Sweden should rise to the occasion and beat South Korea

Security is tight out here in Russia but it has been a hugely enjoyable World Cup trip and the food is certainly better than expected with a number of excellent Georgian restaurants keeping me out of McDonald's and Burger King. At least for now.

Monday's matches serve up a couple of one-sided contests with England and Belgium strong favourites to overcome Tunisia and Panama respectively, but if you are looking for a tasty bet it may pay to tuck into Sweden for their clash with South Korea.

Sweden are an interesting side without Zlatan Ibrahimovic and the job Janne Andersson has done with them is truly incredible.

Look at the squad list post-Zlatan they should be spending a few years treading water, failing to reach major tournaments, but Sweden are not a side to underestimate.

I saw a lot of them in qualifying against France, Holland and then Italy in the playoffs and they are a decent team capable of challenging for a knockout spot in Group F.

If that prediction is to come true they must beat South Korea and they are certainly up to the task.

When I speak to Swedish journalists they always talk about the players such as Victor Lindelof and Emil Forsberg raising their standards several levels for the national team.

Neither have had amazing club seasons but they understand their responsibility in going through the gears for Sweden seeing as they no longer have somebody like Ibrahimovic in the side.

Belgium should beat Panama as easily as the odds suggest.

I watched a bit of Panama in the pre-tournament friendlies and it's fair to say they were physical, but there is a lack of quality which makes this a straightforward opener for Belgium.

It's not about whether Belgium qualify or even when they go out but how they play. They were so disappointing in their quarter-final exit to Argentina four years ago and they imploded at the same stage against Wales at Euro 2016.

England should beat Tunisia, although it may not be a stroll. I saw Tunisia's 2-2 draw with Portugal and 1-0 defeat to Spain prior to the World Cup, but don't read too much into the Portugal game as Fernando Santos made loads of changes which allowed the Eagles of Carthage back into the game.

Wahbi Khazri had a decent season with Rennes, and England will also need to watch out for Ligue 1 players Bassem Srarfi and Naim Sliti, but I just don't see where their goals are coming from.

Tunisia defend well but it may take only one goal for England to match Belgium in starting their Group G campaign with a victory.

There could be an upset on Tuesday with Senegal fancied to overcome a Poland side who look better on paper than they do on the pitch.

Kamil Glik's injury is a huge problem for Poland - he is their leader - and the squad looks unbalanced with two excellent keepers who deserve to start but a lack of depth elsewhere.

There is also a question over Robert Lewandowski in tournament football after two failures. Lewandowski wanting a move from Bayern Munich is not ideal prep and he was really poor in the latter stages of the Champions League too.

Poland had a fault in their system two years ago despite reaching the Euro 2016 quarter-finals in that Lewandowski did not have a shot on target until their final match.

Coach Adam Nawalka spoke of the work Lewandowski did for the team but he is the star striker, he should be scoring their goals on the biggest stage and Senegal centre-back Kalidou Koulibaly is fancied to come out on top in their crucial individual battle.

A wager that stands out on Wednesday is Portugal to beat Morocco quite easily following all the drama of Friday's 3-3 draw with Spain in Sochi.

I was privileged to be inside the stadium for Cristiano Ronaldo's hat-trick and had moved pitchside for my work commitments in time for that astonishing free-kick equaliser with time running out.

The atmosphere inside the stadium was not great but on the touchline it was something very special and should help Portugal pick up a win over Morocco.

The team plays to Ronaldo's strengths and he looks to have timed his run for peak fitness to perfection. He started the season slowly but has been incredible in 2018 and you can see he really wants to be star of this World Cup as he was basically injured four years ago.

Morocco have to play to win following their surprise loss to Iran and Portugal can be devastating on the counter-attack.

Managing Morocco is one of the toughest jobs in football.

There are five languages spoken in the dressing-room and Herve Renard speaks only two of them - French and English. They lack a goalscorer despite possessing a talented midfield.

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