Lurker > paulg235

MZero posted...

oh ya go my Japan

time to prove the doubters wrong

Congrats in believing in your team! I'm pulling for you guys to make it out of the group now.

Italy failing to qualify
France, Denmark and Australia in the same group
Argentina having difficulties with their group
Germany losing to an east asian team

We're getting a lot of 2018 repeats on the table!

AHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!

upper case

Germany looking vulnerable.

Guys

I have seen a x-ray image of that Saudi defender's skull online.

JFC, if that knee hit him any harder, he could have died.

Yeah, Argentina could still come back from this like Spain did in 2010. Not to mention Argentina infamously lost to Cameroon in the opening game of the group stage in 1990 and still finished runners-up.

https://twitter.com/optajoe/status/1594993893644423172?s=46&t=gHahS5M_Nslude3C7sjpSQ

This stat aged poorly.

pezzicle posted...

Well that was a shocker and could really break some brackets

I predicted Agentina to win the whole thing as well as Qatar beating England...

LOL.

Worst part of that result is that when the draw first happened in April, I was seriously considering Mexico and Poland over Argentina during that tme because of Messi's form at PSG and figured several other players were getting on. Then Argentina beat Italy, Messi got good again this season, I realiseed they were on a big unbeaten streak, and I figured "oh, maybe they are favourites alongside Brazil..."

People are gonna go beserk if Serbia manage a result against Brazil two days from now.

https://twitter.com/iandoylesport/status/1595026597765156865?s=46&t=gHahS5M_Nslude3C7sjpSQ

Maybe the winner's curse is going to affect the COPA America winners instead...

*Comes back after taking a stroll when Argentina "had just scored a second goal"*

*Checks the current score*

... Oh.

This might actually turn out to be worse than their 2018 campaign.

Messi already on the board.

England not fucking around after the Nations League debacle.

Bellingham's first!

Looking like Iran's goalkeeper is getting subbed off due to a head injury.

Nations: We have decided to wear the OneLove armbands to support LGBT rights!
FIFA: Don't do that.
Nations: Well, we're still going to do it anyway.
FIFA: Not if you don't want to get sanctioned!
Nations: ... Okay... *Takes off armband*

Embarassing.

Does that make Qatar the first host to lose their opening game?

Lukaku is apparently not expected to play until the Croatia game at earliest, so Belgium will need to find goals from elsewhere in their first 2 group games.

Also, today's the opening day (Qatar vs Ecuador). Remember when Netherlands/Senegal was the opener before they changed their mind?

So, um, Karim Benzema (the current Ballon D'or holder) is out of the World Cup, I guess.

I think he means they're the only squads whose players all currently play in their nation's domestic league and not elsewhere.

GROUP F
Morocco 0-2 Croatia
Belgium 2-1 Canada
Belgium 1-2 Morocco
Croatia 3-0 Canada
Croatia 2-2 Belgium
Canada 1-1 Morocco

1) Croatia (7 points, +5)
2) Belgium (4 points, 0)
3) Morocco (4 points, -1)
4) Canada (1 point, -4)

Belgium have not been convincing for the past year. I feel as if De Bruyne and Courtois are the only players keeping that generation alive now, especially with Lukaka and Eden Hazard looking progressively worse over the years. The only reason I haven't gone for the early elimination is because I don't think either Morocco or Canada are strong enough to capitalise. Instead, I'll guess it comes down to the final matchday where Morcco needs to do better on paper than Belgium in order to advance, but Canada desperately wanting to go home with at least something and Croatia already through to the next round will be what keeps Belgium from falling.

GROUP G
Switzerland 1-1 Cameroon
Brazil 4-1 Serbia
Cameroon 0-3 Serbia
Brazil 3-0 Switzerland
Serbia 0-0 Switzerland
Cameroon 0-4 Brazil

1) Brazil (9 points, +10)
2) Serbia (4 points, 0)
3) Switzerland (2 points, -3)
4) Cameroon (1 point, -7)

Brazil murders everyone. Cameroon does awful. between Switzerland and Serbia, I'll take the latter. I would not be too suprised if Serbia makes it to the QFs or even the final four. They did beat Portugal in the qualifiers, after all.

GROUP H
Uruguay 3-1 South Korea
Portugal 2-0 Ghana
South Korea 1-1 Ghana
Portugal 2-3 Uruguay
Ghana 2-0 Uruguay
South Korea 2-1 Portugal

1) Uruguay (6 points, +1)
2) Ghana (4 points, 0)
3) South Korea (4 points, -1)
4) Portugal (3 points, -1)

Tough group to predict. I think Uruguay are a major dark horse to go far in this tournament, and I wouldn't be surprised if Darwin Nunez has a really good run in this tournament, could be a Golden Boot candidate.

