Group H

POLAND

Team: Poland
Current FIFA Ranking: 8
Previous World Cup appearances: 7 - 1938, 1974, 1978, 1982, 1986, 2002, 2006
Best World Cup result: 3rd place - 1974 and 1982
Group fixtures: June 19 v Senegal, June 24 vs Colombia, June 28 v Japan
Captain: Robert Lewandowski
Star Player: Robert Lewandowski
Head coach: Adam Nawalka

POLAND SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Bartosz Bialkowski, Lukasz Fabianski, Wojciech Szczesny
Defenders: Jan Bednarek, Bartosz Bereszynski, Thiago Cionek, Kamil Glik, Artur Jedrzejczyk, Michal Pazdan, Lukasz Piszczek
Midfielders: Jakub Blaszczykowski, Jacek Goralski, Kamil Goricki, Grzegorz Krychowiak, Slawomir Peszko, Maciej Rybus, Piotr Zielinski, Rafal Kurzawa, Karol Linetty
Forwards: Dawid Kownacki, Robert Lewandowski, Arkadiusz Milik, Lukasz Teodorczyk

While Poland’s ability to work the FIFA rankings system in their favour to garner a place among the top seeds might not sit well with some, it cannot be argued that they have also been hugely consistent in recent years.

Spearheaded by Bayern Munich hotshot Robert Lewandowski they came within a penalty shootout of making the semi-finals at Euro 2016 and won eight of their 10 matches in qualifying for Russia.

After a relatively favourable draw they remain confident a quarter-final berth is far from beyond them.

SENEGAL

Team: Senegal
Current FIFA Ranking: 27
Previous World Cup appearances: 1 - 2002
Best World Cup result: Quarter-final - 2002
Group fixtures: June 19 vs Poland, June 24 vs Japan, June 28 vs Colombia
Captain: Cheikhou Kouyate
Star Player: Sadio Mane
Head coach: Aliou Cisse

SENEGAL SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Abdoulaye Diallo, Khadim Ndiaye, Alfred Gomis
Defenders: Saliou Ciss, Youssouf Sabaly, Kalidou Koulibaly, Kara Mbodji, Lamine Gassama, Moussa Wague, Pape Alioune Ndiaye
Midfielders: Cheikhou Kouyate, Idrisa Gueye, Salif Sane, Cheikh Ndoye, Alfred Ndiaye
Forwards: Moussa Sow, Moussa Konate, Diafra Sakho, Sadio Mane, Ismaila Sarr, Mame Biram Diouf, Mbaye Niang, Keita Balde

Few can forget Senegal’s amazing World Cup debut in 2002, with their opening day defeat of defending champions France setting them on their way to the quarter-finals before defeat to Turkey.

It is surprising, then, that it has taken them 16 years to qualify for their second finals. Managed by a member of that 2002 team, Aliou Cisse, they will be heavily reliant on Liverpool forward Sadio Mane to provide thrust going forward.

Though after a quarter-final exit at the 2017 African Cup of Nations, expectations of making an impact on the knockout rounds have been lowered over the past 18 months.

COLOMBIA

Team: Colombia
Current FIFA Ranking: 16
Previous World Cup appearances: 5 - 1962, 1990, 1994, 1998, 2014
Best World Cup result: Quarter-final - 2014
Group fixtures: June 19 vs Japan, June 24 vs Poland, June 28 vs Senegal
Captain: Radamel Falcao
Star Player: James Rodriguez
Head coach: Jose Nestor Pekerman

COLOMBIA SQUAD
Goalkeepers: David Ospina, Camilo Vargas, Jose Fernando Cuadrado
Defenders: Cristian Zapata, Davinson Sanchez, Santiago Arias, Oscar Murillo, Farid Diaz, Johan Mojica, Yerry Mina
Midfielders: Wilmar Barrios, Carlos Sanchez, Jefferson Lerma, Jose Izquierdo, James Rodriguez, Abel Aguilar, Juan Fernando Quintero, Mateus Uribe, Juan Guillermo Cuadrado
Forwards: Radamel Falcao Garcia, Miguel Borja, Carlos Bacca, Luis Fernando Muriel

Another team who are currently reaping the rewards of a ‘Golden Generation’, Colombia are looking to build on their run to the quarter-finals at the 2014 World Cup.

Jose Pekerman’s side finished fourth during a highly-competitive CONMEBOL qualifying campaign to secure their place in Russia and are many pundits’ outside bets to reach the latter stages this time around.

Star man James Rodriguez has rediscovered his best form at Bayern Munich following an underwhelming spell at Real Madrid while Radamel Falcao - who missed the last World Cup with injury - has been in lethal form for Monaco in 2017-18.

JAPAN

Team: Japan
Current FIFA Ranking: 61
Previous World Cup appearances: 5 - 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014
Best World Cup result: Last 16 - 2002 and 2010
Group fixtures: June 19 vs Colombia, June 24 vs Senegal, June 28 vs Poland
Captain: Makoto Hasebe
Star Player: Keisuke Honda
Head coach: Akira Nishino

JAPAN SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Eiji Kawashima, Masaaki Higashiguchi, Kosuke Nakamura
Defenders: Yuto Nagatomo, Tomoaki Makino, Maya Yoshida, Hiroki Sakai, Gotoku Sakai, Gen Shoji, Wataru Endo, Naomichi Ueda
Midfielders: Makoto Hasebe, Shinji Kagawa, Gaku Shibasaki, Ryota Oshima, Hotaru Yamaguchi, Keisuke Honda
Forwards: Takashi Inui, Takashi Usami, Genki Haraguchi, Shinji Okazaki, Yuya Osako, Yoshinori Muto

Changing your coach three months out from the start of a World Cup finals is never a good sign, but that is exactly what Japan have done following the decision to relieve Vahid Halilhodzic in early April.

His replacement, Akira Nishino, has the task of turning around the fortunes of one of Asia’s most successful sides of recent years.

Having won three of the previous four editions they failed to make it past the quarter-finals of the 2015 Asia Cup and lost to UAE on their way to qualifying for Russia. Real outsiders.