World Cup Preview – Group F - Best FPL Tips, Advice, Team News, Picks, and Statistics from Fantasy Football Scout

Player	Team	Price	Progress	Tonight
Calvert-Lewin	LEE	5.6m	106.8%	Very Likely
Palmer	CHE	10.3m	101.8%	Very Likely
Van Hecke	BHA	4.5m	100.8%	Very Likely
Matheus N.	MCI	5.3m	100.6%	Very Likely
Rúben	MCI	5.6m	100.3%	Very Likely
Gusto	CHE	4.9m	93.6%	Unlikely
Bowen	WHU	7.5m	87.3%	Unlikely
Marc Guiu	CHE	4.2m	85.6%	Unlikely
Watkins	AVL	8.5m	85.5%	Unlikely
Gvardiol	MCI	5.9m	81.2%	Unlikely
Tavernier	BOU	5.5m	81.1%	Unlikely
Truffert	BOU	4.5m	78.7%	Unlikely
Keane	EVE	4.6m	71.9%	Unlikely
Andersen	FUL	4.6m	69.2%	Unlikely
Verbruggen	BHA	4.4m	68.2%	Unlikely
Mitchell	CRY	5.0m	67.6%	Unlikely
Raya	ARS	6.0m	67.1%	Unlikely
Casemiro	MUN	5.5m	66.8%	Unlikely
Livramento	NEW	4.9m	65.3%	Unlikely
Ballard	SUN	4.6m	64.5%	Unlikely
Tete	FUL	4.5m	61.8%	Unlikely
Dalot	MUN	4.4m	59.2%	Unlikely
Haaland	MCI	15.0m	57.6%	Unlikely
Semenyo	BOU	7.5m	56.6%	Unlikely
Cullen	BUR	5.0m	56.5%	Unlikely
Petrović	BOU	4.5m	56.4%	Unlikely
Dúbravka	BUR	4.0m	56.3%	Unlikely
Romero	TOT	5.0m	51.6%	Unlikely
Ekitiké	LIV	8.6m	50.6%	Unlikely
Foden	MCI	8.8m	50.2%	Unlikely
Cash	AVL	4.9m	50.2%	Unlikely
Van den Berg	BRE	4.5m	49.0%	Unlikely
James	CHE	5.6m	48.9%	Unlikely
Flemming	BUR	5.3m	47.8%	Unlikely
Igor Jesus	NFO	5.8m	46.9%	Unlikely
Wilson	FUL	5.6m	46.1%	Unlikely
Pickford	EVE	5.5m	41.5%	Unlikely
Dewsbury-Hall	EVE	5.1m	40.9%	Unlikely
Guéhi	CRY	5.3m	40.3%	Unlikely
Wilson	WHU	5.8m	39.9%	Unlikely

