Group D consists of Argentina, Croatia, Nigeria and one of the two debutants at this World Cup, Iceland.
Argentina: Argentina had an unusual tough qualification campaign. They only qualified on the last matchday, and if it wasn't for a Messi hat-trick on that day against Ecuador when 1-0 behind, we would not have seen Argentina on this World Cup. Argentina have had a couple of frustrating years: losing the World Cup final in 2014 against Germany and losing two Copa America finals on penalties against Chile in 2015 and 2016. International glory is still the big emptiness on Messi's incredible honors. On the age of 30 (but hopefully many years still left in him), will this be his last chance to win the World Cup? The selection is still much the same as the one that reached the final in 2014, but their other star players like Aguero, Higuaín, Di María and Mascherano have all reached their thirties by now and this might be their last World Cup together. Dybala, Lo Celso and Pavón- playing in the Argentinian League but most certain to make a big move this summer- will have to inspire the new generation. The goalkeepers look to be the weak spot in the selection. Argentina is always a serious contender at any World Cup, but their difficult qualification and the humiliating 6-1 defeat against Spain in March might be worrying signs. A round of 16 tie with France is best to be avoided.
Prediction: Round of 16
Croatia: Croatia is always a team everyone prefers to avoid. For that reason, it's a team I always have high expectations of, although they have yet to make that come true. Ready to challenge the very best teams at any time, they always seem to fail when they really have to beat them. They proved this again at EURO 2016: they were one of the better teams in the group stage, defeated Spain to come in first above them, but then failed against Portugal in the round of 16. To avoid a similar fate this year and avoid France in the round of 16 (who should normally win their group), they will have to beat Argentina, which I consider them capable of. Players like Modric, Rakitic, Mandzukic and Perisic have proved themselves at the highest level for years. For them, it is possibly their last chance at a World Cup. Besides experience, they have younger, promising players like Kramaric, Kovacic, Brozovic and Rebic as well. That's why I want to have high hopes for Croatia one more time. Fail me again however, and you will forever be out of my grace.
Prediction: Quarter Finals
Nigeria: Nigeria has already won an award before the World Cup has even started: the most popular kits. For real, you have to Google those. But since this is not a fashion but a football blog, let's focus on the sporting aspect. Nigeria is the only survivor of the African nations who qualified for the 2014 and 2010 World Cup. They eliminated two of them in their qualification group: Cameroon and Algeria. Nigeria is traditionally one of the better African teams at World Cups, getting through the group stage more then once, like in 2014 for example. They have a lot of players with Premier League experience. John Obi Mikel- former Chelsea player- and Victor Moses- current Chelsea player- are the more experienced players, but younger players like Ndidi (Leicester City), Iwobi (Arsenal) and Iheanaco (Leicester City and Manchester City) have already built themselves a reputation. Biggest loss in comparison to 2014 is probably their reliable goalkeeper-not always a guarantee for African nations- Enyeama- who is left out. Fun fact to bring up at parties: it's the fourth successive World Cup where Nigeria will play Argentina (I didn't count the 2006 World Cup where Nigeria wasn't qualified), a fixture that is becoming a World Cup classic in a sense. Given the fact they lost the previous three times, I don't think Nigeria will overcome Argentina (and Croatia) this time.
Prediction: Group Stage
Iceland: The team we all came to love at EURO 2016. Their round of 16 victory against England is a game that will forever be a true classic of European football (although the English want to erase the memory forever). Great to see them qualify for their first World Cup now. For a country with less than half a million inhabitants, it can't be emphasized enough what an incredible achievement this is. We saw at the World Cup that their biggest strength is the collective fighting spirit, with all players prepared to die for the Iceland shirt. They do have one player that sticks out: Gylfi Sigurdsson, although he was not the player for Everton this season that he has been in two spells for Swansea City. Their striker Finnbogason had an excellent season at Augsburg in Germany, scoring 12 goals. The big question is: can Iceland stunt again like two years ago in France? They will draw faith out the fact they ended in front of Croatia in the qualifications, avoiding play-offs, but I believe that their group will be too tough for them this time. No matter how far they get, they will most likely be the most sympathetic team again in Russia, and I hope their famous celebration will be heard during their matches.
Prediction: Group Stage