Group G Preview ~ World Cup 2022
Cameroon – Brazil – Serbia – Switzerland (Rankings As Of Finals Draw, April 1, 2022)
Cameroon National Team Profile:
FIFA World Rank: 43
Manager: Rigobert Song
World Cup Appearances: 8
Best Finish: Quarterfinals (1990)
Odds to Win Cup: +30,000
Odds to Win Group G: +1,400
Odds to Qualify: +325
Group Stage Points Total O/U: 2.5
Group Stage Schedule:
November 24 vs. Switzerland
November 28 vs. Serbia
December 2 vs. Brazil
Cameroon might be one of the most recognizable Nations at the World Cup, but it hasn’t led to much success at the Finals. This appearance will be their 8th showing from the last 11 World Cup tournaments, but the obvious question is always a big one. Can you score?!
The Cameroon National Team has yet to have a positive goal differential in any tournament they’ve participated in, and the same concerns are there in 2022. Let’s just put the cards on the table. Cameroon has won a single match since their 1990 run to the quarterfinals, and before missing out on the event in 2018, this team was outscored 3 – 14 in 2010 and 2014.
As you know, the 2010 version of the show was held in Africa, yet Cameroon still couldn’t find much success to speak of. Let’s not call it a lack of effort, as much as being outclassed by a pair of European outfits time and again, and yes, scoring is the name of the game.
Some clubs can manage to find scoreless draws and advance with a few points, but we haven’t seen that happen in quite a few years, and the odds of it happening for Cameroon are high and not very good.
Getting here was an interesting process, however, and that tie with Algeria that produced that 2 – 2 aggregate late goal was magical. I can still the Cameroon side going bonkers when the ball hit twine to give them the clinching bid for Qatar. Reinventing that magic will be difficult considering all three teams in this group are ranked much higher than Cameroon.
Vincent Aboubakar just needs one tally to move into third place alone on the all-time scoring list for Cameroon. The Captain has accumulated 88 caps over his International career, and everyone hopes that he can capture any of the magic he produced in the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations tourney. He led all scorers with 8 goals and earned an AFCON Best XI award for the effort.
Karl Toko Ekambi & Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting will both be hoping to also contribute up front, as they both scored against Algeria in that second leg that got them here. Toko scored that 120-+4’ goal to send the Cameroon crazies into a frenzy.
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Brazil National Team Profile:
FIFA World Rank: 1
Manager: Tite
World Cup Appearances: 22
Best Finish: Champions 5 (1958, ‘62, ‘70, ‘94, 2002)
Odds to Win Cup: +475
Odds to Win Group G: -275
Odds to Qualify: -1,250
Group Stage Points Total O/U: 6.5
Group Stage Schedule:
November 24 vs. Serbia
November 28 vs. Switzerland
December 2 vs. Cameroon
Everyone loves Brazil to win this shindig, so they must win because they are the best team in the world and they are ranked #1 by FIFA for a reason, right?
My goodness, could you please check yourself at the door and know that Brazil and getting anything handed to them here in Qatar? You know, I always think it is tough for a South American Nation to win big events outside of their Continent, but then it hit me that Brazil has won all 5 of their Cup on foreign soil.
Even more amazingly, the only time they did host the event, they didn’t even hoist the trophy. Despite Ademir leading the tourney for Brazil with 9 goals, they lost to Uruguay in the 1950 finals, 2 – 1.
Okay, we can go on about the history of Brazil at the World Cup because they have competed in every damn one of them! Some dude named Neymar is the dude everyone has their money on to go out and produce big goals in big moments.
I have so many issues with him that I cannot even start, so it’s hard for me to see past them. This guy dives like no one’s business and has gotten more calls than I can even start to discuss with you. When Brazil is home? Oh, my, GOD! I just can’t even watch it.
It’s not only that for me, but it’s also about when he fouls someone, and then Act II begins.
So, you can count on him to win your trophy, win this group, yadda yadda, Yay Brazil! There will be no one wearing green and gold lifting a trophy in Qatar!
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Serbia National Team Profile:
FIFA World Rank: 21
Manager: Dragan Stojković
World Cup Appearances: 12
Best Finish: 4th Place (1930, ‘62)
Odds to Win Cup: +12,500
Odds to Win Group G: +600
Odds to Qualify: +120
Group Stage Points Total O/U: 3.5
Group Stage Schedule:
November 24 vs. Brazil
November 28 vs. Cameroon
December 2 vs. Switzerland
Serbia and the Swiss are supposedly battling for that other Round of 16 spot that comes after you land behind Brazil. Opening the event against Brazil will provide an immediate dose of reality for the Serbs who come into the event in the 21st spot on the FIFA World Rankings.
Serbia sits only ranked ahead of Poland out of all the UEFA participants in Qatar, and they are one of the few Nations here that can say they were a participant in the first edition of the World Cup in 1930. Competing under the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, we all recognize how much this Nation has changed and gone through since.
On the football pitch, since adapting to Serbia (& Montenegro for a moment), this team has been here for 3 of the last 4 Finals but let’s just say there hasn’t been much positive to discuss from the showings.
Serbia has bowed out of the group stage all 3 times, and they were outscored 6 – 17 along the way being sent home early each time.
Alex Mitrović was ridiculous during the UEFA World Cup qualifying round, and let’s keep in mind that this is the team that almost kept Portugal out of this year’s event. Because Serbia went into Portugal and took 3 points on the final day of Group A qualifying, Portugal was the Nation that had to play an extra round to earn their bid to Qatar.
Mitrovic scored 6 goals in the first stage of qualifying, and he pounded home 8 more goals in the final UEFA Group A section that earned this team the bid here. Let’s go on a limb to say that how he goes, Serbia might go!
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Swiss National Team Profile:
FIFA World Rank: 15
Manager: Murat Yakin
World Cup Appearances:12
Best Finish: Quarterfinals 3 (1934, ‘38, ‘54)
Odds to Win Cup: +8,000
Odds to Win Group G: +550
Odds to Qualify: -110
Group Stage Points Total O/U: 3.5
Group Stage Schedule:
November 24 vs. Cameroon
November 28 vs. Brazil
December 2 vs. Serbia
Are the Swiss the odd team out with Cameroon, or can this be the Nation that moves to the Round of 16, somehow?
Switzerland advanced to Qatar after earning the top spot in UEFA’s Group C WC qualifying which contained Italia, Northern Ireland, Lithuania, and Bulgaria. It is hard to not be impressed by the undefeated run of results that eventually landed Italy home for this year’s tournament. (Yes, to say I am crushed by that is an epic understatement)
The Swiss outscored the group 15 – 2, and Breel Embolo led all qualifyers with 3 tallies during the stage. Embolo calls Monaco home of late, and his 3 goals in qualifying make it 11 for his International career from 58 caps.
Xherdan Shaqiri is arguably the most recognizable Swiss player, especially for me being that he played in Serie A for a spell and has been with the Swiss team for over 10 years now. He is now playing his club football in the States with the Chicago Fire, so I get to see him from time to time having so much access to MLS here in the U.S.
Granit Xhaka joins Shaqiri as part of a trio of players with triple-digit caps for the Swiss, and the Captain is playing his club football with Arsenal at the moment. Defenseman Ricardo Rodriguez just nailed down his 100th cap, and with one more goal, he can be a double-digit scorer sitting on 9 coming into Qatar.
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World Cup 2022 Group G Predictions and Bets: (Bookmaker BetOnline)
Aleksandar Mitrovic Over 1.5 Goals +175 1U
Cameroon To Finish Bottom of Group -115 1U
Brazil / Serbia Qualify From Group G +150 1U
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