Player	Team	Price	Progress	Tonight
Anthony	BUR	5.3m	112.2%	Very Likely
O.Dango	BRE	6.1m	108.2%	Very Likely
Minteh	BHA	6.2m	106.8%	Very Likely
Longstaff	LEE	4.9m	104.9%	Very Likely
Nallo	LIV	3.8m	103.4%	Very Likely
Eze	ARS	7.8m	101.6%	Very Likely
Muniz	FUL	5.4m	101.3%	Very Likely
Ndiaye	EVE	6.4m	101.3%	Very Likely
Rodon	LEE	4.1m	100.8%	Very Likely
Mayenda	SUN	5.3m	100.8%	Very Likely
Gudmundsson	LEE	3.9m	100.0%	Very Likely
Elanga	NEW	6.6m	99.7%	Maybe
Jordan	BUR	4.0m	99.6%	Maybe
Neave	NEW	4.4m	99.1%	Maybe
McKenna	BOU	4.0m	95.3%	Maybe
Yarmoliuk	BRE	5.0m	95.2%	Maybe
Morgan	BRE	4.4m	94.6%	Unlikely
Okafor	LEE	5.5m	94.4%	Unlikely
Balcombe	BRE	4.0m	94.2%	Unlikely
Lammens	MUN	5.1m	93.4%	Unlikely
Barnes	BUR	4.3m	93.0%	Unlikely
Irving	WHU	4.4m	92.6%	Unlikely
Broggio	AVL	4.5m	92.4%	Unlikely
Kulusevski	TOT	6.4m	92.3%	Unlikely
Colwill	CHE	4.8m	92.1%	Unlikely
Bentley	WOL	4.0m	91.9%	Unlikely
Piroe	LEE	5.0m	91.7%	Unlikely
Nørgaard	ARS	5.2m	90.7%	Unlikely
Tasker	BHA	3.9m	90.4%	Unlikely
Worrall	BUR	3.9m	89.5%	Unlikely
McAtee	NFO	5.1m	89.1%	Unlikely
João Pedro	CHE	7.3m	88.9%	Unlikely
Webster	BHA	4.4m	88.7%	Unlikely
Sels	NFO	4.7m	87.5%	Unlikely
Benitez	CRY	4.0m	86.9%	Unlikely
Jair Cunha	NFO	4.3m	86.8%	Unlikely
Fitzgerald	MUN	4.4m	86.7%	Unlikely
Danso	TOT	4.3m	86.1%	Unlikely
Coleman	EVE	4.3m	85.5%	Unlikely
Enzo	CHE	6.6m	83.9%	Unlikely

	Player	Club	Factors
No Change	Raya Martin	ARS	C
No Change	Alisson	LIV	C
No Change	Donnarumma	MCI	C, Sus
Up	Kelleher	BRE	C, Vs
Down	Ramsdale	NEW	C
No Change	Dubravka	BUR	C, £

	Player	Club	Factors
No Change	van Dijk	LIV	C
No Change	Jurriën Timber	ARS	C, Inj
No Change	O’Reilly	MCI	C
Up	Andersen	FUL	C
Up	Marc Guehi	CRY	A
Up	van den Berg	BRE	C, Vs
No Change	Thiaw	NEW	A
No Change	Milenkovic	NFO	C
No Change	van Hecke	BHA	A
No Change	Mukiele	SUN	C, £

	Player	Club	Factors
No Change	Saka	ARS	B
No Change	Bruno Fernandes	MUN	A
No Change	Foden	MCI	A
No Change	Semenyo	BOU	C
Up	Szoboszlai	LIV	C
No Change	Minteh	BHA	B
No Change	Bruno Guimarães	NEW	A
No Change	Schade	BRE	C, Vs, Sus
No Change	Anderson	NFO	B, £

	Player	Club	Factors
No Change	Haaland	MCI	B
No Change	Thiago	BRE	A, Vs
No Change	Mateta	CRY	C
Up	Ekitiké	LIV	B
Down	Welbeck	BHA	C, Rest
Down	Woltemade	NEW	B

