Sport
Your World Cup predictions
We ask a cross-section of figures from Maccabi football for their predictions about who the winners and losers will be at the World Cup finals in Russia.
June 11, 2018 13:01
We ask a cross-section of figures from Maccabi football for their predictions about who the winners and losers will be at the World Cup finals in Russia.
June 11, 2018 13:01ANDY LANDESBERG (London Lions manager)
GROUP QUALIFIERS
Group A Uruguay, Russia
Group B Spain, Portugal
Group C France, Denmark
Group D Argentina, Croatia
Group E Brazil, Switzerland
Group F Germany, Sweden
Group G England, Belgium
Group H Colombia, Poland
How will England fare? I think England just may surprise a few people, it looks like they have a close-knit squad and perhaps a lack of real experience, but with that comes a better and calmer team environment. A ONE-TEAM approach. I fancy a quarter or semi-final finish.
Which English players will shine? Normally one would look at the star forward players as the immediate response to this question. My view is that it will be a defender or perhaps the goalkeeper who will shine at this tournament. It's a tough choice but I am going to go for Jordan Pickford. If Fabian Delp gets a chance to play/start he could really be an asset to the team.
Which English players will be making Pizza Hut adverts after the tournament? Perhaps Danny Rose or Dele Alli.
Who will you cheer for after England get KO’d? France
Winners: France
Dark horses: Croatia
Player of the tournament: Pogba
Top-scoring team: Argentina
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JOEL NATHAN (General Manager, Maccabi GB)
GROUP QUALIFIERS
Group A Uruguay, Russia
Group B Spain, Portugal
Group C France, Denmark
Group D Argentina, Croatia
Group E Brazil, Switzerland
Group F Germany, South Korea
Group G England, Belgium
Group H Poland, Colombia
How will England fare? Quarter-finals
Which English players will shine? Tripper, Rose
Which English players will be making Pizza Hut adverts after the tournament? Dele Alli
Who will you cheer for after England get KO’d? Spain
Winners: Brazil
Dark horses: Uruguay
Player of the tournament: Neymar
Top-scoring team: Spain
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NATHAN KOSKY (London Lions chairman)
GROUP QUALIFIERS
Group A Uruguay, Russia
Group B Spain, Portugal
Group C France, Denmark
Group D Iceland, Croatia
Group E Brazil, Switzerland
Group F Germany, South Korea
Group G England, Belgium
Group H Poland, Columbia
How will England fare? Will have to go some not to get out the group, if they get a decent draw they can progress to the quarters.
Which English players will shine? If Harry Kane gets a fast start in the group, he could be a Golden Boot contender.
Which English players will be making Pizza Hut adverts after the tournament? Raheem Sterling, John Stones
Who will you cheer for after England get KO’d? Probably Belgium - three Spurs players and would be great to see a new winner!
Winners: Brazil
Dark horses: Switzerland
Player of the tournament: Neymar
Top-scoring team: Russia
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TONY GOLD (former London Lions manager)
Group A Uruguay, Egypt
Group B Spain, Portugal
Group C France, Peru
Group D Argentina, Croatia
Group E Brazil, Serbia
Group F Germany, South Korea
Group G England, Belgium
Group H Colombia, Japan
How will England fare? I believe the quarter-finals are very realistic. The squad is young, vibrant, has good balance and is very determined. Pace is a great asset and I think in the final third they will cause most teams problems, it is just defensively where I think against the world's best, we will come unstuck. There are a few players whose selection raised a few eyebrows, but this is England, everyone is an expert. On the whole Southgate has got it right.
Which English players will shine? I believe Pickford will have a good, solid tournament, and if we are to progress to the later stages, we will need one. I am hoping that Sterling and Kane can reproduce their great form on the big stage. Again, those two need to be firing on all cylinders for us to progress. I also hope Loftus-Cheek gets a chance. He is very talented and has the all round game to shine.
Which English players will be making Pizza Hut adverts after the tournament? Staying positive on this one, so hopefully none!
Who will you cheer for after England get KO’d? No-one in particular, just looking forward to seeing good, competitive football, played the right way.
Winners: France will take some beating. If they have the togetherness and Deschamps gets his tactics spot on, I really believe they will be the team to beat, that French squad has everything. Obviously, you can never rule out the usual suspects, Argentina, Brazil, Spain and Germany. If ever there were a time for a generation of QUALITY squad players to do it, this could be Belgium's World Cup.
