Five danger men from Group F

An in-demand Mexican, a German-based Swede and a recent Barcelona graduate are among the players ready to light it up in Group F.

1 Timo Werner (Germany)

For many players straining to make the final cut in preliminary World Cup squads around the globe, these past few weeks have been a nervous time. Not so for Werner. His selection has long been assured - no German player in the Bundesliga comes close to the 22 year-old’s 42 goals in the last two seasons.

Germany have a proud history of preposterously prolific goalscorers at international level, and are rarely without one in their ranks at any one time. Take their greatest of all, Gerd Muller. When he quit the scene in 1974, he was followed by Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, who passed the baton on to Rudi Voller. Then came Oliver Bierhoff and most recently, Miroslav Klose. Now, it’s Werner’s time.

He's off to a good start - with seven strikes in his 13 caps thus far, it’s the Mexican, Swedish and South Korean defenders feeling the nerves.

2 Hirving Lozano (Mexico)

Lozano enjoyed an electric start at PSV

Premier League clubs haven’t hung about in getting a few transfer deals done early in the close-season - it’s a World Cup year after all. It’s a common occurrence that when a promising player shines on the big stage for all the world to see, it greatly inflates their transfer fee. One guy set to be firmly in that category is Lozano, Mexico’s latest bright young thing.

It’s been a whirlwind 12 months for ‘Chucky’, as he’s often called. Having won the Liga MX and CONCACAF Champions League with boyhood club Pachuca in a year ago, the 22 year-old hot-footed his way to Holland where, with PSV Eindhoven, he netted in seven of his first eight games and top-scored in his first season to help them reclaim the Eredivisie title.

There’s growing talk of a switch to Everton - but right now, he insists his focus is on Russia. He’ll line up on the left wing for El Tri, supporting Chicharito and aiming to impress watching eyes with his direct runs and sweeping, right-foot finishes that leave keepers grasping at air.

3 Emil Forsberg (Sweden)

When Forsberg casts his eyes across the German half of the pitch before kick-off in Sochi on 23 June, he’ll spot some familiar faces blocking his route to goal. After two seasons with Bundesliga upstarts RB Leipzig, the left-winger has grown accustomed to battles against the Bayern Munich backline of Joshua Kimmich, Jerome Boateng and Mats Hummels, with Manuel Neuer guarding the sticks.

So he’s got insider’s knowledge, but whether that will aid Sweden’s cause is unclear. What is certain is that, as far as their creating chances is concerned, the onus lies heavily on the 26 year-old. He conjured 19 assists in a dream debut season in the Bundesliga in 2016/17, and his crossing and set piece ability is perfectly suited to his teammates’ aerial threat.

He’s fought that Bayern rearguard five times to date. When the bell rings for round six, keep your eyes on the wing - an intriguing 90 minutes will lie ahead.
 

4 Lee Seung-Woo (South Korea)

Is this 20-year-old winger the biggest bolter at the tournament? He only received his first call-up last month, and out of nowhere, he’s been handed his country’s No.9 shirt, played both warm-up games so far, and provided the assist for Son Heung-Min’s stunning goal against Honduras on his debut.

Aged 12, Lee caught the eyes of Barcelona scouts, who whisked him off to Europe’s finest finishing school, La Masia. There, he spent five years developing his game. He was bought by Italian club Hellas Verona at the beginning of last season and racked up 14 appearances in Serie A, scoring his first goal at the end of the campaign away to AC Milan.

The odds are stacked against a South Korea side that relies far too heavily on Son. If Lee can ease the burden and continue his recent upward trajectory, it could have a huge impact on his very-near future - Barcelona retain the right to buy him back before 2019.

5 Joshua Kimmich (Germany)

Two years ago, with just one senior cap to his name, Kimmich was included in Germany’s UEFA Euro 2016 squad merely as versatile back-up. By the end, he was named in the Team of the Tournament.

Some 87 club appearances and back-to-back Bundesliga titles later, Russia presents an all-new acid test for the 23 year-old right-back. It’s his first tournament as a bona-fide, fully-established senior international. He’s set his own bar very high, and Germany expects. It hasn’t been the smoothest couple of weeks in the training camp - Kimmich had a brief scuffle with Chelsea defender Antonio Rudiger after being on the sharp end of a late challenge. Speaking to the press pack with typical maturity afterwards, however, he was quick to dismiss the incident. “It wasn’t that unusual,” he said. “On the contrary - if everyone wants to win, let’s get down to business.”

He’s no one-cap kid anymore. He’s a man on a mission.