World Cup Predictions 2018: Projecting Winners for Each Quarter-Final Matchup

The quarter-final lineup for the 2018 FIFA World Cup is set, and the last eight will battle it out on Friday and Saturday to make it to the final four.

On Friday, Uruguay and France will go head-to-head before Brazil play Belgium. Sweden take on England on Saturday, with Croatia facing off against Russia thereafter.

Predictions

• Uruguay 0-1 France
• Brazil 2-1 Belgium
• Sweden 1-2 England
• Russia 1-3 Croatia

Sweden vs. England

Sweden have impressed in Russia despite—or perhaps because of—Zlatan Ibrahimovic's absence, with their organisation and team ethic making them a force to be reckoned with.

One way they have missed Ibrahimovic, though, is that they have relatively little quality going forward.

Football writer Karl Matchett noted their attacking struggles in their 1-0 victory over Switzerland in the previous round:

However, they will be buoyed by the fact England have not kept a clean sheet at the tournament despite playing Tunisia and Panama in their opening two games. It's hardly beyond the realm of possibility they could end up on the scoresheet.

Where the Three Lions have a big advantage is up front, and they will be hoping captain Harry Kane can keep scoring.

In a fiery round-of-16 clash with Colombia, he showed he has ice in his veins by dispatching a penalty during the game and in the shootout, in which England defied history to win:

Former England striker Gary Lineker shared some impressive statistics about the 24-year-old:

Kane should give the Three Lions the edge here, but England rarely make life easy for themselves—it's likely to be a tight game on Saturday.

Russia vs. Croatia

Despite an early setback against Spain that looked set to put an end to their World Cup hopes, Russia managed to take La Roja to penalties, where they triumphed to secure a quarter-final berth on home soil.

Reaching the last eight is a far cry from what was expected of the host nation before the tournament, but they have risen to the occasion admirably.

In coming through against Spain, they showed they can progress against far more talented sides, though Croatia will likely carry far more attacking intent than La Roja.

They have a tried-and-tested method of unlocking defences in the form of Luka Modric, as football analyst Dave O'Brien highlighted:

With the likes of Ivan Rakitic, Ivan Perisic and Ante Rebic offering threats alongside him, Croatia should be capable of making their superiority over Russia count in a way Spain could not.