There is an excellent team in Portugal but they are anchored down by Fernando Santos and a declining Crstiano Ronaldo. I think those two are going to cost Portugal this year and close losses to Uruguay and South Korea will end their hopes.

Between South Korea and Ghana, I think Ghana might just be the team to capitalise, especially since they have their opportunity for revenge against Uruguay on the final matchday.

KNOCKOUT STAGES
ROUND OF 16
Netherlands 0-0 Iran (2-0 Extra Time)
Argentina 3-1 Denmark
Germany 3-0 Belgium
Brazil 5-0 Ghana
England 1-1 Qatar (1-2 Extra Time)
France 3-1 Poland
Croatia 0-0 Spain (Spain win on Penalties)
Uruguay 2-1 Serbia

Yes, I am so pessimistic about England's chances that I think they could lose against Qatar. It just FEELS like the type of match we would somehow choke like the Iceland game or the 2008 Croatia game. I don't predict them to lose solely on performance though so much that if there is corrupted officiating during the tournament, this stage would be the most likeliest for it to happen, having the hosts pick up an "awe-inspiring" victory over a huge team and making a deep run in the world cup. "What underdogs!"

QUARTER-FINALS
Netherlands 0-2 Argentina
Germany 2-2 Brazil (3-3 Extra Time, Germany win on Penalties)
Qatar 1-3 France
Spain 1-1 Uruguay (2-2 Extra Time, Uruguay win on Penalties)

I don't expect Brazil to just get their revenge for 2014. It would not surprise me if Brazil concedes early on and the rest of the game becomes a chase to get back into the game. I actually think despite their recent form, Germany could take the win in this one. They didn't look particularly good prior to 2002 either yet they almost won the whole thing.

SEMI-FINALS
Argentina 2-1 Germany
France 2-2 Uruguay (2-3 Extra Time)

I might be going a little too far with Uruguay here, but hey Croatia reached the final 4 years ago, so why not? I don't think France will go all the way anyway and will probably start to fall apart around this point.

I think the match with Germany would be when everyone finally starts realising that Messi winning the world cup will actually happen. If they do not win the whole thing from here with Brazil gone, then I don't think Argentina will win the world cup again for a long time.

THIRD PLACE PLAYOFF
Germany 2-1 France

FINAL
Argentina 4-0 Uruguay

With it being the day before the first match, I am under the assumption that there won't be any further big hits in terms of injuries to key players before then, so I think I'm going to post my world cup predictions now. Obviously if there ARE any big injuries such as Ronaldo or Kane getting injured (or a player being sent home for some random reason such as Deschamps suddenly developing a mental illness where he thinks Mbappe has sideburns or something and sends him home because of it), my predictions may change.

I'll say straight up that I (like most people) expect one of Brazil or Argentina to win the thing. They are both on some huge momentum/undefeated streaks and have the squad to win most matchups without much trouble. With that said, I do believe a handful of teams outside of themselves could still challenge them in the knockout stages, especially if a crucial player like Messi or Neymar go down with something or are suspended for a game. We've seen both slip up in the past when many pegged them as favorites. Weren't Argentina one of the favourites to win in 2002 alongside France and both went out in the groups?

A lot of these matchups could go either way depending on the day or circumstances and obviously this is not a favourites bracket (as should become blatantly obvious from the first group), but these are my guesses that will probably be laughably wrong just after the second set of games. Gonna go by groups first then the knockouts.

GROUP A
Qatar 3-1 Ecuador
Senegal 0-2 Netherlands
Qatar 1-1 Senegal
Netherlands 1-0 Ecuador
Ecuador 2-1 Senegal
Netherlands 1-1 Qatar

1) Netherlands (7 points, +3)
2) Qatar (5 points, +2)
3) Ecuador (4 points, -2)
4) Senegal (1 point, -3)

Qatar is a big question mark. On one hand, they've never been tested in a tournamnet as big as this before (because they were never good). On the other hand, not only has the country been preparing for this for over a decade (plus, you know, host boost), but they actually did well when they played in the recent AFC and CONCACAF tournaments. Will this translate into them being competitive enough to challenge in this group? We'll see soon enough. But after all the corruption and nonsense regarding this world cup, I wouldn't be surprised to see some sort of shenanigans leak into the games themselves (not the first time the hosts of a world cup have been dodgy in the tournament itself). I think Qatar are going to at least deliver in the opening game (if they don't, LOL, all that work just to embarass yourselves in the opener), then get at least another result elsewhere, and it'll be more likely should Holland secure their ticket to the next round with a game to spare.

