Knappen seeking to enter World Cup history books

Schalke’s dribbling king Amine Harit gets the Royal Blues underway on Friday as Morocco take on Iran. “Playing in a World Cup is very special, it doesn’t happen every year,” said the excited 20-year-old ahead of the tournament. “This chance only comes around every four years.” Morocco have been waiting even longer for such an opportunity as they haven’t participated in a World Cup since 1998, before Harit had even turned one.

Marko Pjaca will also be hoping for a good start on Saturday with Croatia against Nigeria. Four years ago, Croatia went out in the group stages while the Super Eagles made the knock-out stages. The reigning champions start on Sunday with the mission of defending their title. Germany will play Mexico in their opener, Leon Goretzka will hope to feature.

Straight afterwards, Breel Embolo and Switzerland will take on Brazil. Despite the tough start, the 21-year-old is optimistic: “We feel ready. Both friendlies went well for us. We know that we have to tweak a few things to go far in the tournament. Still, we’re ready to the World Cup full of confidence.”