Dark horses: Uruguay - The manager - Oscar Tabarez is hugely experienced. The squad has a wealth of experience and quality. If they hit the ground running.....capable of beating anyone.
Player of the tournament? Antoine Griezmann
Top-scoring team: France
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GREG CORIN (Hendon United manager - MGBSFL champions 2018-19)
GROUP QUALIFIERS
Group A Uruguay, Russia
Group B Spain, Portugal
Group C France, Denmark
Group D Argentina, Croatia
Group E Brazil, Serbia
Group F Germany, Mexico
Group G England, Belgium
Group H Poland, Colombia
How will England fare? Last 16
Which English players will shine? Kane, Loftus-Cheek, Rashford
Which English players will be making Pizza Hut adverts after the tournament? Whoever plays centre back
Who will you cheer for after England get KO’d? Uruguay
Winners: Brazil
Dark horses: Uruguay
Player of the tournament: Neymar
Top-scoring team: Germany
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ROB RICHMAN (Director of Football at North London Raiders and chairman of the National Football Committee)
GROUP QUALIFIERS
Group A Uruguay, Egypt
Group B Spain, Portugal
Group C France, Peru
Group D Argentina, Nigeria
Group E Brazil, Switzerland
Group F Germany, Mexico
Group G Belgium, England
Group H Poland, Columbia
How will England fare? Quarter finals and probably get knocked-out by Brazil
Which English players will shine? Harry Kane is probably the obvious pick but if he gets enough time on the pitch I think Rashford could have a great tournament.
Which English players will be making Pizza Hut adverts after the tournament? Dele Alli
Who will you cheer for after England get KO’d? Brazil
Winners: Brazil
Dark horses: Uruguay and Belgium will have good tournaments and we may see one of those sides in the semi-final.
Player of the tournament: Neymar
Top-scoring team: Uruguay
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SAM MARCHANT (Maccabi London Lions Blue manager)
GROUP QUALIFIERS
Group A Uruguay, Russia
Group B Spain, Portugal
Group C France, Denmark
Group D Argentina, Croatia
Group E Brazil, Switzerland
Group F Germany, Mexico
Group G England, Belgium
Group H Poland, Columbia
How will England fare? I personally am never excited about England at international competitions, but their youth and pace going forward could make for a surprise if everything comes together (which it rarely does). I fancy England to get knocked out in the quarter finals.
Which English players will shine? I’m personally a big fan of Rashford. I think he is direct, has good feet and is insanely quick. As long as he gets a fair chance I think he might shine. Someone else who will shine if given their chance is Harry Maguire. I saw him two seasons ago for Hull against Chelsea and he had Diego Costa in his pocket. He has potential to be a world-class centre half.
Which English players will be making Pizza Hut adverts after the tournament? I’m not entirely sure what that represents! However, it sounds like something Jamie Vardy could be dragged into.
Who will you cheer for after England get KO’d? I really don’t know who I will support, perhaps Brazil. I’ll of course continue to watch the games and just hope that they are exciting to watch.
Winners: Argentina
Dark horses: I don’t think they’ll be such a dark horse this year, but if I have to exclude the top recognised teams in the world, I’d say Russia.
