2018 World Cup Team Profiles: Group H

In the eighth and final edition of our World Cup Team Profiles, Group H gets a run through. Who will stand tallest amongst Robert Lewandowski's Poland, Sadio Mané's Senegal, James Rodríguez's Colombia and Shinji Kagawa's Japan? Let's take a look.

Want to hear more about these groups? Check out our Betting on the World Cup Podcast! You can listen to Stats Insider staff go in deep on each group. Here's their Group G & H Preview.

Average Group Outcome (According to Stats Insider Models): 
Colombia
Poland
Senegal
Japan

POLAND

Average Finishing Place In Group: 2nd
Odds to Qualify from Group (Percentage Chance): $1.63 (61.5%)
Odds to Win Group (Percentage Chance): $3.49 (28.69)
Odds to Finish Bottom of Group (Percentage Chance): $6.70 (14.9%)
Odds to Win World Cup: $97 (1.0%)

Adam Nawalka’s Polish side are back in the World Cup for the first time since 2006. They were superb during qualifying, winning eight of their ten games. Robert Lewandowski set a record-breaking 16 goal haul, and Captained the side superbly.

Poland, however, are not a one-man team and have talent outside of their brilliant leader. Juventus’ Wojciech Szczesny is their keeper between the posts, with Kamil Glik anchoring the defence in front of him. Grzegorz Krychowiak controls things from central midfield alongside Piotr Zielinski, who is one of the young players to watch this summer. The pairing has allowed Nawalka to turn the team into a possession-based unit, rather than the previous counter-attacking setup they employed.

With Lewandowski 29 years old, this is Poland’s best chance perhaps for many years. Apart from their 4-0 thrashing by Denmark, they impressed in qualifying, so if they can fix those minor defensive issues they have more than enough to get out of their group and into the knockout stages.

Keep your eye on: the main man up front, Robert Lewandowski. An incredible forward who was perhaps the best player in European qualifying alongside Cristiano Ronaldo, Lewandowski gives Poland a chance in any game because he is truly that good. Whilst not a one-man team as previously stated, the Polish will still only go as far as their Captain can take them.

SENEGAL

Average Finishing Place In Group: 3rd
Odds to Qualify from Group (Percentage Chance): $2.09 (47.7%)
Odds to Win Group (Percentage Chance): $4.63 (21.6%)
Odds to Finish Bottom of Group (Percentage Chance): $6.70 (14.9%)
Odds to Win World Cup: $193 (0.5%)

Senegal enters their second World Cup after Aliou Cissé guided them through a tricky qualification group, including South Africa, Cape Verde and Burkina Faso. The athleticism of this team is unparalleled in African football and is certainly one of the best in World Football. The Lions of Teranga are definitely a team to watch if you love seeing teams just try to destroy opponents with pace and athleticism.

Cissé has generally opted for a 4-3-3 setup, or the occasional 4-4-2. The team was also embroiled in a controversy after one of their losses voided when FIFA decided an official had intentionally manipulated the match when the Senegalese lost to South Africa. Senegal would eventually win the replay and would help seal their road to qualification.

Kalidou Koulibaly is the central defensive lynchpin, but it’s in attack where the Senegalese really shine. M’Baye Niang, Sadio Mané, Keita Baldé and Diafra Sakho form a devastatingly fast and powerful forward line that will cause their opponents all sorts of issues this summer.

Keep your eye on: Mané is the undoubted star of this team. Like El Hadji Diouf in 2002, the wideman will be the talismanic presence who will be relied on to provide inspiration. Mané is an incredibly talented dribbler, crosser and finisher, and led African qualifying in assists. The 26-year-old gets to show the world on the biggest stage how truly devastating he can be.

COLOMBIA

Average Finishing Place In Group: 1st
Odds to Qualify from Group (Percentage Chance): $1.39 (72.2%)
Odds to Win Group (Percentage Chance): $2.26 (44.2%)
Odds to Finish Bottom of Group (Percentage Chance): $4.54 (22.0%)
Odds to Win World Cup: $50 (2.0%)

Quarter Finalists in 2014, the Colombians will fancy themselves once again this time in Russia as José Pékerman leads his men into the biggest of big tournaments. Colombia qualified fourth in South American qualifying, behind Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina. It was a very tough road for Pékerman’s men, but they have the talent to do some damage this summer.

James Rodríguez burst onto the stage in 2014 with some wonderful play and goals and will lead his nation’s hopes once again in 2018. David Ospina anchors the team in between the posts, Juan Cuadrado driving things from out wide and Radamel Falcao will be looking to bag his share of goals leading the line in attack.

There are question marks in defence ahead of Ospina, with a lack of quality and concerns about an ageing back four. However Tottenham starlet Davinson Sanchez may be ready to answer those concerns and will certainly get his chance.

Keep your eye on: Rodríguez, who has been revitalised since his move to Bayern Munich from Real Madrid where he struggled for consistent game time despite still playing well in limited minutes. His ability to create something out of nothing is a rare talent, and if he can do it again this summer it’ll go a long way to Colombia finding success. He is simply magic with the ball at his feet and is one of the world’s premier playmakers.

JAPAN

Average Finishing Place In Group: 4th
Odds to Qualify from Group (Percentage Chance): $5.37 (18.6%)
Odds to Win Group (Percentage Chance): $18.20 (5.5%)
Odds to Finish Bottom of Group (Percentage Chance): $1.86 (53.7%)
Odds to Win World Cup: $1700 (0.1%)

Vahid Halilhodzic leads the Japanese into the 2018 edition of the World Cup after he took Algeria to the last 16 in 2014, and will hope to replicate that success this summer with a talented Japan side. Halilhodzic’s style and decision making have come into question, with Keisuke Honda, Shinji Kagawa and Shinji Okazaki all dropped at times since the Bosnian took charge because of a lack of fit into his preferred counter-attacking style.

Japan finished first in Group B of Asian qualifying, ahead of Saudi Arabia and Australia in what was a tough group. Southampton’s Maya Yoshida steadies the Japanese back four, with Yosuke Ideguchi ahead of him in Central Midfield.

They’ve always been one of Asia’s leading nations, but the Japanese have never made it past the Round of 16 in any of the World Cup’s they’ve qualified for. It’ll be interesting to see whether it’s the conservative approach of Halilhodzic that leads them in the right direction or not.

Keep your eye on: for all his struggles under Halilhodzic, it still has to be Shinji Kagawa. The former Manchester United man has rediscovered his form back at Borussia Dortmund after a couple of tough seasons in England. At 29 years old this will likely be his last chance, at least at his peak. His ability to unlock defences with his passing will be key to any Japanese hopes of success this summer.

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