Player	Team	Price	Progress	Tonight
Calvert-Lewin	LEE	5.6m	106.8%	Very Likely
Palmer	CHE	10.3m	101.8%	Very Likely
Van Hecke	BHA	4.5m	100.8%	Very Likely
Matheus N.	MCI	5.3m	100.6%	Very Likely
Rúben	MCI	5.6m	100.3%	Very Likely
Gusto	CHE	4.9m	93.6%	Unlikely
Bowen	WHU	7.5m	87.3%	Unlikely
Marc Guiu	CHE	4.2m	85.6%	Unlikely
Watkins	AVL	8.5m	85.5%	Unlikely
Gvardiol	MCI	5.9m	81.2%	Unlikely
Tavernier	BOU	5.5m	81.1%	Unlikely
Truffert	BOU	4.5m	78.7%	Unlikely
Keane	EVE	4.6m	71.9%	Unlikely
Andersen	FUL	4.6m	69.2%	Unlikely
Verbruggen	BHA	4.4m	68.2%	Unlikely
Mitchell	CRY	5.0m	67.6%	Unlikely
Raya	ARS	6.0m	67.1%	Unlikely
Casemiro	MUN	5.5m	66.8%	Unlikely
Livramento	NEW	4.9m	65.3%	Unlikely
Ballard	SUN	4.6m	64.5%	Unlikely
Tete	FUL	4.5m	61.8%	Unlikely
Dalot	MUN	4.4m	59.2%	Unlikely
Haaland	MCI	15.0m	57.6%	Unlikely
Semenyo	BOU	7.5m	56.6%	Unlikely
Cullen	BUR	5.0m	56.5%	Unlikely
Petrović	BOU	4.5m	56.4%	Unlikely
Dúbravka	BUR	4.0m	56.3%	Unlikely
Romero	TOT	5.0m	51.6%	Unlikely
Ekitiké	LIV	8.6m	50.6%	Unlikely
Foden	MCI	8.8m	50.2%	Unlikely
Cash	AVL	4.9m	50.2%	Unlikely
Van den Berg	BRE	4.5m	49.0%	Unlikely
James	CHE	5.6m	48.9%	Unlikely
Flemming	BUR	5.3m	47.8%	Unlikely
Igor Jesus	NFO	5.8m	46.9%	Unlikely
Wilson	FUL	5.6m	46.1%	Unlikely
Pickford	EVE	5.5m	41.5%	Unlikely
Dewsbury-Hall	EVE	5.1m	40.9%	Unlikely
Guéhi	CRY	5.3m	40.3%	Unlikely
Wilson	WHU	5.8m	39.9%	Unlikely

Player	Team	Price	Progress	Tonight
Anthony	BUR	5.3m	112.2%	Very Likely
O.Dango	BRE	6.1m	108.2%	Very Likely
Minteh	BHA	6.2m	106.8%	Very Likely
Longstaff	LEE	4.9m	104.9%	Very Likely
Nallo	LIV	3.8m	103.4%	Very Likely
Eze	ARS	7.8m	101.6%	Very Likely
Muniz	FUL	5.4m	101.3%	Very Likely
Ndiaye	EVE	6.4m	101.3%	Very Likely
Rodon	LEE	4.1m	100.8%	Very Likely
Mayenda	SUN	5.3m	100.8%	Very Likely
Gudmundsson	LEE	3.9m	100.0%	Very Likely
Elanga	NEW	6.6m	99.7%	Maybe
Jordan	BUR	4.0m	99.6%	Maybe
Neave	NEW	4.4m	99.1%	Maybe
McKenna	BOU	4.0m	95.3%	Maybe
Yarmoliuk	BRE	5.0m	95.2%	Maybe
Morgan	BRE	4.4m	94.6%	Unlikely
Okafor	LEE	5.5m	94.4%	Unlikely
Balcombe	BRE	4.0m	94.2%	Unlikely
Lammens	MUN	5.1m	93.4%	Unlikely
Barnes	BUR	4.3m	93.0%	Unlikely
Irving	WHU	4.4m	92.6%	Unlikely
Broggio	AVL	4.5m	92.4%	Unlikely
Kulusevski	TOT	6.4m	92.3%	Unlikely
Colwill	CHE	4.8m	92.1%	Unlikely
Bentley	WOL	4.0m	91.9%	Unlikely
Piroe	LEE	5.0m	91.7%	Unlikely
Nørgaard	ARS	5.2m	90.7%	Unlikely
Tasker	BHA	3.9m	90.4%	Unlikely
Worrall	BUR	3.9m	89.5%	Unlikely
McAtee	NFO	5.1m	89.1%	Unlikely
João Pedro	CHE	7.3m	88.9%	Unlikely
Webster	BHA	4.4m	88.7%	Unlikely
Sels	NFO	4.7m	87.5%	Unlikely
Benitez	CRY	4.0m	86.9%	Unlikely
Jair Cunha	NFO	4.3m	86.8%	Unlikely
Fitzgerald	MUN	4.4m	86.7%	Unlikely
Danso	TOT	4.3m	86.1%	Unlikely
Coleman	EVE	4.3m	85.5%	Unlikely
Enzo	CHE	6.6m	83.9%	Unlikely

