Group H is wide-open. This is the one group at the 2018 World Cup that it feels like any team can win. Colombia is the shortest favorite of any team, and it’s worth noting that it is not considered odds-on to win the group.
That could lead to some very interesting games as no team is necessarily inclined to go into a shell and hope for a draw in this group.
Once every four years, the world's most popular game has its biggest tournament. The World Cup is as big as it gets all over the world, especially for the 32 countries who have earned the right to partake in this tournament. We think of the World Cup as a four-week tournament in June and July every few years, but this is actually a tournament where every FIFA team in the world has a chance to make it to the big stage.
The 2018 World Cup in Russia will begin on Thursday, June 14 and run through the final on Sunday, July 15. All of the action can be seen on FOX, FOX Sports 1 and FOX Sports 2.
FIFA 2018 World Cup Group H Betting Odds
Colombia +135
Poland +185
Senegal +550
Japan +700
Colombia
Like every team other than Brazil, qualifying from COMNEBOL was tough for Colombia. The team earned the last automatic qualifying spot out of South America, but they are incredibly dangerous with so much offensive talent.
Colombia boasts two superstars in James Rodriguez and Radamel Falcao. Rodriguez was one of the breakout star’s at the 2014 World Cup, leading Colombia into the Quarterfinals with some incredible performances, and he has looked great during his time with Bayern Munich this season. Falcao gives the team consistent production too.
The concern is at the back. Colombia does have a solid goalkeeper in David Ospina, but the defense has some issues. The pressure will be on Santiago Arias and Cristian Zapata to keep this group together.
Poland
The Poles were a powerhouse during World Cup qualifying. Poland ended up notching 28 goals, with Robert Lewandowski showing off his incredible skills during that time. Lewandowski scored 16 of those 28 goals, leading all scorers during European qualifying by a wide margin and becoming his nation’s all-time leading goal scorer in the process.
Lewandowski is the team’s star and opponents will likely invest heavily in shutting him down. While there is talent elsewhere, he is by far the biggest threat and that should give his teammates more space than they are accustomed to.
Poland allowed 14 goals per game during qualifying, the most of any European side that won its group. Like Colombia, Poland has a solid goalkeeper (two actually), but the concern is coordination among the back four.
Senegal
This will be Senegal’s second-ever appearance at the World Cup, and they would love to match the performance they had in their debut. The Lions of Teranga made it all the way to the Quarterfinals of the 2002 World Cup, defeating defending champions France in their opener and then knocking off Sweden in the Round of 16 before falling to Turkey.
Senegal has a budding star in Sadio Mane. Mane has had a great season playing with Liverpool and has showed off his talents in the Champions League. He is the club’s third leading goal scorer this season and will bring a lot of confidence to a feisty Senegal side.
This team does not have an obvious first-choice goalkeeper, with Khadim N’Diaye and Abdoulaye Diallo competing for the top spot.
Japan
Although Shinji Kagawa and Keisuke Honda didn’t play much for Japan in the latter half of 2017, both players are expected to play a major role in the upcoming World Cup. The two veterans are very experienced and the younger players on the club will look up to them, as Japan doesn’t have many other veterans on the team.
It’s going to be hard to tell what to make of Japan. The country is not stressing itself with friendlies like many others are in the run-up to the World Cup, playing Mali and Ukraine in March, and adding Honda and Kagawa back into the mix brings up chemistry concerns.