Player of the tournament:Lionel Messi
Top-scoring team: Argentina
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RAY ABRAHAMS (Scrabble FC manager)
GROUP QUALIFIERS
Group A Uruguay, Russia
Group B Spain, Portugal
Group C France, Denmark
Group D Argentina, Croatia
Group E Brazil, Switzerland
Group F Germany, Sweden
Group G England, Belgium
Group H Poland, Columbia
How will England fare? Quarter-finals
Which English players will shine? Pickford, Maguire, Sterling, Trippier, Henderson
Which English players will be making Pizza Hut adverts after the tournament? Kane, Vardy and Alli
Who will you cheer for after England get KO’d? Belgium
Winners: Belgium
Dark horses: Portugal
Player of the tournament: Eden Hazard
Top scoring team: Brazil
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MITCH YOUNG (FC Team)
GROUP QUALIFIERS
Group A Uruguay, Egypt
Group B Spain, Portugal
Group C France, Denmark
Group D Argentina, Croatia
Group E Brazil, Switzerland
Group F Germany, South Korea
Group G England, Belgium
Group H Colombia, Poland
How will England fare? Semi-finals
Which English players will shine? Kieran Trippier and Harry Kane
Which English players will be making Pizza Hut adverts after the tournament? Marcus Rashford
Who will you cheer for after England get KO’d? Probably Brazil
Winners: France
Dark horses: England
Player of the tournament: Mbappe
Top-scoring team: Brazil
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ALON PINHAS (Bayern Mincha)
GROUP QUALIFIERS
Group A Russia, Uruguay
Group B Spain, Portugal
Group C France, Denmark
Group D Argentina, Croatia
Group E Brazil, Switzerland
Group F Germany, Mexico
Group G England, Belgium
Group H Poland, Colombia
How far will England go? Quarters if we are lucky
Which English players will shine? Alli, Kane, Trippier, Pickford to shine
Which English players will be making Pizza Hut adverts after the tournament? Butland and Pope
Who will you cheer for after England get KO’d? Brazil
Winners: Brazil
Dark horses: Croatia
Player of the Tournament: Neymar
Top-scoring team: Brazil
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BRANDON HAMME (Mill Hill Dons manager)
GROUP QUALIFIERS
Group A Uruguay, Russia
Group B Spain, Portugal
Group C France, Denmark
Group D Argentina, Iceland
Group E Brazil, Switzerland
Group F Germany, Sweden
Group G England, Belgium
Group H Poland, Colombia
How will England fare: Quarter-finals knocked out by Brazil
Which English players will shine: Raheem Sterling, Kyle Walker and Jordan Pickford
Which England player will be making Pizza Hut commercials: Ashley Young
Who will I cheer on after England get knocked out: Belgium. Got to be supporting the three Spurs boys!
Winners: Spain. The way they dismantled Argentina a few weeks back was scary. Their squad has a lot of depth and are coming into the tournament in great form.
Dark Horses: Uruguay. I think Uruguay’s World Cup team heading into this summer’s tournament is stronger than the one that finished fourth in 2010. They are both strong in defence and attack. The centre back partnership of Godin and Gimenez will be one of the strongest at the tournament with both also having the benefit of playing together on a regular basis at club level, which is a big advantage in international football. The striker partnership of Cavani and Suarez speaks for itself, defenders won’t like coming up against them.
Player of the Tournament: Isco
Top -scoring team: Brazil
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RUSSELL CORIN (Hendon United - winner of the MGBSFL Golden Glove award)
GROUP QUALIFIERS
Group A Uruguay, Egypt
Group B Spain, Portugal
Group C France, Peru
Group D Argentina, Croatia
Group E Brazil, Serbia
Group F Germany, Mexico
Group G England, Belgium
Group H Poland, Colombia
How will England fare? Quarter-finals
Which English players will shine? Pickford, Rashford
Which English players will be making Pizza Hut adverts after the tournament? Cahill, Henderson
Who will you cheer for after England get KO’d? Brazil
Winners: Brazil
Dark horses: Croatia
Player of the tournament? Neymar
Top-scoring team? Brazil
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SIMON LINDEN (Temple Fortune manager)
Group A Uruguay, Russia
Group B Spain, Portugal,
Group C France, Denmark
Group D Argentina,Croatia
Group E Brazil,Switzerland,
Group F Germany, Mexico,
Group G England,Belgium,
Group H Poland Senegal,
How will England fare? Quarter-finals
Which English players will shine? Kane will be a big hit, six goals in five games, Walker will be great as a centre back in a three.
Which English players will be making Pizza Hut adverts after the tournament? I can see Henderson missing a pen, perhaps Sterling as well.
Who will you cheer for after England get KO’d? Belgium because of the Premier League and spurs players.
Winners: Germany, must be something special to leave out Sane!
Dark horses: Difficult to call, I’m going for Mexico.
Player of the tournament: Messi, I just have a feeling Kane could compete with him but England will go out earlier.
