The World Cup in Qatar will move to the knockout phase on Saturday. Eight quarter-final matches will be played over the next four days.
In this story, Urheilu has an expert go through the setups of each match Jonne Kunnasen with.
Netherlands – United States
The Netherlands and the United States will be the first to enter the playoff stage. According to Kunnas, the United States has been one of the positive surprises of the Games compared to expectations.
– They have every opportunity to continue. The midfield has been by Tyler Adams persuasive under management. The United States regulates the level of the press well and can use it to destabilize the Netherlands as well. Playing with the ball has developed. Before the games, attacking was really straightforward, but now it has had the structure of longer attacks.
As expected, the Netherlands was in the lead in Group A along with Senegal, Ecuador and Qatar, but Kunnas still sees a lot of question marks in terms of play.
– The Netherlands has by no means been convincing. They want to control the ball and work with it, but it has been coughed up. It has been difficult for them to get into scoring situations. Frenkie de Jong has brought the ball and Cody Gakpo solved the games. There are things in Holland’s game that the US could very well attack. An even pair, I have a feeling that the United States can continue, Kunnas estimates.
Holland-United States on Saturday at 17:00 (MTV). The highlights of the match can be seen immediately on ‘s digital services. The recording of the match comes to Areena after midnight.
Argentina – Australia
Argentina’s games started with a catastrophic loss to Saudi Arabia, but especially the final game of the first group against Poland was by Lionel Scaloni a strong work sample from the team. Kunnas sees that Argentina has been able to improve their playing the best throughout the tournament.
– Against Saudi Arabia and Mexico, Argentina had big difficulties, how to group on the field while attacking more slowly. Poland was really passive against them, but the attacking structure was still better, says Kunnas.
Many already had time to erase Argentina from the list of champion favorites, but at least Kunnas’s faith in Argentina has returned. The chart is also favorable until the semi-finals, because in the quarter-finals Argentina or Australia will face the Netherlands or the United States.
– Everything is possible if Argentina’s development story gets a good continuation against Australia.
Australia was perhaps the biggest surprise of the initial group stage. According to Kunnas, the surprises are unlikely to continue any longer
– Australia is a Cinderella story, you can’t get anywhere. However, especially defending against France was really difficult, France crushed them with concentration. Australia’s ball-playing is really one-sided. Argentina is a massive early favorite.
Argentina–Australia on Saturday at 21:00 on TV2 and Areena. The studio starts at 8 p.m.
France – Poland
If Argentina is a huge favorite against Australia, then the same can be said about France against Poland. Poland pulled really deep in the Argentina match, and the same will happen in the quarterfinals. On the other hand, according to Kunnas, there may also be an opportunity for Poland.
– France is the same France that we saw four years ago. They have Kylian Mbappe as a turnover threat, and they attack really well in big spaces. Against Poland, France probably won’t get any situational changes, and won’t be able to attack those big spaces, says Kunnas.
From Poland’s point of view, Argentina’s performance in the final game of the first group was not very encouraging.
– Argentina was able to completely disarm Poland, Robert Lewandowski was left all alone. If they get that deep against France as well, it is unlikely that they would keep a clean sheet for the entire match, and on the other hand, how would their counterattack be a real threat, Kunnas states.
France-Poland on Sunday on TV2 and Areena at 5 p.m. Studio starts at 4:20 p.m.
England v Senegal
England started their World Cup tournament with a crushing victory over Iran, but since then their performances have raised question marks, especially against the USA. However, according to Kunnas, the second period against Wales in the final game of the group already showed signs of improvement.
– England has coughed a bit. After the USA game, the feeling was a bit the same as with Argentina at the beginning of the tournament. The distances between the players have been such that it is difficult to find passing directions and progress. It got better against Wales.
According to Kunnas, the big question is what kind of match plan Senegal will choose. England has beaten teams that have occasionally burst from the top, but it has been difficult against a tight block.
– Senegal has been Sadio Mane good despite the injury. The defense is organized, it has clear rules on how to act and where to try to make exploits. Straightforward attacking has been dangerous.
With the Senegal match in mind Full-back by Kyle Walker According to Kunnas, rehabilitation is important for England. The speedy Walker improves the ability of England’s otherwise slow defensive line to defend the backline.
– Senegal has a real seam here. Is it worth pushing England, or staying in a slightly tighter block and building counterattacks Harry Maguire’s and by John Stones behind the scenes? The municipality is thinking.
England–Senegal on Sunday on TV2 and Areena at 21:00. The studio starts at 20:30.
