Kylian Mbappe insisted he was feeling no ill-effects from his injury scare while acknowledging that the likes of Antoine Griezmann, Ousmane Dembele and himself will have to be clinical if they are to propel France to World Cup glory.
Portugal playmaker Bernardo Silva remains wary of Spain despite a day of high farce that has threatened to end the 2010 world champions’ campaign before it has even begun.
Polish striker Robert Lewandowski warned he is feeling fresh and is looking to make an impact for Poland at the 2018 Fifa World Cup.
With Spain having sacked coach Julen Lopetegui on the eve of the tournament, they are staring at a second nightmare Fifa World Cup in a row.
Spain caused what could be the biggest shock of the 2018 World Cup on Wednesday, a full 24 hours before the tournament even gets underway.
The Spanish FA have confirmed that Fernando Hierro will take charge of Spain for the duration of the World Cup following the sacking of Julen Lopetegui.
One day after being named Real Madrid’s new coach, Julen Lopetegui has been sacked by the Spanish FA just a day before the start of the World Cup.
Russia are the lowest-ranked team at the World Cup and yet, come Thursday’s opener, they will be expected to provide a nation-lifting performance against Saudi Arabia.
Kylian Mbappe makes his World Cup debut at Russia 2018 and will look to emulate his hero, Zinedine Zidane in leading France to World Cup success.
England have been hit with an injury concern, with Marcus Rashford nursing a niggle, less than a week out from their World Cup opener.