Dream Team World Cup bosses to target Brazil and Portugal assets for quarter-final returns
DREAM TEAM WORLD CUP managers need to prepare their XIs for the quarter-finals.
Assuming you have enough transfers in the bank, it’s probably wise to target the two quarter-finals that are seemingly easier to predict.
On paper, England v France and Netherlands v Argentina are relatively even match-ups, this is reflected in the betting odds.
Whereas Croatia v Brazil and Morocco v Portugal both have odds-on favourites.
Don’t it wrong, Zlatko Dalic’s side and the Atlas Lions are both capable of progressing to the semi-finals, the former were finalists in Russia four years ago while the latter have been punching above their weight ever since they landed in Qatar.
But the smart, logical money is on the Selecao and Fernando Santos’ mob to reach the last four.
So how would this strategy specifically translate to your Dream Team World Cup XI?
Croatia have some excellent defenders and in Luka Modric, Marcelo Brozovic and Mateo Kovacic they have one of the best-balanced midfield trios in international football.
Their fatal flaw is most commonly exposed in the final third where they can be uninspiring and wasteful.
They put a leggy Canada to the sword but goals have been hard to come by in their other three fixtures this tournament.
2018’s runners-up drew 0-0 with both Morocco and Belgium in the group stage before drawing 1-1 with Japan in the round of 16, eventually progressing on penalties.
Most Dream Team World Cup gaffers would instinctively think of Brazil’s attacking assets first but perhaps it would be smarter to back Thiago Silva (£5.5m), Marquinhos (£5.5m) and Alisson (£5m) to keep a clean sheet.
That trio are nailed-on starters and they come at a cost.
Cheaper alternatives Danilo (£3.5m) and Eder Militao (£4.5m) will be the full-backs unless Alex Sandro (£4m) recovers from injury, which is a possibility.
In terms of Brazil’s firepower, only Lionel Messi (£7.5m) and Kylian Mbappe (£7.5m) have more points among forwards than Richarlison (£5.5m) right now – the Spurs man has 33 to his name having scored three goals in three outings.
With an ownership of 31.9%, Vinicius Junior (£6m) is the second-most selected midfielder in the game.
The Real Madrid winger finally delivered the returns his talent promised in the round of 16 as he banked ten points at the expense of South Korea.
Raphinha (£5m) will likely keep his place on the right flank and while he’s looked threatening, he’s been unable to provide the killer final touch, much to the frustration of his Dream Team World Cup owners.
And of course, Neymar (£7m) remains the main man and, perhaps crucially, he’s the five-time world champions’ penalty taker.
Portugal will have to work hard to break down a Moroccan side who have worked harder and been more disciplined than any other side at the tournament.
Bruno Fernandes (£4.5m) is the best-performing midfielder in the game at this juncture having racked up 34 points by virtue of two goals and three assists in three appearances.
Goncalo Ramos (£3m) will be a popular recruit in the next 48 hours after his hat-trick against Switzerland and with good reason.
However, given the North Africans are likely to attempt a repeat of their defensive masterclass against Spain when they meet Portugal on Saturday, are the latter’s defensive assets a potentially more reliable source of points?
Diogo Dalot (£3.5m) started ahead of Joao Cancelo (£6m) at right-back against Switzerland while left-back Raphael Guerreiro (£3.5m) got on the scoresheet – with 16 points to date the Borussia Dortmund defender is the top performer in his position among his compatriots.
Pepe (£4.5m) and Ruben Dias (£5.5m) make up an physically intimidating centre-back pairing although it’s worth noting the latter only has three points to show for his efforts in Qatar.
Heading into the quarter-finals, a Dream Team World Cup XI featuring Alisson, Silva, Danilo, Guerreiro, Fernandes, Vinicius Jnr, Ramos and Richarlison would be well placed to provide plentiful returns in the quarter-finals.
Dare you back the two clearest favourites to such a dramatic degree?