	Player	Club	Factors
No Change	Raya Martin	ARS	C
No Change	Alisson	LIV	C
No Change	Donnarumma	MCI	C, Sus
Up	Kelleher	BRE	C, Vs
Down	Ramsdale	NEW	C
No Change	Dubravka	BUR	C, £

	Player	Club	Factors
No Change	van Dijk	LIV	C
No Change	Jurriën Timber	ARS	C, Inj
No Change	O’Reilly	MCI	C
Up	Andersen	FUL	C
Up	Marc Guehi	CRY	A
Up	van den Berg	BRE	C, Vs
No Change	Thiaw	NEW	A
No Change	Milenkovic	NFO	C
No Change	van Hecke	BHA	A
No Change	Mukiele	SUN	C, £

	Player	Club	Factors
No Change	Saka	ARS	B
No Change	Bruno Fernandes	MUN	A
No Change	Foden	MCI	A
No Change	Semenyo	BOU	C
Up	Szoboszlai	LIV	C
No Change	Minteh	BHA	B
No Change	Bruno Guimarães	NEW	A
No Change	Schade	BRE	C, Vs, Sus
No Change	Anderson	NFO	B, £

	Player	Club	Factors
No Change	Haaland	MCI	B
No Change	Thiago	BRE	A, Vs
No Change	Mateta	CRY	C
Up	Ekitiké	LIV	B
Down	Welbeck	BHA	C, Rest
Down	Woltemade	NEW	B

Group F is, from the point of view of FIFA world rankings, the weakest of all of the groups, but one of the more predictable. Current holders Italy will be expected to comfortably top the group with New Zealand to be firmly routed to the bottom of the table.

The pivotal fixture between Slovakia and Paraguay will almost certainly decide second place with most experts expecting Paraguay to prevail. The South Americans have the benefit of previous experience of football’s top competition and it’s not outside the realm of possibility that they even grab the top spot with the firepower at their disposal.

From a Fantasy football perspective, the obvious choice is to load up on Italian defenders, although you might want to wait until after the fixture with Paraguay. It is also worth considering, if only for one round, defenders from Slovakia and Paraguay when they play New Zealand. There’s a fair chance that the poor Kiwis will completely fail to score at all in the competition.

The winner of the group will likely face Cameroon in the knockout phase, with either Paraguay or Slovakia set to end up facing the Netherlands as winners of Group E. Investment in their players carries some risk then and will surely struggle to pay off beyond the group, unless of course they can pip the Italians.

Italy

The defending champions will be determined to retain their title. After the disappointment of their early exit in Euro 2008, Italy returned to manager Marcello Lippi who brought them the World Cup in 2006. Bizarrely, in that campaign, they didn’t play a single South American side; that will change with the opening fixture. The route to the final will be more difficult this time, there’s the matter of a potential quarter final showdown with favourites Spain.

Italy’s qualification campaign was relatively straight-forward, winning seven, drawing three and remaining unbeaten throughout. They only scored more than two goals once, but managed five clean sheets to qualify in a distinctly Italian way. However the results haven’t been so kind in the run-up to the tournament with Italy losing out 2-1 to Mexico in a recent friendly and only managing a luke-warm 1-1 draw with Switzerland.

Italy have a tendency to perform miracles when they are written off, not that anyone should be writing off a country that have won the World Cup no less than four times but there are accusations that this is a negative team way past its prime. You could argue that they are just playing to their strengths with a pragmatic, unspectacular approach based on an exceptional defensive solidity which, invariably, gets results.

