The dark horses in Russia

WITH just five days to go before the start of the Fifa World Cup, all the talk is on which of the 32 teams will walk away with the coveted trophy after the final in Moscow on July 15.

Only eight different nations have managed to win football's biggest prize so far. Three of them - Brazil, Germany and Italy - have won 13 of the tournament's 20 editions. Argentina and Uruguay have clinched the championship twice each, while France, England and Spain have one title each.

But as the old cliche goes, the ball is round and anything can happen in this sport. Croatia and Turkey - two countries that can hardly be described as football superpowers - shocked the world in 1998 and 2002 by finishing third, so it's not entirely inconceivable that one of the tournament's dark horses will somehow go the distance in Russia. BT Weekend puts the spotlight on five of these teams that are more than equipped with the talent and experience to go far in the competition.

Belgium

The Belgian squad is chock-full of household names, as many of the players ply their trade with some of the top clubs in the English Premier League.

Coach Roberto Martinez has carefully assembled a squad that has a solid mix of established veterans and young players, and he will definitely be looking to match - if not better - the run in 2014 when Belgium reached the quarter-finals in Brazil.

Martinez certainly has a formidable attack at his disposal, with Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City), Eden Hazard (Chelsea) and Romelu Lukaku (Manchester United) all capable of scoring plenty of goals. At the back, the team has a solid spine, with the Tottenham Hotspur duo of Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen marshalling the back four in front of the highly-rated Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.

Belgium are in Group G where they will first meet Panama (June 18), Tunisia (June 23) and England (June 29).

Croatia

Ever since the golden generation of Davor Suker and Robert Prosinecki led their country to a resounding third-place finish at the 1998 World Cup in France, Croatia have failed to make it out of the group stage. Things could change this year, and coach Zlatko Dalic has named a 23-man squad that includes players from all of Europe's top five leagues.

A midfield that boasts the likes of Luka Modric (Real Madrid) and Ivan Rakitic (Barcelona) is more than able to provide lots of ammo to an attack led by Ivan Perisic (Inter Milan) and Mario Mandzukic (Juventus).

Croatia are in action in Group D where they will play Nigeria (June 17), Argentina (June 22) and Iceland (June 27).

Portugal

Coach Fernando Santos has the experience on the big stage, and he comfortably navigated Portugal through the World Cup qualifying rounds with an impressive nine wins in 10 matches.

It would be wise not to underestimate this Portugal team, which boasts a global superstar in the form of Cristiano Ronaldo - a five-time World Player of the Year winner - in its ranks.

Portugal have many influential players in their squad and the likes of Joao Moutinho (Monaco), Bernardo Silva (Manchester City) and Ricardo Quaresma (Besiktas) come to mind. But all eyes will surely be on the 33-year-old captain Ronaldo, who knows this is realistically his final chance to win the World Cup before he retires. The Real Madrid forward is as fit as a fiddle, lethal with his feet and head, and he is one player who can turn any game on its head in a heartbeat.

In Group B, Portugal begin their campaign with a blockbuster match against the 2010 winners Spain (June 16), followed by games against Morocco (June 20) and Iran (June 26).

Uruguay

They say there's no such thing as a certainty in football, but many punters will surely be putting their money on Uruguay to top a rather weak Group A and comfortably progress to the last 16. The South Americans - coached by the experienced Oscar Tabarez - get their World Cup adventure going against Egypt (June 15), followed by Saudi Arabia (June 20) and wrap up with a tasty fixture against the hosts Russia (June 25).

Uruguay have many top players in its line-up, among them captain Diego Godin of Atletico Madrid and Edinson Cavani of Paris Saint-Germain. But the most recognisable face in the squad is Luis Suarez, a striker more known for his unorthodox behaviour - think of him biting Italy's Giorgio Chiellini during the 2014 World Cup - than his playing skills. If Suarez can keep his focus and do what he does best, which is scoring goals, Uruguay will have more than a decent chance of reaching the quarter-finals or going further.

Colombia

Quarter-finalists in 2014, Colombia have improved by leaps and bounds over the last four years and is another team that's looking good for a prolonged stay in Russia. Led by coach Jose Pekerman, Colombia performed reasonably well in the qualifiers and finished in fourth place, just a point behind Argentina.

One player to watch out for is James Rodriguez, the Real Madrid star who is currently on loan at Bayern Munich. He announced himself on the global stage at the 2014 World Cup when he finished as the tournament's top scorer. His strike partner up front is Radamel Falcao, a player who's eager to make up for lost time having missed the last World Cup through injury.

Columbia are drawn in Group H and will play Japan (June 19), Poland (June 25) and Senegal (June 28).