Colombia are tipped to top a tricky Group H

World Cup Group H: Predictions, best bets and fixtures

Football

Sun June 17, 2018 · 7y ago

A look at the World Cup group featuring Poland, Senegal, Colombia and Japan.

We have all the latest odds, fixture list, verdict and team-by-team guides right here.

Odds

Fixtures

Tuesday June 19 - Colombia vs Japan (1pm, BBC), Mordovia Arena, Saransk

Tuesday June 19 - Poland vs Senegal (4pm, ITV), Otkrytie Arena, Moscow

Sunday June 24 – Japan vs Senegal (4pm, BBC), Central Stadium, Yekaterinburg

Sunday June 24 – Poland vs Colombia (7pm, ITV), Kazan Arena, Kazan

Thursday June 28 – Japan vs Poland (3pm, BBC), Volgograd Arena, Volgograd

Thursday June 28 – Senegal vs Colombia (3pm, BBC), Samara Arena, Samara (pictured, below)

All times stated in BST, to see more about the locations click here for our stadium guide

Verdict

Definitely the most open group in the 2018 World Cup.

Favourites Colombia are as big as 11/8 to win the group and rank outsiders Japan just 9/4 to qualify.

If James Rodriguez can replicate the form he showed four years ago then Colombia could top this group and lie in wait for the runners-up in Group G.

Sat in between are a Robert Lewandowski-inspired Poland who topped their qualifying group and a Senegal team boasting a host of Premier League stars including Sadio Mane, Idrissa Gueye and Mame Biram Diouf.

All-time top scorer and captain Lewandowski netted 16 times in qualifying, more than any other player and, after voicing his desire to leave Bayern Munich earlier in the month, will be eager to impress with Europe’s elite clubs sure to be watching closely.

A lot of Senegal’s squad will be familiar to regular viewers of the Premier League with a large section of their squad having made appearances in England’s top flight. The main man for Senegal is undoubtedly Mane and the Liverpool forward will be looking to put his Champions League heartbreak behind him with a few goals for his national team.

Japan have reached the last five World Cup finals but have only got out of the group on two occasions and despite receiving the draw they were perhaps hoping for, it is hard to see them getting out of Group H.

Group H prediction: (15/2 with Sky Bet)

1. Colombia

2. Poland

3. Senegal

4. Japan

Best bets

Colombia winner, Japan bottom at 4/1

Keita Balde top Senegal scorer at 6/1

Squads

Colombia | Full profile

Click on the image for all you need to know about Colombia ahead of the World Cup in Russia

Goalkeepers: David Ospina (Arsenal), Camilo Vargas (Deportivo Cali), Jose Fernando Cuadrado (Once Caldas).

Defenders: Cristian Zapata (Milan), Davinson Sanchez (Tottenham), Santiago Arias (PSV Eindhoven), Oscar Murillo (Pachuca), Frank Fabra (Boca Juniors), Johan Mojica (Girona), Yerry Mina (Barcelona).

Midfielders: Wílmar Barrios (Boca Juniors), Carlos Sanchez (Espanyol), Jefferson Lerma (Levante), Jose Izquierdo (Brighton), James Rodriguez (Bayern Munich), Abel Aguilar (Deportivo Cali), Mateus Uribe (America), Juan Fernando Quintero (River Plate), Juan Cuadrado (Juventus).

Forwards: Radamel Falcao (Monaco), Miguel Borja (Palmeiras), Carlos Bacca (Villarreal), Luis Fernando Muriel (Sevilla).

Japan | Full profile

Click on the image for all you need to know about Japan ahead of the World Cup in Russia

Goalkeepers: Eiji Kawashima (Metz), Masaaki Higashiguchi (Gamba Osaka), Kosuke Nakamura (Kashiwa Reysol).

Defenders: Yuto Nagatomo (Galatasaray), Tomoaki Makino, Wataru Endo (Urawa Reds), Maya Yoshida (Southampton), Hiroki Sakai (Marseille), Gotoku Sakai (Hamburg); Gen Shoji, Naomichi Ueda (Kashima Antlers).

Midfielders: Makoto Hasebe (Eintracht Frankfurt); Keisuke Honda (Pachuca), Takashi Inui (Eibar), Shinji Kagawa (Dortmund), Hotaru Yamaguchi (Cerezo Osaka), Genki Haraguchi, Takashi Usami (Fortuna Dusseldorf), Gaku Shibasaki (Getafe), Ryota Oshima (Kawasaki Frontale).

Forwards: Shinji Okazaki (Leicester), Yuya Osako (Werder Bremen), Yoshinori Muto (Mainz).

Poland | Full profile

Click on the image for all you need to know about Poland ahead of the World Cup in Russia

Goalkeepers: Bartosz Bialkowski (Ipswich), Lukasz Fabianski (Swansea City), Wojciech Szczesny (Juventus).

Defenders: Jan Bednarek (Southampton), Bartosz Bereszynski (Sampdoria), Thiago Cionek (SPAL), Kamil Glik (Monaco), Artur Jedrzejczyk (Legia Warsaw), Michal Pazdan (Legia Warsaw), Lukasz Piszczek (Borussia Dortmund).

Midfielders: Jakub Blaszczykowski (Wolfsburg), Jacek Goralski (Ludogorets Razgrad), Kamil Grosicki (Hull City), Grzegorz Krychowiak (Paris St-Germain), Rafal Kurzawa (Gornik Zabrze), Karol Linetty (Sampdoria), Slawomir Peszko (Lechnia Gdansk), Maciej Rybus (Lokomotiv Moscow), Piotr Zielinski (Napoli).

Forwards: Dawid Kownacki (Sampdoria), Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich), Arkadiusz Milik (Napoli), Lukasz Teodorczyk (Anderlecht).

Senegal | Full profile

Click on the image for all you need to know about Senegal ahead of the World Cup in Russia

Goalkeepers: Khadim Ndiaye (Horoya AC), Abdoulaye Diallo (Rennes), Alfred Gomis (Torino)

Defenders: Kara Mbodji (Anderlecht), Kalidou Koulibaly (Napoli), Moussa Wague (Eupen), Saliou Ciss (Angers), Youssouf Sabaly (Bordeaux), Lamine Gassama (Alanyaspor), Armand Traore (Nottingham Forest), Salif Sane (Hannover 96)

Midfielders: Pape Alioune Ndiaye (Stoke), Idrissa Gueye (Everton), Cheikhou Kouyate (West Ham), Cheikh N'Doye (Birmingham)

Forwards: Sadio Mane (Liverpool), Diao Balde Keita (Monaco), Ismaila Sarr (Rennes), Diafra Sakho (Rennes), Moussa Konate (Amiens), Mame Biram Diouf (Stoke), Mbaye Niang (AC Milan)