England
Manager: Thomas Tuchel.
World Cup history: 17th appearance. Best result – Winner in 1966 (you may have heard).
England were trending in the right direction in major tournaments under Gareth Southgate, and have brought in former Champions League winner Tuchel to get them over the line and win a second World Cup. A well-balanced team, epitomised by all-rounder Declan Rice, they must not be paralysed by caution if they are to achieve their objectives.
Star man: Harry Kane. Arguably the best striker in world football this season, the Bayern Munich forward is also England’s record scorer and has scored eight World Cup goals.
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Croatia
Manager: Zlatko Dalić.
World Cup history: Seventh appearance. Best result – Final in 2018.
Zlatko Dalić and Luka Modric go once more for Croatia, who have achieved incredible things in the past two World Cups, reaching the final and semi-finals against the odds. It would be a greater shock for them to repeat that feat again with some key players past their best, but their slow, possession-based game should be well suited to the heat.
Star man: Joško Gvardiol. Perhaps the best defender at the last World Cup, the Manchester City man is a key player for the Premier League side, although he has only recently returned from a broken shin.
Ghana
Manager: Carlos Queiroz.
World Cup history: Fifth appearance. Best result – Quarter-finals in 2010.
Ghana have plenty of talent in their squad, but they rarely play to the sum of their parts, losing five straight friendlies before a draw with Wales stopped the rot. Veteran manager Carlos Queiroz was hired to get a tune out of them, which should mean defensive tactics, but without the injured Mohammed Kudus they could be lacking in flair.
Star man: Antoine Semenyo. The Manchester City forward scored 17 goals in the Premier League and the winner in the FA Cup final, but needs to bring that form to international level with only three goals in 34 games for Ghana.
Panama
Manager: Thomas Christiansen.
World Cup history: Second appearance. Best result – Group stage in 2018.
Panama will be wary of another thrashing, having lost 6-1 to England in 2018 with Kane scoring twice. Their recent results are not too bad, which explains their surprisingly high Fifa world ranking of 33, but a 6-2 friendly defeat to Brazil would have brought them back down to earth. A first World Cup point would represent a good achievement.
Star man: Amir Murillo. A solid right back who has played for Anderlecht, Marseille and Beşiktaş, he should be difficult to beat in a one-on-one.