Top-scoring team: Germany
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JONNY DAVIS (South Manchester Sports Club chairman)
GROUP QUALIFIERS
Group A Uruguay, Egypt
Group B Spain, Portugal
Group C France, Denmark
Group D Argentina, Iceland
Group E Brazil, Switzerland
Group F Germany, Mexico
Group G Belgium, England
Group H Poland, Japan
How will England fare? Semi-finals
Which English players will shine? Kane, Pickford, Rashford
Which English players will be making Pizza Hut adverts after the tournament? Dele Alli
Who will you cheer for after England get KO’d? Brazil
Winners: Brazil
Dark horses: Belgium
Player of the tournament: Neymar
Top-scoring team: Argentina
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JACOB EMANUEL (Hertswood Vale joint-manager)
GROUP QUALIFIERS
Group A Uruguay, Russia
Group B Spain, Portugal
Group C France, Denmark
Group D Argentina, Croatia
Group E Brazil, Switzerland
Group F Germany, Sweden
Group G England, Belgium
Group H Poland, Colombia
How will England fare? Quarter-final stage
Which English players will shine? Kane, Alli and Trippier
Which English players will be making Pizza Hut adverts after the tournament? Trent Alexander-Arnold. Who else?
Who will you cheer for after England get KO’d? France. Viva la France!
Winners: France
Dark horses: Belgium
Player of the tournament: Neymar
Top-scoring team: Brazil
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RAFI ADDLESTONE (Real Hendon)
GROUP QUALIFIERS
Group A Uruguay, Egypt
Group B Spain, Portugal
Group C France, Peru
Group D Argentina, Croatia
Group E Brazil, Serbia
Group , Germany, South Korea
Group G England, Belgium
Group H Colombia, Japan
How will England fare? Quarter-finals a valiant exit for an inexperienced side with strong team spirit
Which English players will shine? Kieran Trippier – Southgate’s system will offer him lots of opportunity to whip in fantastic crosses
Which English players will be making Pizza Hut adverts after the tournament? Delle Ali - wearing Boohoo
Who will you cheer for after England get KO’d? Pontus Jansson and his magic Swedish hat
Winners: France
Dark horses: Peru
Player of the tournament: Griezmann
Top-scoring team: Brazil
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JAKE SANDERS (Director of Football – Fairlop FC)
GROUP QUALIFIERS
Group A Uruguay, Russia
Group B Spain, Portugal
Group C France, Denmark
Group D Argentina, Croatia
Group E Brazil, Switzerland
Group F Germany, Mexico
Group G England, Belgium
Group H Poland, Colombia
How will England fare? Should comfortably get out of the group, then sneak past Poland or Colombia in the Last 16 but Germany or Brazil will have too much in the quarter-finals
Which English players will shine? Harry Kane, Raheem Sterling
Which English players will be making Pizza Hut adverts after the tournament? John Stones
Who will you cheer for after England get KO’d? Belgium
Winners: Brazil
Dark horses: Croatia
Player of the tournament: Neymar
Top-scoring team: Brazil
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JEFF GOTCH (Catford & Bromley Maccabi manager)
GROUP QUALIFIERS
Group A: Winners - Uruguay, RU - Egypt
Group B Winners - Spain, RU - Portugal
Group C Winners - France, RU - Peru
Group D Winners - Argentina, RU - Croatia
Group E Winners - Brazil, RU - Serbia
Group F Winners - Germany, RU - Mexico
Group G Winners - England, RU - Belgium
Group H Winners - Poland, RU - Colombia
How will England fare? Quarters
Which English players will shine? Sterlng
Which English players will be making Pizza Hut adverts after the tournament? No adverts – heads in shame
Winners: Brazil
Dark horses: Brazil
Player of the tournament: Neymar
Top-scoring team: Brazil
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ADAM ARNOLD (Maccabi London Lions White captain)
GROUP QUALIFIERS
Group A Uruguay, Russia
Group B Spain, Portugal
Group C France, Denmark
Group D Argentina, Nigeria
Group E Brazil, Switzerland
Group F Germany, Mexico
Group G England, Belgium
Group H Colombia, Poland
How will England fare? It’s a young team with quality and I envisage a successful tournament - minimum semi-finals.
Which English players will shine? Sterling, Stones and Kane
Which English players will be making Pizza Hut adverts after the tournament? Dier and Alli
Who will you cheer for after England get KO’d? The biggest underdog left.