The Netherlands don't seem anywhere as dangerous as previous generations (mid 70s, Late 80s, early 2010s), but they still seem competent enough to at least get out of their group and with Senegal in a rough spot with Mane out, they should finish top.

GROUP B
England 2-1 Iran
United States 1-2 Wales
Wales 0-2 Iran
England 1-1 United States
Wales 0-2 England
Iran 3-2 United States

1) England (7 points, +3)
2) Iran (6 points, +2)
3) Wales (3 points, -3)
4) United States (1 point, -2)

After the most recent games in the summer, my expectations for England (which weren't too high to begin with) have lowered. I do think they'll be much better here than in this year's Nations League (even with no Reece James), but they'll certainly look vulnerable heading into the knockouts. They have bottled very winnable groups in the past (2010 and Euro 2016) and I could see them do it again, but surely they aren't terrible enough to go out here? They should win at least one match and draw another.

GROUP C
Argentina 5-0 Saudi Arabia
Mexico 1-1 Poland
Poland 2-1 Saudi Arabia
Argentina 4-0 Mexico
Poland 0-2 Argentina
Saudi Arabia 3-2 Mexico

1) Argentina (9 points, +11)
2) Poland (4 points, -1)
3) Saudi Arabia (3 points, -5)
4) Mexico (1 point, -5)

You know what? I think I'm going for it, Mexico dead last. I've heard nothing good about them this year and this sounds like the worst Mexican side in some time. While the Saudis usually do poorly in these tournaments, they did actually beat Egypt and finished above them in their group 4 years ago and have made it out of their group in the past. Not to mention, they'll be more at home with the tournament in the middle east.

GROUP D
Denmark 2-0 Tunisia
France 3-0 Australia
Tunisia 1-1 Australia
France 3-3 Denmark
Australia 1-2 Denmark
Tunisia 1-2 France

1) France (7 points, +4)
2) Denmark (7 points, +3)
3) Tunisia (1 point, -3)
4) Australia (1 point, -4)

I've seen so many people pick Denmark over France (myself included for months until recently) for good reasons (plus the winner's curse), but I think some people are starting to underestimate the French a little. Yes, they've lost some good players due to injury (especially in midfield), but I think they still have the attacking power to potentially make up for it. France has also already kinda gone through the curse last year when they lost to Switzerland, so I think they could power through.

Denmark will do relatively good, but I think we might just see a draw between them and France and then the group gets decided on goal difference.

GROUP E
Germany 3-0 Japan
Spain 2-1 Costa Rica
Japan 1-0 Costa Rica
Spain 1-1 Germany
Japan 0-2 Spain
Costa Rica 0-2 Germany

1) Germany (7 points, +5)
2) Spain (7 points, +3)
3) Japan (3 points, -4)
4) Costa Rica (0 points, -4)

There is definitely major upset potential in this group should Japan or Costa Rica get one other Spain and Germany, but I don't see that happening here.

Germany have been rocky since the 2018 early exit but they still have plenty of quality players both old and young that, if they click, could be a major force in this tournament. Spain has looked the better team in recent years, though they really had trouble putting games away in Euro 2020. I think the two sides draw against each other and Germany win the group through goal difference.

Guys, I don't think this has been already posted, but...

https://twitter.com/ZoeSchiffer/status/1593391604785504257

Canada is hosting alongside USA and Mexico in 2026, so this world cup is more of a test run for the real thing. If they can get a win here, then they could use that as a platform to try and get out of their group in 4 years.

TeamRocketElite posted... How lucky does Canada need to be to make it out of its group?

The best chance they have of advancing is;
1) They beat at least one team
2) They also manage at least a draw or victory from one of the the other two teams
3) Not lose by too many goals against the third team
4) Hope 2 of the teams fail to either get 4 points or the team that matches 4 points has a worse Goal Difference

They could also technically advance by just 3 points if they're REALLY lucky if other results go their way (or obviously if they manage to get 5 or more points), but the above is their most reasonable route to th knockouts outside of winning 2/3 matches. Morocco is definitely the most beatable out of their opponents. Belgium and Croatia need to perform notably poorly (and probably need a key injury or two to their respective teams to hurt their chances) to not advance so finishing third would still be a good result for Canada.

Psybadek

Would have put Germany in the poll and merged the dutch and Belgium together honestly (maybe give the USA its own option to see how many americans ignorantly select them).

This is the schedule for the group games btw for those who want a reminder on who's in and when a certain team will play (all times are in UTC+3). Have listed the day of the week for every team's opening games too.

