World Cup Group E: Back Spain to finish top of Group E

World Cup Qatar 2022 begins on the 21st November and here at BettingOdds.com we will have unrivalled coverage of this huge sporting occasion including team/group previews, match betting prediction and props, bet-builders and ante post markets. Here we preview Group E...

Team Profiles:

Spain

To Qualify: 1/8

To win Group E: 10/11

To win World Cup: 8/1

World Cup appearances: 16

Best performance: Winners (2010)

Head Coach: Luis Enrique

Star player: Pedri (Barcelona)

Golden Boot favourite: Alvaro Morata (Atletico Madrid) - 26 Int. goals - 40/1

Our verdict: After a few years of under performance Spain have been much improved over the last few years and were defeated on penalties by eventual winners Italy. In Gavi, Pedri, and Ansu Fati they have three of the brightest young talents in World football and with a solid spine including Pau Torres and Sergio Busquets, they can go deep into the competition. Luis Enrique's side should get three points on the board in their opening game against Costa Rica and it will most likely be between themselves and Germany for who tops the group. The Iberians played some of the best football at last summer's Euros and we fancy them to go even further at this major tournament.

Team Profiles:

Germany

To Qualify: 1/6

To win Group E: 6/5

To win World Cup: 11/1

World Cup appearances: 20

Best performance: Winners (1954, 1974, 1990, 2014)

Head Coach: Hansi Flick

Star player: Kai Havertz (Chelsea)

Golden Boot favourite: Kai Havertz (Chelsea) - 8 Int. goals - 33/1

Our verdict: After 15 years with Joachim Low in charge, it's now a new era for German football with Hansi Flick taking over in 2021. Die Mannschaft are unbeaten since Flicks appointment and beat Italy 5-2 in the Nations League in June. Germany can never be written off at major tournaments however, at 10/1 with most bookmakers they look a little short for our liking. We expect them to play second-fiddle to Spain in Group E which would most likely give them a tougher route through to the latter stages. 

Team Profiles:

Japan

To Qualify: 7/2

To win Group E: 12/1

To win World Cup: 250/1

World Cup appearances: 20

Best performance: Round of 16 (2002, 2010, 2018)

Head Coach: Hajimi Moriyasu

Star player: Takehiro Tomiyasu (Arsenal)

Golden Boot favourite: Takumi Minamino (Monaco) - 17 Int. goals - 200/1

Our verdict: Japan currently have some talented players at their disposal who have been playing for to clubs around Europe. Those include Daichi Kamada at Eintracht Frankfurt, Takehiro Tomiyasu at Arsenal and former Liverpool forward Takumi Minamino. The Japanese have been given a really tough draw here with Germany and Spain both alongside them in the Group E. It's hard to see them taking anything against the two European heavyweights, however if anyone is going to cause an upset in this group, it could well be Japan, just as they did when beating Colombia in their opener in 2018 before advancing from the group stages.

Team Profiles:

Costa Rica

To Qualify: 16/1

To win Group E: 55/1

To win World Cup: 1000/1

World Cup appearances: 6

Best performance: Quarter-Final (2014)

Head Coach: Luis Fernando Suarez

Star player: Keylor Navas (PSG)

Golden Boot favourite: Joel Campbell (Monterrey) - 25 Int. goals - (Not priced up with bet365)

Our verdict: Costa Rica are rank outsiders, which is nothing new to the Latin Americans, as was the case in 2014 when they beat Italy, Uruguay and earned a point against England to advance from the group stages and eventually reach the quarters, after being priced at 2500/1 to lift the trophy pre tournament. Being realisitic and this time round we can't see history repeating itself and we fancy Costa Rica to finish bottom of Group E.