Group A: Russia, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Uruguay

The Favorites -- Uruguay

After a scintillating run to the semifinals in South Africa in 2010, La Celeste had an up-and-down time four years ago in Brazil, as they escaped a difficult group that featured Italy and England before ultimately falling to South American rivals Colombia, 2-0, in the Round of 16. (If you recall, there was also biting.)

Since then, not much has changed for the two-time World Cup winners. Just like in Brazil, soon-to-be four-time World Cup manager Oscar Tabarez will lead the side, while star forwards Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani -- now both 31 years old -- are still producing at the highest level.

One of the oldest teams in the field, Uruguay qualified with relative ease in CONMEBOL, finishing second behind only Brazil, and their experience combined with a world-class attack make them the overwhelming pick in a group heavy on storylines but light on contenders.

Team of Intrigue -- Russia

The home team at any major tournament is always of interest, though it’s safe to say that optimism has rarely -- if ever -- been lower for a World Cup host than it is for this Russian side.

Widely dubbed the poorest team in the nation’s history, the Sbornaya haven’t won a match since last October and are currently ranked 35th in our nERD-based power rankings and a dismal 66th in FIFA’s World Rankings, several spots below traditional "powers" like Cape Verde and Burkina Faso.

But despite all that, Stanislav Cherchisov’s charges have more than a puncher’s chance to avoid being just the second host nation in Word Cup history to fail to make the knockout stages, thanks in large to their, ahem, good fortune of being drawn into a group featuring two sides that actually rank lower than they do.

Defending is their Achilles’ heel -- in 13 matches in 2017-18, they’ve kept only two clean sheets -- but they’re not bad going forward, with two-time reigning Russian Premier League Golden Boot winner Fedor Smolov of Krasnodar up top and CSKA’s Alan Dzagoev in support.

Star Watch -- Mohamed Salah, Egypt

Even with the distinguished CVs of the Uruguayan hitmen listed above, Liverpool’s “Egyptian King” is the unquestioned alpha of Group A.

In the midst of casually breaking the 38-game Premier League goal-scoring record this year with 32 league tallies and 44 in all competitions in his debut season at Anfield, Salah was the driving force behind Egypt’s first World Cup qualification since 1990, but his availability for the Pharaohs is in question after coming out on the sore end of a Sergio Ramos WWE-style takedown in the UEFA Champions League Final in late May.

Get ready for the 25-year old’s shoulder to be the world’s most-discussed body part in the weeks ahead.

Match In Focus

Russia vs. Saudi Arabia -- June 14, Moscow

With Uruguay tipped by our metrics and the bookmakers as heavy favorites, the battle for second place should provide most of the intrigue in Group A, and we’ll get a better sense of who holds the cards for that runner-up spot after the tournament curtain raiser between these two.

Even though the hosts will be fancied in this fixture, Saudi Arabia did finish ahead of Australia and were just one point back of Japan in their AFC qualifying group. Plus, they’ll feature Mohammad Al-Sahlawi, whose 16 goals in qualifying tied for joint-most in the world.

What Lies Ahead

If we’re brutally honest, finishing first or second in Group A might not matter, as whoever emerges will likely see their World Cup dreams end at the hands of Group B’s Spain or Portugal in the Round of 16. So much for an easy draw for the host nation.

Our Projections

Uruguay -- 62.72% to top group, 86.16% to advance

Russia -- 20.77% to top group, 57.75% to advance

Egypt -- 12.23% to top group, 38.11% to advance

Saudi Arabia -- 4.28% to top group, 17.98% to advance