GROUP A
Sunday 20 November 2022
19:00
Qatar Match 1 Ecuador

Monday 21 November 2022
19:00
Senegal Match 2 Netherlands

25 November 2022
16:00
Qatar Match 18 Senegal

25 November 2022
19:00
Netherlands Match 19 Ecuador

29 November 2022
18:00
Ecuador Match 35 Senegal

29 November 2022
18:00
Netherlands Match 36 Qatar

GROUP B
Monday 21 November 2022
16:00
England Match 3 Iran

Monday 21 November 2022
22:00
United States Match 4 Wales

25 November 2022
13:00
Wales Match 17 Iran

25 November 2022
22:00
England Match 20 United States

29 November 2022
22:00
Wales Match 33 England

29 November 2022
22:00
Iran Match 34 United States

GROUP C
Tuesday 22 November 2022
13:00
Argentina Match 8 Saudi Arabia

Tuesday 22 November 2022
19:00
Mexico Match 7 Poland

26 November 2022
16:00
Poland Match 22 Saudi Arabia

26 November 2022
22:00
Argentina Match 24 Mexico

30 November 2022
22:00
Poland Match 39 Argentina

30 November 2022
22:00
Saudi Arabia Match 40 Mexico

GROUP D
Tuesday 22 November 2022
16:00
Denmark Match 6 Tunisia

Tuesday 22 November 2022
22:00
France Match 5 Australia

26 November 2022
13:00
Tunisia Match 21 Australia

26 November 2022
19:00
France Match 23 Denmark

30 November 2022
18:00
Australia Match 37 Denmark

30 November 2022
18:00
Tunisia Match 38 France

GROUP E
Wednesday 23 November 2022
16:00
Germany Match 11 Japan

Wednesday 23 November 2022
19:00
Spain Match 10 Costa Rica

27 November 2022
13:00
Japan Match 25 Costa Rica

27 November 2022
22:00
Spain Match 28 Germany

1 December 2022
22:00
Japan Match 43 Spain

1 December 2022
22:00
Costa Rica Match 44 Germany

GROUP F
Wednesday 23 November 2022
13:00
Morocco Match 12 Croatia

Wednesday 23 November 2022
22:00
Belgium Match 9 Canada

27 November 2022
16:00
Belgium Match 26 Morocco

27 November 2022
19:00
Croatia Match 27 Canada

1 December 2022
18:00
Croatia Match 41 Belgium

1 December 2022
18:00
Canada Match 42 Morocco

GROUP G
Thursday 24 November 2022
13:00
Switzerland Match 13 Cameroon

Thursday 24 November 2022
22:00
Brazil Match 16 Serbia

28 November 2022
13:00
Cameroon Match 29 Serbia

28 November 2022
19:00
Brazil Match 31 Switzerland

2 December 2022
22:00
Serbia Match 47 Switzerland

2 December 2022
22:00
Cameroon Match 48 Brazil

GROUP H
Thursday 24 November 2022
16:00
Uruguay Match 14 South Korea

Thursday 24 November 2022
19:00
Portugal Match 15 Ghana

28 November 2022
16:00
South Korea Match 30 Ghana

28 November 2022
22:00
Portugal Match 32 Uruguay

2 December 2022
18:00
Ghana Match 45 Uruguay

2 December 2022
18:00
South Korea Match 46 Portugal

KNOCKOUT STAGE
Round of 16 Matches - 3-6 December
Quarter-finals - 9 and 10 December
Semi-finals - 13 and 14 December
Third place play-off - 17 December
Final - 18 December

Death Note

Futurama

Death Note

Both would be worthy winners, though.

Animaniacs

Mythiot posted...

Missed the 80's Punisher with Dolph Lundgren, but that would make 37 total.

How was the first Marvel movie ever made Howard the friggin' Duck of all things?

Were there not two Captain America movies in the 70s (one with Christopher Lee)? Or are we not counting those?

Looney Tunes

Death Note

Futurama
Animaniacs

Titans
DBZ

Bebop
Looney

Avatar
Death

Futurama
Rick
Animaniacs
DuckTales
Samurai

Watch L be someone like Ralph.

Samurai
Teen
DBZ
Ghost

South
Bebop
Looney
Edd

Avatar
Paranoia
Death
Batman

FF9
Chrono Trigger
Persona 4
Pokemon RBY

(Not sure if Kingdom Hearts counts, but if it did, swap out Pokemon for it)

Animaniacs
Spongebob
Duck
Freakazoid

Garden
Futurama
Arthur
Rick

DBZ
Spider-Man
Ghost
Scooby

Pinky
Samurai
Pokemon
Titans

Batman
Looney
Edd
Sakura

Yes