With less than one month until the Qatar World Cup kicks off, England fans will be starting to cast their minds towards the tournament, if they haven't already, and begin the customary dreaming of seeing their national team lift the famous trophy for the first time in 56 years.
Progression from Group B should be relatively straightforward on paper with the USA, Iran and Wales expected to be obstacles that the Three Lions can overcome without too much effort.
However, the knockout stages are famously where England struggle, particularly in the quarter-finals, with no side exiting the competition in the final eight as frequently as the Three Lions' eight occasions between 1950 and 2006.
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Having said that, Russia made supporters dream, as did the European Championships last year. Granted, hope has been extinguished to some extent after Gareth Southgate's side's poor run in the Nations League but supporters will undoubtedly rekindle their hopes of seeing England triumphant, whether that proves to be naive or not.
Who England could play in World Cup knockouts
But who could England realistically face in the latter stages of the World Cup? There will be a plethora of top talent on display in Qatar with the favourites Brazil filled to the brim with quality whilst current holders France are still in excellent knick.
The Netherlands could prove to be dark horses having missed out on the 2018 tournament whilst the likes of Belgium, Germany, Argentina and Spain are always an entertaining watch with genuine ambition to end the tournament victorious.
If all goes to plan in the group stages, England will play their round-of-16 match on 4th December as winners of Group B against the runners-up of Group A.
However, you'd be forgiven for gulping when realising that that will most likely mean the Three Lions will have to either play the Netherlands, with the likes of Cody Gakpo, Virgil van Dijk and Memphis Depay, or Senegal, with Sadio Mané also accompanied by Ismaila Sarr, Bamba Dieng and Iliman Ndiaye. Or, if a shock occurs, Ecuador or host nation Qatar could provide the opposition.
Should that hurdle be overcome, the happenings in Groups C and D will determine who England face in the quarter-finals with Lionel Messi and Argentina, Kylian Mbappe and France and Robert Lewandowski and Poland all potential opponents.
The semi-finals, should Southgate mastermind another romp through the first knockout rounds, could see the likes of Spain, Belgium, Brazil or Portugal stand in England's way of a first World Cup final since their infamous 1966 triumph. Another way of wording that is Ansu Fati, Romelu Lukaku, Neymar or Cristiano Ronaldo.
On paper, it all seems rather daunting. But, if supporters are serious about backing the Three Lions to go on and bring it home, beating these sorts of sides will have to be a reality.
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