WITH just two months to go before the action gets underway in Qatar in what will be the first winter edition of the tournament, it’s not long now until the 2022 World Cup.
While many Scottish league players will be looking forward to a well-earned break during the month-long competition, others will be preparing themselves for the privilege of representing their country on the biggest stage of all. That includes a selection of Celtic players, such as Josip Juranovic, Cameron Carter-Vickers and Aaron Mooy.
While it’s unlikely that any Celtic players will end up lifting the trophy, there’ll be a few football fans considering using a free bet offer from oddschecker to back the Hoops’ players to pull off a surprise or two. Could Carter-Vickers inspire the USA to overcome Wales and progress to the next round by finishing second? Stranger things have happened.
In this blog, we’ll run through each Celtic player who’ll be in Qatar, as well as take a look at one experienced player who might get an international recall in time for the tournament.
Josip Juranovic – Croatia
Juranovic quickly endeared himself to Celtic fans following his move from Polish club Legia Warsaw last year. He’s gutsy, confident, and technically solid, all of which will take you a long way in the Scottish league.
His right-back skills have made him a mainstay of the Croatian national team. Juranovic made his debut back in 2017 when he was just 21, and though it took him a while to establish himself, in the past two years he has made the right-back position his own. Barring some unfortunate injury, he’ll certainly be going to Qatar to represent his country in Group F, where they’ll play against Morocco, Canada, and Belgium.
Cameron Carter-Vickers – USA
Fans were delighted when Cameron Carter-Vickers made the move to Celtic from Tottenham this summer. He’s only 24 and looks to have all the attributes that could make him the club’s go-to central defender for many years to come.
Carter-Vickers won’t just be going to Qatar with the American national team; he’ll form a crucial part of their defence. He’s been playing all of the national team’s games recently, and there are no signs that his presence is in jeopardy as teams head to Qatar. He’ll be competing in Group B, where he and his fellow Americans will take on Iran, Wales, and old foes England.
Aaron Mooy – Australia
Aaron Mooy has been part of the Australia football team for ten years, having claimed his first international cap back in 2012. Over the past decade, he’s had more than fifty caps, with nine of them coming in the past couple of years.
Mooy’s role within the Australia team is the same as it is for Celtic. He’s there to provide a creative outlet for the team. Having been selected in the starting lineup for Australia’s must-win games against UAE and Peru, it’s virtually guaranteed that Mooy will be starting in his nation’s World Cup fixtures in the group stages, where they’ll take on France, Tunisia, and Denmark.
The Japan Contingent
There’ll be not one, not two, but three Celtic players turning out for Japan during the Qatar 2022 World Cup.
The first is, of course, Kyogo Furuhashi. He was in great form for Celtic last year and is expected to be one of Japan’s leading players at the tournament. The other two players are Reo Hatate and Daizen Maeda. Hatate has won only one full cap – in March against Vietnam in a World Cup qualifier – and has been a revelation since arriving in Scotland at the turn of the year. The Hoops trio have just been named for the friendly against Carter-Vickers’ USA a week tomorrow.
Maybe: Joe Hart – England
Joe Hart used to be England’s number one goalkeeper. But he hasn’t played an international game for four years, and so you’d think that his chances of making the England squad would be pretty slim. However, it’s not impossible that he’ll be there. Some experienced ex-players have been saying that Hart might deserve another shot between the sticks for his country, especially since the current crop of goalkeepers are not exactly world-class.
It’s still unlikely, but stranger things have happened than Hart going to Qatar with England.
What Are Their Chances?
Players are often happy just to make it to the World Cup. But, in the back of their mind, they will also be dreaming of the best scenario possible. So what are Celtics’ players’ chances at the 2022 World Cup? Let’s take a look.
Croatia
Croatia were pretty close to winning the World Cup in 2018. Having beaten England in the semi-final, they eventually lost in the final to winners France. Could they go one better this time around? It seems unlikely. It was unlikely four years ago, and Croatia aren’t quite as good as they were then.
USA
It always feels odd that the USA are at the World Cup, just because we rarely associate them with football. But they’ve been there a fair few times in a row now. They face a tough group, but the Americans have always pulled off a surprise result or two on the big stage. There’s every chance they overcome Wales and finish in second place. And then? Who knows what could happen.
Australia
We’re not going to sugarcoat it: it’s not looking too good for Australia. They’ll have to do pretty well to make it out of a group that also includes France, Denmark, and Tunisia. Finishing in third would be acceptable.
Japan
It’s not looking good for Japan, either. Unfortunately for them, they face both Spain and Germany in their group, both of which will have ambitions of winning the tournament. It’ll take some sort of colossal implosion from either of those sides to give Japan hope of making it out of the group.
England
Few Celtic fans will want England to do well, even if Joe Hart is between the sticks. They’re likely to make it out of the group, but the smart money would say they crash out somewhere around the quarter-final stage. Well, we can hope.
