Portugal vs Spain, England vs Belgium & 10 most exciting World Cup 2018 group stage games

Goal rounds up some of the most exciting World Cup 2018 group stage fixtures – including Spain vs Portugal and England vs Belgium

With the World Cup set to kick off on June 14, Goal rounds up some of the biggest and best clashes to take place in Russia – including Spain vs Portugal which sees the new and old guard of La Furia Roja battle it out against the European champions, and Luis Suarez facing off against Mohamed Salah when Uruguay and Egypt play each other.

Portugal vs Spain   

Portugal vs Spain is easily one of the most exciting fixtures of the tournament. Portugal are a threat in this competition as they are helmed by a confident Cristiano Ronaldo fresh from winning the Champions League as well as leading his side to a European Championship victory two years ago. The current Spanish team features a mixed assortment of promising young talent including Marco Asensio, David de Gea and Isco as well as talismen in Andres Iniesta, David Silva and Gerard Pique.

England vs Belgium   

England will head to Russia with no expectations of themselves. Whereas in previous tournaments there was at least some optimism surrounding the Three Lions, consistent disappointment led to a cloud of indifference and lacklustre to surround them. This could very well work in Gareth Southgate's favour as now there remains to be very little expectation for a Harry Kane-led England team to do well. England's Group G campaign culminates in an exciting match against Belgium, a strong side full of individual talent featuring the likes of Eden Hazard, Romelu Lukaku, Kevin de Bruyne and Thibault Courtois, led by manager Roberto Martinez.

Denmark vs France   

Denmark aren't a side who would be obvious favourites to progress far in a World Cup but when you recall some of their star names such as Christian Eriksen and Andreas Christensen, it would be naive to assume that they'd falter at the first stage. Each reiteration of France's second or third-string squads could very well still be any other national team's first-choice side – with Antoine Griezmann, Thomas Lemar, Kylian Mbappe, N'Golo Kante, Nabil Fekir and Ousmane Dembele providing the attacking thrust in Didier Deschamps side. France have a knitted-together group of experienced and skilled players who are extraordinary in their own right, though the jury is still out as to whether or not they will be at the top of their game against Denmark.

Egypt vs Uruguay   

Mohamed Salah propelled Egypt to the finals after scoring a 95th-minute penalty against DR Congo to ensure that the Pharoahs would appear in their first World Cup since 1990. The 25-year-old endeared himself to the world after an emphatic debut season at Liverpool where he smashed records and netted 44 goals in all competitions, and though he was unable to lift the European Cup with the Reds, he will be looking to redeem himself with a successful World Cup campaign. He is set to face off against none other than Luis Suarez for Uruguay in their sides' opening fixture. Suarez was the Salah of yesteryear for Reds supporters before he moved to Barcelona in 2014 – and his was one of the scoring records that Salah broke this season. It'll be an exciting game with Salah and Mohamed Elneny facing off against Suarez and Paris Saint-Germain star Edinson Cavani – and a chance to assert each forward's abilities.

Argentina vs Iceland   

What will happen when Argentina – one of the most storied national sides of all-time – comes up against Iceland, one of the smallest of the qualified nations and who are set to make their first ever appearance in the World Cup? Lionel Messi has yet to lift a major honour on the international stage and has finished as runner-up in four of his last Copa America finals. Despite his great successes with Barcelona – he has long since been the Spanish side's all-time top-scorer and has won every major club trophy imaginable, as well as lifting the Ballon d'Or on five separate occasions – some critics still feel that to truly cement his place as one of football's greats he must win the World Cup with his nation.

Brazil vs Switzerland   

Brazil's opening fixture against Switzerland will be their first on the world stage since their 7-1 humiliation to Germany in 2014, and they will be looking to announce themselves at the earliest possibile opportunity. Buoyed by a fit Neymar who had to miss out on a massive chunk of the club season due to injury, Brazil sport an assortment of talented players such as Philippe Coutinho, Roberto Firmino and Willian and will be looking to redeem themselves. Xherdan Shaqiri will be leading the Swiss line in the aftermath of Stoke City's relegation to the Championship – though that doesn't discount his own individual sklill level– as well as Arsenal's Granit Xhaka. The two have met just once in a World Cup before, in 1950, when they were also drawn in the group stages.

Senegal vs Colombia   

Senegal are led by the excellent Sadio Mane who had a successful season with Liverpool, scoring 20 goals in 44 total club appearances this season. Though no doubt disappointed by the Champions League heartbreak, Mane will be eager to end his World Cup campaign in a positive manner when his side clash with Colombia at the Samara Arena at the end of June. Colombia aren't without their own wealth of talent, namely a certain James Rodriguez, and this fixture is a chance for the two star forwards to take up the challenge between themselves.

Germany vs Mexico   

The defending champions will be looking to make their World Cup success a back-to-back feat, starting with their opening fixture against Mexico, as the current Germany squad is still as strong as the one four years ago – even without hero Mario Gotze in the squad. The Germany squad is rife with experienced players in the shape of Thomas Muller, Sami Khedira and Toni Kroos as well as young talent such as Leroy Sane, who had a magnificent season with Manchester City, winning the title in the process, where he scored 23 goals. Add the likes of Timo Werner, Marco Reus and Manuel Neuer and Germany are once again favourites to defend their title.

Argentina vs Croatia   

Argentina's group stage draw hasn't been completely kind, and Croatia will be a tough task. Messi will face up against Real Madrid rival Luka Modric in the June 21 fixture who seems to be improving season after season, with his confidence increased following his Champions League win against Liverpool. In addition to Modric, Croatia do have some tricks up their sleeves including Ivan Rakitic, Mario Mandzukic and Ivan Perisic. It will also put Liverpool defender Dejan Lovren up to the task of trying to defend against the Argentine hero.

South Korea vs Germany   

Son Heung-min is the obvious threat in the South Korea side, and it will be interesting to see if he can apply some of his own individual talent to inspire his side when they clash against the defending world champions. The Tottenham star will be looking to continue his impressive form from a successful season at Wembley where he helped his side finish third in the Premier League table. This year's World Cup finals will be the ninth consecutive time they have reached the competition, finishing second in their group after goalless draws against Uzebekistan and Iran.