The Dark Horses Who Could Cause a Stir at the World Cup
*By Christian Smith*
The statistical computer models and data-driven simulations have all concluded that Brazil, Germany, and France are most likely to win the 2018 World Cup in Russia, but there are upstart teams and rising stars that could flip the tournament.
"The dark horse that the experts are picking and that I'm incredibly enthusiastic about is Belgium," said Jeffrey Marcus, publisher of the [World Cup newsletter The Banter](http://jointhebanter.com). "Belgium has never won a World Cup, but they have what people call the 'golden generation' ー every single player at every single position right now is world class."
Marcus, who covered the 2006 World Cup in Germany and the 2010 tournament in South Africa, said the best teams don't interest him as much as the teams that have the best stories, including Peru and Egypt.
Peru dominated South American soccer in the 1970s with Argentina and Brazil, but hasn't played in the World Cup since 1982. The team's star striker, Paolo Guerrero, earned a last-minute reprieve from a doping ban to be allowed to play at this World Cup. He said his positive test was a result of drinking tea made from coca leaves that a Lima hotel waiter served him. It’s a common enough Andean beverage, but it also shows up like cocaine in a drug test.
Along with the veteran Guerrero, Peru will be boosted by 22-year-old Renato Tapia, a hard-charging midfielder who Marcus said will turn heads at this World Cup. Peru may struggle to beat France, Australia, and Denmark in Group C, but Marcus said he is attracted to the team's story and its potential to surprise.
Egypt is led by one of the world's best players, Mohamed Salah, who Marcus called "the most positive player in the tournament." Egypt has only qualified for the World Cup twice before ー in 1990 and all the way back in 1934 ーand the Pharaohs have never made it out of group play. This may be the team's year. Egypt plays Uruguay on Friday in Group A.
The other teams in their group officially kicked off the tournament on Thursday, as the host Russia defeated Saudi Arabia 5-0 in Moscow.
The round-robin group stage will last for two weeks, after which the top two teams in each of the eight groups will advance to the round of 16. The World Cup final will be July 15 in Moscow.
For the full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/the-world-cup-2018s-heroes-and-villains-to-watch).
Trysta Krick, host of BetMGM Tonight, breaks down how several major NFL stories impact Week 9 lines, while Snapback Sports founder Jack Settleman makes sense of the chaos in college football and Iain MacMillan, Senior Editor at BetSided, gives his pick for who will win the 2022 NCAA Basketball Tournament.
Sponsored by BetMGM
Jack Settleman, Founder Snapback Sports and Sports Betting Analyst for The Game Day, joins Cheddar Bets to help break down the surprises and snubs from the initial College Football Playoff rankings, and who will finish in the top four when it's all said and done.
Sponsored by BetMGM
Iain MacMillan, Senior Editor BetSided, joins Cheddar Bets to discuss the likelihood of a freshman pulling down this year's Wooden Award, and gives his Cinderella pick for this year's National Champion.
Sponsored by BetMGM
Carlo and Baker discuss the fallout from Tuesday's election and the flashing warning sign for Dems ahead of the midterms. Also, a big 2A case at the Supreme Court, Aaron Rodgers has Covid and is in big trouble, and a first for the MCU.
Carlo and Baker discuss the election results across the country, including a Republican comeback in Virginia -- and possibly NJ -- plus the CDC gives the go-ahead for child vaccinations, Atlanta wins the World Series and more.
'THEMAGIC5' produces swimming goggles that contour the face using advanced robot technologies and 3D printing. Both of the company's founders Bo Haaber and Rasmus Barfred went on ABC's 'Shark Tank' and caught a $1 million deal. The duo join Cheddar News to talk about what the new funding means for the company.
Eli and Peyton Manning's "Monday Night Football" telecast on ESPN2 has quickly gained attraction and has now become one of the most talked-about popular sportscasts this season. The show has now become a huge success. Sports Agent Anthony Tall joined Cheddar to discuss more.
Carlo and Baker cover the big races to watch on this off-cycle Election Day, the concrete pledges starting to come out of COP26, Jeffrey Epstein keeps causing CEOs to lose their jobs, and Ryan Murphy's TV hit that wasn't.
Sportradar, a global sports data company, announced it will serve as UEFA’s exclusive authorized collector and distributor of data for betting purposes. The agreement covers 1,550 matches from the 2021-2022 season through to the end of the 2023-2024 season across all UEFA properties in Europe. Sportradar CEO Carsten Koerl joined Cheddar to provide additional details on the landmark partnership and some insight into the future of sports betting.
