOW WILL COLOMBIA LINE-UP?
Pekerman has taken a gamble by including Aguilar and Zapata in his squad as both are recovering from injury ahead of the tournament. Tottenhams Davinson Sanchez should partner Barcelonas 6ft 5in defender Yerry Mina in central defence.
In midfield, the experienced Carlos Sanchez will sit at the base while James Rodriguez will operate further forward and orchestrate Colombias attacks.
Juan Cuadrado is a lively threat on the right flank, even though the 30-year-old has been used only sparingly by Juventus this season.
Up front, Radamel Falcao has rediscovered his form for Monaco with 24 goals in 36 appearances this season and after missing the World Cup in 2014 with a knee injury, the 32-year-old has one final chance to make his mark.
THE STAR MAN OF GROUP H?
With the prospect of such an open group, several individuals have the chance to make their mark.
Mane will be Senegals talisman and heads into the tournament off the back of an impressive season with Liverpool having scored 20 goals in all competitions.
Lewandowski is in a similar position as Polands chances of reaching the knockout phase will be reliant on the form of the Bayern Munich striker.
The 29-year-old scored 16 goals for Poland in qualifying – more than any other player in Europe – and with 41 goals in 48 appearances for Bayern this season, hes a strong outside bet to win the Golden Boot at 33/1.
Rodriguez was surprisingly the top scorer of the last World Cup with six goals in five appearances for Colombia.
The 26-year-old, who has just spent the season on loan at Bayern Munich, was key to Colombia being able to reach the quarter-finals and he will need to be at his best once again if they are to repeat that feat in Russia.
World Cup Group H Fixtures
JUNE 19
Colombia v Japan – 1pm BST, Saransk
Poland v Senegal- 4pm BST, Moscow
JUNE 24
Japan v Senegal – 4pm BST, Yekaterinburg
Poland v Colombia – 7pm BST, Kazan
JUNE 28
Senegal v Colombia – 3pm BST, Samara
Japan v Poland – 3pm BST, Volgograd
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