Winners: Brazil
Dark horses: Nigeria
Player of the tournament: Neymar
Top-scoring team: Brazil
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RICHARD BRONZITE (Redbridge Jewish Care, team secretary)
GROUP QUALIFIERS
Group A Uruguay, Russia
Group B Spain, Portugal
Group C France, Denmark
Group D Argentina, Croatia
Group E Brazil, Switzerland
Group F Germany, Mexico
Group G England, Belgium
Group H Poland, Colombia
How will England fare: Quarter-finals
Which English players will shine: Harry Maguire, Kieran Trippier
Which English players will be making Pizza Hut adverts after the tournament? Lingard, Henderson
Who will you cheer for after England get KO’d: Belgium
Winners: France
Dark horses: Uruguay
Player of the tournament: Griezmann
Top-scoring teams? Uruguay: Spain
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GLENN DAVIS (Chigwell Athletic)
GROUP QUALIFIERS
Group A Uruguay, Egypt
Group B Spain, Portugal
Group C France, Peru
Group D Argentina, Croatia
Group E Brazil, Serbia
Group F Germany, Mexico
Group G England, Belgium
Group H Poland, Colombia
How will England fare? Quarter-finals
Which English players will shine? Sterling and Lingaard
Which English players will be making Pizza Hut adverts after the tournament? Kane
Who will you cheer for after England get KO’d? Nobody!
Dark horses: Colombia
Player of the tournament: Messi
Top-scoring team: France
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ANDY MILLER (Manager of Maccabi London Lions White U13)
GROUP QUALIFIERS
Group A Uruguay, Russia
Group B Spain, Portugal
Group C France, Denmark
Group D Argentina,Croatia
Group E Brazil, Serbia
Group F Germany, Mexico
Group G England, Belgium
Group H Poland Japan
How will England fare? Lose 2-0 in the quarter-finals against Germany
Which English player will shine? John Stones
Which English players will be making Pizza Hut adverts after the tournament? Dele Alli
Who will you cheer for after England get KO’d? Brazil - always love watching them play
Winners: France
Dark horses: Uruguay
Player of the tournament: Neymar
Top-scoring team: Brazil
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SCOTT ANSHER (BRADY MACCABI MASTERS)
GROUP QUALIFIERS
Group A Uruguay, Russia
Group B Spain, Portugal
Group C France, Denmark
Group D Argentina, Croatia
Group E Brazil, Serbia
Group F Germany, South Korea
Group G England, Belgium, Panama, Tunisia
Group H Senegal, Poland, Colombia, Japan
How will England fare? We will definitely progress from the group, and depends who we get in the last 16, as to whether we get to the quarter-finals or not.
Which English players will shine? Rashford, Kane
Which English players will be making Pizza Hut adverts after the tournament? Hopefully none!
Who will you cheer for after England get KO’d? Belgium
Winners: Brazil
Dark horses: Uruguay
Player of the tournament: Eden Hazard
Top-scoring team: Argentina
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STEVEN ALLWEIS (Man City fan and London Maccabi Vale)
Group A Uruguay, Egypt
Group B Spain, Portugal
Group C France, Peru
Group D Argentina, Croatia
Group E Brazil, Serbia
Group F Germany, Mexico
Group G England, Belgium
Group H Colombia, Japan
How will England fare? Quarter-finals
Which English players will shine? Sterling, Lingard
Which English players will be making Pizza Hut adverts after the tournament? Maguire
Who will you cheer for after England get KO’d? Spain
Winners: Spain
Dark horses: Uruguay
Player of the tournament: Diego Costa
Top-scoring team: Brazil
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JONNY BLAIN (Football statistician & North London Raiders Masters)
Group A Uruguay, Russia
Group B Spain, Morocco
Group C France, Peru
Group D Argentina, Croatia
Group E Brazil, Serbia
Group F Germany, Mexico
Group G England, Belgium
Group H Poland, Colombia (although nearly picked Senegal, decent side)
How will England fare? Quarter-final
Which English players will shine? Nobody will stand out - will do enough to get through a relatively easy group and likely get past Poland or Colombia
Which English players will be making Pizza Hut adverts after the tournament? Pickford probably...
Who will you cheer for after England get KO’d? Brazil, as I have a financial interest in them winning it!
Winners: Brazil
Dark horses: Uruguay or Serbia
Player of the tournament? Neymar
Top-scoring team? Boring, but Brazil
Email your selections to dcaro@thejc.com
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