Morocco and Iran could cancel each other out. 1-1. Portugal and Spain is the headline match on Friday, and the rivalry, as well as recently events off the field, will make for a high octane affair. However, historically these two teams don't produce many goals: their four meetings at major tournaments have seen just four goals in total. So, we're going for a 1-0 Spain win here. What is the latest World Cup news? It's all change for England. Ashley Young looks like he has beaten Danny Rose to the starting spot at left wing-back in Gareth Southgate's England team to face Tunisia on Monday, while Jordan Henderson ho could now start ahead of Eric Dier in midfield. Harry Maguire also looks set to overtake Gary Cahill in England's three-man defence. Meanwhile, s major US broadcaster has apologised to viewers over Robbie Williams's one-finger salute. The former Take That singer marred what had been a vintage performance of his greatest hits during the World Cup's opening ceremony by showing his middle finger to the camera. Williams made the offensive gesture during his last song, Rock DJ, prompting viewers in the UK and abroad to complain. Kiran Manral wrote on Twitter: "Robbie Williams flipped the middle finger at an audience of billions. Now to sit down and explain to the offspring why he's not to do the same to even an audience of one."<doc-sep>Russia do not boast the strongest team they have ever fielded (Picture: Getty Images) The World Cup 2018 begins on Thursday afternoon and millions will tune in for the much-anticipated clash between…Russia and Saudi Arabia. Yes, it might not be the most exciting start to the World Cup, but the important thing is that the World Cup is here and getting underway, there will be plenty of good matches to come. We also have the dubious pleasure of the opening ceremony today which will feature Robbie Williams, for some reason. Here is everything you need to know about the opening day of action in Moscow… Mohammad Al-Sahlawi is the top scorer in the Saudi Arabia squad, here he is missing a penalty (Picture: Getty Images) What matches are on today and what channel are they on? Group A Russia vs Saudi Arabia – 4pm BST – ITV Aleksandr Golovin, Fedor Smolov and Igor Akinfeev pose for a quite odd promo photo (Picture: Getty Images) What are the odds? (Courtesy of Betfair) 40/85 Russia 16/5 Draw 17/2 Saudi Arabia To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video When is the opening ceremony? The opening ceremony starts at 3.30pm BST, meaning it is mercifully 30 minutes long. The event will be shown on ITV before the first match kicks-off. Who is performing? Tasked with entertaining the planet on Thursday afternoon is a certain Robert Peter Williams who will perform two songs with Russian opera singer Aida Garifullina. It seems an odd choice, but at least it injects some intrigue into the opening ceremony. ‘I’m so happy and excited to be going back to Russia for such a unique performance, said Williams. ‘I’ve done a lot in my career, and opening the FIFA World Cup to 80,000 football fans in the stadium and many millions all over the world is a boyhood dream.’ England World Cup Group G matches 18 June – England v Tunisia – 7pm BST – BBC One – Volgograd Arena, Volgograd 24 June – England v Panama – 1pm BST – BBC One – Nizhny Novgorod Stadium, Nizhny Novgorod 28 June – England v Belgium – 7pm BST – ITV – Kaliningrad Stadium, Kaliningrad MORE : Maurizio Sarri closer to Chelsea as Napoli set new asking price MORE : David and Victoria Beckham put on a united front after squashing divorce rumours<doc-sep>Buda Mendes/Getty Images There are just three matches at the 2018 FIFA World Cup on Sunday, but neutral fans won't mind because they will get to watch champions Germany and football giants Brazil take to the pitch. Costa Rica and Serbia will kick things off before the Germans face Mexico in the lone Group F match of the day. Group E favourites Brazil and Switzerland contest Sunday's final game. Schedule Group E: Costa Rica vs. Serbia, 4 p.m. local time, 1 p.m. BST/8 a.m. ET, ITV (UK)/Fox (U.S.) Group F: Germany vs. Mexico, 6 p.m. local time, 4 p.m. BST/11 a.m. ET, BBC (UK)/FS1 (U.S.) Group E: Brazil vs. Switzerland, 9 p.m. local time, 7 p.m. BST/2 p.m. ET, ITV (UK)/FS1 (U.S.) Live-stream links: Fox Soccer Match Pass, ITV Hub and BBC iPlayer. Video Play Button Videos you might like Most fans will have their eyes on Germany and Brazil on Sunday, but don't make the mistake of skipping the day's first match. The Serbs have an exciting young team filled with talents who could break out in Russia―Andrija Zivkovic and Marko Grujic come to mind―and are led by Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, perhaps the best midfielder set to be available on the transfer market this summer. Their opponents have shown plenty of weaknesses in their final friendlies, but Costa Rica have also displayed a willingness to attack and have a ton of pace out wide. For both sides, this might be their best chance of grabbing a win in Russia―expect them to leave it all out on the pitch. If all goes well, those two will set the stage for Germany and Brazil, whom many people are backing as the favourites for the tournament. So are the stats: Die Mannschaft are the champions and performed well in qualifiers, but they enter their first match with a few question marks after some poor outings in the final friendlies before the tournament. There are no such question marks surrounding Brazil, as Neymar proved his fitness in their friendlies and looks refreshed after missing the final few months of the season through injury. On paper, both face tricky opposition to start off the tournament. Mexico are CONCACAF's giants, and while their forwards have struggled tremendously of late, El Tri have a solid group-stage record at the World Cup. Switzerland have quietly been among Europe's most consistent teams in the past few years and are the sixth-ranked team in the world for a reason. While they may lack the individual talent Brazil bring to the table, Switzerland's solid organisation and ability to counter at pace more than make up for that.<doc-sep>
England: The Three Lions are primed for one of their most promising World Cup prospects in decades, and a strong qualifying campaign has heaped loads of pressure on England’s shoulders. With a host of Premier League talent at READ FULL TEAM PREVIEW The Three Lions are primed for one of their most promising World Cup prospects in decades, and a strong qualifying campaign has heaped loads of pressure on England’s shoulders. With a host of Premier League talent at Gareth Southgate ‘s disposal, they shouldn’t have trouble with a relatively straightforward group. Belgium: Another European power in a top-heavy group, Roberto Martinez has one of the toughest jobs at the World Cup. Despite a roster exploding with world-class talent, a host of managers have tried and failed to get Belgium to play to its potential. Is this the year the country’s “Golden Generation” pans out, or will they disappoint yet again? READ FULL TEAM PREVIEW [ MORE: Latest 2018 World Cup news ] Panama: An aging squad has struggled mightily in the run-up to this summer’s big dance, and Panama heads to Russia with a monumental task of making it out of a very difficult group. Can they score enough goals to topple the giants? READ FULL TEAM PREVIEW Tunisia: The Eagles have some bright talent ready to represent the flag, but some of the bigger names on Tunisia’s side are either injured or struggling to prove their fitness. It will be difficult for them to make any noise in Group G. READ FULL TEAM PREVIEW Click here for live and on demand coverage of the World Cup online and via the NBC Sports App. Who’s going through: England and Belgium [ LIVE: World Cup scores ] Who’s going home: Panama and Tunisia Marquee match: England vs. Belgium, June 28 in Kalinigrad Top 5 players to watch 1) Harry Kane — England 2) Eden Hazard — Belgium 3) Raheem Sterling — England 4) Wahbi Khazri — Tunisia 5) Romelu Lukaku — Belgium Follow @the_bonnfire