World Cup fantasy football is something of an acquired taste for fantasy football fans. Yes, most of the teams that you expected to qualify for the big tournament are nearly there. But there’s still a sense of jeopardy for the sides that might catch the late bus, and a whole lot of questions regarding who you should pick for your ideal fantasy football draft.
Who’s in and who’s out? Most importantly, which of the top stars are actually representing their nation on Matchday 7, and which ones are nursing injuries or taking it easy back at their club?
I’ve got a few tips that, I know, will improve your selection. Remember that you can use all of this info in three separate, free FootballCoin contests that pay off with big prizes, along with private events. Use this invite link to enter your WCQ fantasy football teams!
Are These the Players You Need for Your Matchday 7 World Cup Fantasy Football Squad?
Let’s start with what we know for sure when it comes to the European World Cup Qualifiers. UEFA will send 16 teams to the North American-hosted tournament out of 54 taking part in the qualification process. There are 12 groups, and the winner of each qualifies automatically.
Now, and this is where it gets tricky, the teams that finish second get another shot at qualifying through a play-off match, while, at the same time, teams like France or Spain are guaranteed a play-off spot based on their performance in the Nations League.
And, with this out of the way, who do you need for your fantasy football team?
Thursday fantasy football
Let’s start with the games scheduled for Thursday. Standout favourites here include the Netherlands travelling to Malta, one of Europe’s few sunny places this time of the year. The Dutch might’ve relaxed in other circumstances, but they desperately need a victory to surpass Poland for first place.
Verbruggen seems like a sensible choice for a goalkeeper with a clean sheet all but assured. Still, there’ll be little work to do, most likely.
De Jong and Gravenberch are good if you can afford the cards, but picking Reijnders looks even better. Simons, Malen, and Gakpo could all get on the scoreboard. Malen has kept scoring for the national team in recent times.
Similarly, Austria has every intention to try and score as many goals as possible against San Marino. And while I am publicly endorsing the team of the small mountain-side state, there’s no denying that Sabitzer, Baumgartner, and Gregoritsch look like good picks for this one.
Meanwhile, the Faroe Islands team isn’t as clearly unmatched against Montenegro. Still, you may want to pick a few of the Balkan team’s players for this contest. Stevan Jovetic is, yes, still playing. Stefan Savic is still active as well. And Milan Vukotic is shaping up to be a fine player. The last time that Montenegro actually won a game was last March against the Faroe Islands.
For a more even affair, and a few sparks flying around, check out Scotland playing Greece. Both have a real shot at qualifying should they dislodge Denmark from first place. Both will force a win.
You can take advantage of the good form of McTominay, Gilmour, McGinn from this Scottish team. Meanwhile, Greek striker Vangelis Pavlidis has been in fine form for Benfica this season. Meanwhile, Mavroponos is a good pick for your defender spots.
Friday fantasy football
I won’t dignify the question: “Germany versus Luxembourg?” with an answer at this time. You know what to do!
Meanwhile, Slovakia looks red hot as it faces Northern Ireland away. Lobotka, Duda, and striker Strelec look like good picks.
Sweden’s doing miserably and could use a victory against Switzerland. This means that it might be time to put your faith in Gyokeres and Isak, without forgetting that Xhaka rarely disappoints when it comes to fantasy football.
And, even though France is unlikely to outright thrash Azerbaijan, you’ll still want to consider the likes of T. Hernandez, Olise or Kylian Mbappe for your fantasy football team. There’s even room for street-fighting man Rabiot.
Should You Avoid These Players Ahead of the World Cup Qualifiers?
Memphis Depay and Wout Weghorst would’ve probably liked to add to their goal tally, but won’t start due to injury concerns. And if you thought of using your Matthijs de Ligt or Teun Koopmeiners FootballCoin cards, you can blame Ronald Koeman for not being able to do so.
Marusic is out for this one with a muscle injury. Andrew Robertson isn’t out, but you might not want to take a risk considering his current form.
Speaking of absentees, France will be without Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembele, as well as Marcus Thuram and Bradley Barcola.
