World Cup 2018: Friday's Match Odds and Updated Group Predictions

Russia's 5-0 thumping of Saudi Arabia gave us a thundering start to the 2018 FIFA World Cup, but a Group B gridlock between European heavyweights Spain and Portugal on Friday will give proceedings an injection of quality.

First up on Friday, the Group A action will resume as Egypt and Uruguay both look to follow Russia's lead and get off to a winning start when they clash at Central Stadium in Yekaterinburg.

That's before attention turns to Group B, and tensions are high considering the winner of Spain's meeting with 2016 European champions Portugal will likely go on to top the pool.

Morocco and Iran are the other Group B contenders in action on Friday and face what looks to be an early sudden-death decider, with any loser in their encounter unlikely to get a win on the board in Russia.

Read on for a preview of Friday's World Cup slate, complete with match odds, predictions and projected standings after the second day of the competition.

Friday's Fixtures/Predictions

Egypt 1-2 Uruguay, 1 p.m. BST/8 a.m. ET

Morocco 1-0 Iran, 4 p.m. BST/11 a.m. ET

Portugal 1-2 Spain, 7 p.m. BST/2 p.m. ET

Friday's Odds

Egypt (+575) - Draw (+310) - Uruguay (-200)

Morocco (-106) - Draw (+230) - Iran (+320)

Portugal (+340) - Draw (+220) - Spain (-106)

All odds courtesy of OddsShark.

Projected Standings (Goal Difference)

Group A 

1. Russia: 3 (+5)

2. Uruguay: 3 (+1)

3. Egypt: 0 (-1)

4. Saudi Arabia: 0 (-5)

Group B

1. Spain: 3 (+1)

2. Morocco: 3 (+1)

3. Egypt: 0 (-1)

4. Portugal: 0 (-1)

Preview

The build-up to Friday's high-profile head-to-head between Spain and Portugal was taken up several notches when Julen Lopetegui was sacked as the former's manager, having agreed to take over at Real Madrid, per BBC Sport.

His replacement at the Spain helm is Fernando Hierro, who made 89 international appearances for La Furia Roja but, as the Guardian's Sid Lowe remembered, doesn't boast the most prestigious managerial resume:

Portugal won't say it aloud, but the news of Lopetegui's dismissal one day before the tournament began will have been music to their ears, with a 33-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo eyeing what could be his last World Cup.

But there's only so much havoc Portugal can hope will be wreaked in Spain's camp over the course of a few days, with manager Fernando Santos not expecting major changes, per writer Dan Kilpatrick:

Morocco and Iran's meeting looks set to be a battle for third, and it's the Atlas Lions who have been tipped by the bookmakers to get their tournament off to a winning start.

The BBC's John Bennett is one of those who felt Morocco—a team that's conceded only three times in their last six games—could stage a surprise or two in Russia:

It will take something of a miracle for either of those nations to advance out of Group B ahead of Spain or Portugal, but three points at the Krestovsky Stadium in St Petersburg would at least keep the dream alive. Anything less will be hazardous to their hopes of escaping the group stage.

All talk leading up to Egypt's opener against Uruguay—their first match at a World Cup in 28 years—has centred around Mohamed Salah's fitness, and PhysioRoom.com provided a positive update for the African nation on Thursday:

Without doing a disservice to the rest of the team, after Russia's destruction of Saudi Arabia, an even greater burden rests with Salah to fire Egypt on in the tournament, but Uruguay have always been favourites to top Group A.

The South Americans boast star strikers in Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani, as well as a more accomplished lineup across other areas of the pitch, and even Salah starting may not have enough to make the needed dents.