Japan – Croatia
Most people hardly had Japan’s wins over Spain and Germany in their betting slips, let alone the group stage win. However, that’s how it happened and next up is Croatia. Against both Germany and Spain, Japan was still down at the break, but came away victorious.
– The match plans have been interesting against those who are better than expected. The first half has been played deep and attempts have been made to minimize the opponent’s scoring chances. It has been chosen for the second halves that the press will be modified. Japan was able to shake both Germany and Spain with the press and score goals in a row, Kunnas points out and guesses that the same plan will be repeated against Croatia.
Croatia’s group stage has been divided. The Canada match was a convincing landslide victory. According to Kunnas, the team is especially capable of creating a lot of attacking threats by Ivan Perisic through. Croatia, on the other hand, was in trouble against Belgium.
– The further the game progressed, the bigger trouble Croatia was in. They were in some kind of panic mode in the defense of their own goal. That was where Croatia’s vulnerability came to the fore. If Japan can get the same kind of panic on Croatia’s bottom line and box defense, then they have every chance. An extremely cocky couple.
Japan-Croatia on Monday on TV2 and Areena at 5 p.m. The studio starts at 4:30 p.m.
Brazil – South Korea
Even Brazil couldn’t win all their opening group games, as Cameroon surprised the team that changed almost the entire starting line-up in the final round. From the point of view of the whole, it doesn’t matter, but Kunnas still makes Brazil the biggest favorite for the championship.
– The structure of the game has been the strongest. Individuals, substitutes, the material is probably the most extensive of the tournament. Still, the playing has not been any fireworks, when three goals have been scored in total. It’s hard to score goals for Brazil. Serbia and Switzerland have strong upper floors, and they still couldn’t create a chance against Brazil in practice, says Kunnas.
South Korea, which barely made it to the next round, is therefore facing a huge challenge. According to Kunnas, the team’s playing has been much the same as in the World Cup qualifiers and the practice games before the tournament.
– They have a clear structure in what they are trying to do. The offensive game is based a lot on that Heung-Min Son able to take big passes and thereby build goals. South Korea is of course a big underdog. It will be interesting to see how they fare defensively against Brazil.
The big question for Brazil is Neymar’s game condition. The superstar missed two early group games due to an ankle injury.
Brazil-South Korea on Monday at 21:00 (MTV). The highlights of the match can be seen immediately on ‘s digital services. The recording of the match comes to Areena after midnight.
Morocco – Spain
Few thought that Spain would finish second in their group after the crushing victory against Costa Rica in the opening round, but it just happened. Morocco, who surprisingly won their own group, hardly received the news very happily.
Spain is of course the favorite for the pair of matches, but Kunnas sees opportunities in Morocco.
– Most of the Moroccan players are in good teams in Europe and they have the stars of their respective positions. It is good to build on that and that is what Morocco has looked like. The defense is well organized, and correspondingly, they also attack with high quality, says Kunnas.
After Spain’s dream start, the extra self-confidence is guaranteed to be gone. Despite the poor results, Spain’s scoring power is undeniable.
– Spain is rolling through a low block. They stay on the ball and find space. By varying the level of pressure, Morocco has a real fighting chance. It’s exciting to see what their choice is, says Kunnas.
One question mark in the Spanish team is the goalkeeper Unai Simon ball game. Simon fumbled with the ball already in last year’s European Championships, and the same has continued in Qatar.
– An extremely interesting pair of matches. Spain still looks like they can go all the way to the World Cup on my papers. However, the machine has coughed up, Kunnas states.
Morocco-Spain on Independence Day on TV2 and Areena at 5 p.m. The studio starts at 4:30 p.m.
Portugal – Switzerland
Switzerland have never had a superstar in their team, yet they have now advanced 4 times from the preliminary round in the last 5 World Cups. However, the road to the quarterfinals has been interrupted every time.
– To some extent, Switzerland is a bit odorless and tasteless, but every time they clear themselves to continue. They have a clear way of playing. The Serbia match raised question marks in terms of turnovers and defending, but in the second period they kept Serbia out of goal posts, says Kunnas.
The playing of Portugal has not convinced the Municipality. There’s no denying that, of course, there are superstars for every game in the country Cristiano Ronaldo and Bruno Fernandes under.
– There is a feeling again that the Portuguese team cannot be described as very united. Switzerland definitely has a place to strike, especially when Portugal lose the ball. There is easily a situation where the field is filled so that there are large spaces to attack, Kunnas states.
– Portugal’s attacking arsenal is tough, you can’t get anywhere with it. Downstairs in Switzerland will have a big fight against them. I wouldn’t flag this pair very clearly.
Portugal-Switzerland on Independence Day on TV2 and Areena at 21:00. The studio starts at 20:30.