They have a team that is mostly comprised of home-based players, who are fifth in the FIFA world rankings. There is very little youth to Lippi’s squad, but there is little doubt the collective experience that is available for the Azzurri and, with only seven games, the World Cup is not a long tournament …

The Fantasy Targets…

Gianluigi Buffon
A regular name on the ‘best goalkeepers in the world’ lists, Buffon recently reached the milestone of a hundred caps for Italy. The Juventus man is the bedrock of the Italian defence and is the joint highest priced keeper in the McDonald’s Fantasy game, which is no surprise given that he kept five clean sheets in Germany 2006.

Gianluca Zambrotta
Zambrotti is set for his third world cup at the ripe old age of 33. He may have a lost a yard or two but this highly versatile wing-back, who can play on either side, is still a big asset for Italy. Despite his age, Zambrotta played 90% of the qualifying minutes and kept five clean sheets during qualification. In the McDonalds Fantasy game, he is priced at 6, cheaper than captain Fabio Cannavaro and slightly cheaper than Giorgio Chiellini.

Giorgio Chiellini
Fearless, versatile and a great reader of the game, Chiellini takes his place at the heart of Italy’s defence, although he’s just as capable at left-back. His pace at the back will be vital alongside the Dubai-bound Fabio Cannavaro, and his eye for goal – he’s bagged 4 goals in each of his last two Serie A seasons- could well prove fruitful for the Azzurri.

Daniele De Rossi
De Rossi is the Italian midfield lynchpin and the heartbeat of the side. Normally, a box-to-box midfielder wouldn’t be part of our Fantasy plans but with the recent injury to Andrea Pirlo, De Rossi may well monopolise all the Italian set-pieces in the Milan man’s absence. He also has a spectacular shot with the capability to score a screamer from long range. He found the net twice in the qualifying campaign, both times in the home game against Georgia.

Andrea Pirlo
Although the calf injury sustained prior to the World Cup has cast doubts over Pirlo’s participation, the situation is rapidly improving. Reports today suggest he should be back for the Slovenia game, and with qualification expected, the AC Milan man will be back in the first XI for any subsequent knock-out games to boost the current holders chances. The deep-lying playmaker’s eye for a pass and oustanding set-piece delivery means he’s always liable to pick up an assist or two. He’s also a key man from set-pieces.

Alberto Gilardino
Previously a fringe player, he was not a part of the Italian Euro 2008 squad, Gilardino has become a regular, but not everpresent, part of Marcello Lippi’s side. The Fiorentia striker has been in decent form for his club, scoring fifteen goals in the domestic season and was the top scorer in Italy’s qualification, with four goals in his six appearances. Indications are good that he will start up front; he completed the friendly against Mexico and played a part in the game against Switzerland.

Paraguay

Paraguay qualifies for this, their fourth consecutive and eighth overall, World Cup finals and although they have never made it past the last sixteen, their qualifying form hints that this may be their chance. Last time around, they failed to make it past the group stage, finishing third behind England and Sweden. Several of their players will have memories of this exit and will be determined to go at least one better this time round.

One man who isn’t in the Paraguay squad is Salvador Cabañas, the South American Footballer of the Year. The top scorer of a qualification campaign that finished only one point shy of Brazil will miss the finals after being shot in the head outside a nightclub in Mexico City. Amazingly, he survived and has recovered, but not in time for the finals.

Paraguay are an attack minded team, with Roque Santa Cruz leading the line assisted by Oscar Cardozo and Nelson Veldez in qualifying, though the recent addition of Lucas Barrios has added considerable quality to their goal threat. At the other end they conceded just sixteen goals in the eighteen games of the qualifying campaign, a feat only beaten by Brazil, and have a tight, experienced defensive unit. The only question mark over their defence is how well they will deal with set-pieces with their goalkeeper Justo Villar being a little shy of six feet tall. With so much offensive talent and only a few starting places, investment in the Paraguay forward line-up could be risky but potentially profitable.

