Pawa6 WC22 Edition Round 5 Preview: win MWK 1.5 Million for free
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This is the first WC to see no side win all 3 of their group games since 1994. That sums up the thrilling nature of the tournament so far, and there’s plenty to come in the knockout phase. Here are some insights to help you make your Pawa6 Round 5 picks.
France vs Poland
Trends favour the French
PSG and France superstar Kylian Mbappé stole the limelight in 2018 and now he’s only the second player to have 7 career WC goals before the age of 24, alongside Pelé.
He’ll be up against Poland’s in-form Juventus goalkeeper Wojciech Szczęsny however who, despite losing to Argentina, became only the second goalkeeper since 1966 to save a World Cup penalty he also conceded. It was the second time the ex-Arsenal man denied a spot-kick taker in the tournament.
Poland have failed to score in 5 of their last 7 games against France, and the last time Les Bleus lost a R16 match at the WC was in 1934. Speaking of history, this is Poland’s first knockout game at a WC since Mexico 1986. Robert Lewandowski wasn’t born yet.
France coach Didier Deschamps shuffled his pack heavily against Tunisia but the defending champions will be back to full strength against the Poles. Deschamps is one of just 3 people to win this tournament as a player and manager alongside Brazil’s Mario Zagallo and Germany’s Franz Beckenbauer.
pawaStat:
Kylian Mbappé has made 355 appearances for club and country, hitting 62 braces and 13 hat-tricks in that time
England vs Senegal
May as well be a Premier League match
Senegal’s starting 11s in Qatar have contained a strong Premier League spine with Edouard Mendy, Kalidou Koulibaly, Nampalys Mendy and Idrissa Gueye all featuring prominently. Watford’s Ismaïla Sarr is also no stranger to top-flight football in England, and his direct battle with Kyle Walker could be a pivotal one on Sunday. Sarr is one of 5 different Senegalese players to get on the scoresheet at WC22.
Three Lions boss Gareth Southgate has claimed more wins at WC or Euro finals than any other England manager (9 of them in 90 minutes), and he’s done so with a caution-first approach.
Idrissa Gana Gueye was outstanding for the Lions of Teranga when they went all the way at AFCON 2021 and would have been built for an occasion such as this one. The Everton man is suspended after an accumulation of yellow cards, which is a huge blow for Senegal boss Aliou Cissé. The baton could be passed onto Leicester City’s underrated midfield enforcer Nampalys Mendy.
Make no mistake, this will be a battle.
pawaStat:
Under Gareth Southgate’s tenure, 6 of England’s 7 knockout games at major tournaments have featured under 2.5 goals (in 90 minutes)
Japan vs Croatia
2018 finalists face the comeback kings
Japan’s controversial winner against Spain has been the talk of the online world, but let’s not forget how excellent they have been in their 2 wins over top-tier opposition, starting against Germany on matchday 1. Sandwiched in the middle was defeat to Costa Rica, which sums up how beautifully unpredictable the tournament has been.
On both occasions when Japan went a goal down in the first half, namely against Germany and Spain, they sent on substitutes which swung the contests in their favour, with second-half goals in both games. Both finished 2-1.
Croatia, in typically dogged fashion, ground out the 0-0 draw they needed against Belgium to claim their place here.
The evergreen Luca Modrić dropped yet another midfield masterclass, this time against Kevin De Bruyne, a man six years his junior. Little Luka will need to be aware of Japan’s extreme high-press tactics, but then again, Modrić is one of the most press-resistant players in the modern game. 2018’s runners-up still rely heavily on the Real Madrid man and will do so again on Monday.
What a fascinating contest this will be.
pawaStat:
Japan had 17.7% possession of the ball in their final group game against Spain
Brazil vs South Korea
Late drama on the cards?
4 of South Korea's last 7 goals at the World Cup have been scored in the 90th minute of matches or later. The most recent was arguably the most dramatic, delivered by Wolves striker Hwang Hee-chan, sending Korea here and Uruguay packing their bags for Montevideo.
Brazil made wholesale changes in defeat to Cameroon but coach Tite will bring back his strongest 11 here, of course. Brazil’s 3 matches at this tournament have produced 4 total goals, and all 4 of those have arrived after the hour mark.
The Seleção won the most recent of their 5 WC titles back in 2002, when South Korea and Japan staged the showpiece.
pawaStat:
Against Cameroon, veteran defender Dani Alves became the oldest player in history to appear in a World Cup game for Brazil, aged 39 years and 210 days
Morocco vs Spain
Don’t underestimate the Atlas Lions
Walid Regragui’s Morocco side have been superb throughout the tournament, conceding just once in 3 group stage matches. Their biggest test arrives against a Spain team that have scored in all of theirs, although Luis Enrique’s men failed to win their last 2 group games.
Expect Spain to hog the ball through the metronomic Pedri, but they’ll have to be creative about how they use it against stubborn opponents.
pawaStat:
All 4 of Morocco’s goals at Qatar 2022 have been scored by different players (Romain Saïss, Zakaria Aboukhlal, Hakim Ziyech and Youssef En-Nesyri)
Portugal vs Switzerland
Watch out for the wide men
Portugal had their opening 2 wins to thank for smooth progression to the R16, meaning that a dramatic defeat to South Korea was largely irrelevant.
Switzerland got the better of a chaotic 5-goal group game against Serbia, meaning that they’ve now progressed to the knockout stages of each of the 5 major tournaments they’ve been eligible for since 2014. With his goal against Serbia, Xherdan Shaqiri is one of 3 players to score at each of the last 3 World Cup tournaments - the others are Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
Man United full-back Diogo Dalot has been directly involved in 4 goals across his last 3 appearances for Portugal (2 goals, 2 assists), scoring or assisting in each.
pawaStat:
Cristiano Ronaldo has attempted exactly 100 shots at World Cup tournaments