In the preparation for the tournament, Paraguay recently defeated Greece 2-0, with two first half goals. Gerardo Martino’s side battled back to draw 2-2 against Ivory Coast in their previous friendly after going two goals down. Newly nationalised Argentine Lucas Barrios scored in both games and may provide an interesting differential as an alternative to Valdez, Cruz, or Cardozo.

Barrios has benefited from the recent switch to 4-4-2 and partnered Santa Cruz in win over Greece and in the 2-1 defeat to the Republic of Ireland. With his goal from the bench against the Ivory Coast, he looks the favourite to work alongside the City man for the opener against Italy. Indeed recent reports suggest that Martino has decided on the same eleven that started against Greece. Valdez and Cardozo, particularly the latter, could well be frozen out and used as bench players; they look a gamble in Fantasy terms.

Paraguay might only be 31st in the World Rankings but any team that beat Argentina, Brazil and Chile in the qualifiers cannot be taken lightly. Given the ageing legs in the Italian side, they will fancy their chances of having something to show from the opening game and that could even see them pushing the Italians for top spot.

The Fantasy Targets…

Paulo da Silva
Missed just one game in qualifying, and as well as contributing to a fantastic defensive record, da Silva was the only defender to find the net during Paraguay’s 18 games, scoring twice. He is a real never-say-die inspirational figure for his country and his performances for Paraguay during this World Cup should reflect just why Steve Bruce expects great things from him next season, after an initially difficult bedding-in period at Sunderland.

Christian Riveros
Having sealed a move to the Stadium of Light, Riveros is a name that we’re going to hear more of next season. While Paraguay’s midfield is largely dismissed as functional and unspectacular, the 27-year-old presents at least some goal threat having struck three times in qualifying – a campaign which saw him miss just one game. Riveros is likely to continue to be the “most likely” from Paraguay’s midfield and is another name to check on if you’re sniffing for bargain talent.

Nelson Váldez
With Cabañas unable to play in the tournament, Nelson Haedo Valdez may well inherit his place. The Borussia Dortmund man was a qualification regular having made appearances in seventeen of the qualifying games and is a link-up man who may well pop-up with the odd assist. After Cabañas, Nelson Váldez was the highest scorer of the campaign with five goals but Lucas Barrios appears to have stolen a march on him for the spot alongside Santa Cruz.

Oscar Cardozo
The Benfica striker’s form is impressive, he scored 38 goals to win the Portuguese league’s golden boot but has scored only four times in his 29 caps for Paraguay and seems unable to reproduce his club form for his country. He is a major threat in the air at six feet four inches tall and can trouble any defence, so it’s no surprise there are reports of growing interest among the Premier League’s top clubs. Despite the form and a good degree of hype, he’s looking a long-shot in Fantasy terms. Cardozo’s absence from Paraguay’s recent warm-up matches has led to speculation over his fitness and his own agent has gone so far as to state that he doubts his clients involvement once the tournament starts. Cardozo must have loved that.

Roque Santa Cruz
The former Blackburn star, now at Manchester City, only had very limited influence in the qualifiers, playing in only five of the games due to injury. The signs are though that he’s back in favour as he’s started two of the last three friendlies and played a part in the other. Due to his Premier League status, most Fantasy players will know what he is capable of and with a cost of only 6.5 in the McDonald’s game he is a decent investment.

Lucas Barrios
Having only just received citizenship over the last few weeks, the Argentine-born forward has wasted no time in showing his considerable talents, with three goals in his first three games for Paraguay. Nicknamed The Panther, his first season in European football saw him bag 19 goals for Borussia Dortmund last term and end up 3rd highest scorer in the Bundesliga. Tall, strong and physical, he is already being linked with a move to bigger European clubs, and this tournament could well be the making of him. Barrios could just well be the key man for Paraguay and if you’re searching for a dark horse option up front, he should be one of the names you check on.

Slovakia

This world cup sees the first appearance of Slovakia at a major tournament since the break-up of Czechoslovakia. Vladimir Weiss has a reasonable squad which can be considered contenders to reach the second stage of the tournament. Most of their hopes will be placed on a tight and disciplined defence led by Liverpool’s Martin Skrtel.

Slovakia finished as surprise winners of a tricky European qualifying group containing Slovenia, Czech Republic, Poland and Northern Ireland with the two losses to Slovenia being the only blemishes on the campaign.

Last year’s friendly against Chile in November showed that most Slovakian players, especially defenders, found it hard to cope with the South American style of play, which doesn’t bode well for the Paraguay game. They may struggle at the other end of the pitch too due to their lack of a world class striker.

Slovakia’s opening fixture is against New Zealand, a team that they need to beat to stand any chance of qualifying and it’s this game that gives them the most Fantasy potential. In the McDonald’s 23 man squad game, you might just find a place for one of their players … at least for Round 1.

The Fantasy Targets…

Martin Skrtel
The Liverpool central defender is the key to the spine of the Slovakia side and is one of a few recognised players in a squad lacking in star quality. Presumably due to his Premier League status, he is the most expensive of the Slovakian defenders at 5.0. He only kept two clean sheets during qualification but did manage a goal against Northern Ireland. Fears over Skrtel’s recent ankle injury, sustained in the recent warm-up win over Cost Rica have now been allayed and he should be fit to start in the opener.

Marek Hamsik
A skilful, attacking playmaker, the Napoli midfielder is a genuine star in Serie A and one of the most sought after players in Europe. With pace, control and a knack of scoring goals he has to be one of the players to look out for in this group and a definite Fantasy prospect, especially considering he is also the team’s set piece and penalty taker. His form has been impressive this season, scoring twelve goals in the process. He played all but one of the qualifying games and notched up a couple of goals along the way.

Vladimir Weiss
The manager’s son, but disregard any idea of nepotism as he’s in the side on merit. Started the final four qualifying games and a series of continually impressive performances seem to have cemented the winger’s place in the starting XI. His loan move to Bolton during the second half of last season allowed Weiss to demonstrate his abilities, and his pace and trickery on the ball will cause problems for any opposition defence.

Stanislav Sestak
A real penalty-box poacher, Sestak was the leading scorer in his country’s qualifying campaign with six goals in six games, despite only one appearance lasting the full ninety minutes. Not the tallest (5 foot 10) or the quickest and he’s not the creative talent in the side, but his eye for goal means Sestak will more than likely be the one who puts the ball in the back of the net for Slovakia.

New Zealand

This will be the second time the All Whites have qualified for a World Cup and the result will likely be the same as last time – complete annihilation. New Zealand can only realistically look at a top four finish. This is a team that, over the course of the past 18 months, has lost matches to Tanzania, Fiji and Thailand.

It would be slightly churlish to completely dismiss them, they were only beaten with the last kick of the game by Australia and they managed an actual victory against Serbia. A drawn-out goalless draw or a cheeky goal against the run of play is entirely possible if not very likely. From a Fantasy perspective they should be mostly avoided, with possibly Smeltz being an option if you need a really cheap player to make up the squad numbers.

The move of Australia into the Asian Federation qualifies did New Zealand a huge favour leaving them New Caledonia as their main rivals for the Oceania group. After topping that group, they faced off against Bahrain in the cross-continental play-off. This meant they had qualified after playing only eight games.

The Fantasy Targets…

Ryan Nelsen
The Blackburn centre-back and captain will be the most recognised player in the squad. Investment in the New Zealand defence seems a tad foolish but you suspect the players might have quite low expectations on what the team can achieve. He is only 2.5 in the McDonalds Fantasy game and may help you squeeze in another major signing.

Shane Smeltz
Smeltz is an A-League team player for Gold Coast United who is New Zealand’s principal goal threat. He topped the qualifying goal charts and is the Oceania player of the year. He scored the winner in a recent friendly against Serbia and costs only 3.0 in the McDonald’s Fantasy game.

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