the prophet

It's just a question of how many goals Germany will score against rank outsiders Curaçao. I'll take Germany to win on the handicap market.

The Dutch beat the easier teams in qualifying, but they failed to beat Poland home and away. Two recent friendly games were uninspiring. Japan might surprise them. They've won their last six matches. They beat England in March, and they will run after the ball all day.

Ivory Coast have played well in recent friendly games, but they now face a very strong defence. Ecuador finished second in their qualifying group and conceded an amazing just 5 goals in 18 games against sides like Argentina and Brazil. They can sneak a win in this match.

Sweden didn't have a great campaign, but they did reach the finals after winning two playoff games, in which they scored 3 goals in each match. They should be too strong against a low-ranked Tunisia side.

Three runs this year for the 3yo filly. She has been a good runner-up in her two turf starts. She had the measure of the rest three weeks ago when finishing a close 2nd of 13. Quality jockey Clifford Lee now takes over in the saddle from an apprentice rider.

A big run from the 4yo four weeks ago after coming off a seven-month break. Beaten by just a short head in a 12-runner handicap and clear of the rest. He can improve for the run and now drops into a low-grade 0??"55 rated handicap. Previous form does suggest that he'll be more suited to this quicker ground.

The 6yo's AW rating is 15 lb higher than his turf rating. He's not been disgraced in his last two turf runs this spring, but didn't help himself by starting too slowly. He has dropped 5 lb after those two runs and is dropping from two 0-70 rated handicaps into a low-grade 0-55 contest. He can get in the mix with a better start.

The 3yo found his form last week over this 10f trip, beaten by just a length and 5L clear of the rest. He stayed on strongly at the finish after a slow start. The winner looked like a useful yardstick. A much stronger jockey is in the saddle for this handicap.

This match looks very one-sided on paper, and Spain could easily put up a good number against this Cape Vede side who's island pop is just 520K and are 2000/1 with Bet365 to win the world cup. (They won't be doing a Leicester)

Apart from Salah, the Egyptian side offer very little going forward. Belgium have a good, experienced side who shouldn't have too many problems winning this match.

Uruguay haven't been in great form, but the South American side should have too much quality against the low-ranked Saudi side. Although it won't be all one-sided, the Saudis could sneak a goal.

The 6-year-old should not be underestimated in this Group 1 contest. He won the race last year having run 10 days previously. He now returns after a seven-week break, after going very close in the £1.2m Champions Mile in Japan. I like the fact that he has run eight times over this 8f course/distance, with three wins. His biggest defeat over this course/distance was around 2 lengths, but he still finished 2nd of 13 that day, which was in this race as a 4-year-old. He shouldn't be far away.

The Aidan O'Brien-trained 2yo has 2 wins from 2. He was a nice Group 3 winner three weeks ago, earning a high RPR rating. He ran green that day and was still learning on the job. He can take another step forward. A line through the fourth that day does suggest he can be better than the current favourite, Confucius, and the selection is much better value in this Group 2 contest. Breeding does suggest he could be better on this quicker ground.

The 4yo has a progressive profile. He has the highest rating in this contest, loves the quicker ground, and could be overpriced in this Group 1 sprint. Two big fast-ground Group 1 runs last year and he posted high RPR ratings. Beaten by just a neck in a 14-runner contest last summer, then winning a 17-runner contest last autumn??"a shade cosy. A return run five weeks ago should put him right.

Gstaad was 2nd of 14 in the 2000 Guineas in early May, behind Bow Echo, whom he meets again in this Group 1 contest. However, they were both returning from a winter break for that run. The selection has since won the Irish 2000 Guineas by 3L, which could suggest that the Irish raider was maybe not fully ready on his return. The O'Brien-trained contender can turn the tables in this contest.

A big run from the 5yo mare on her return to the flat five weeks ago, beaten just a length in the quality 15-runner, £88K Chester Cup over 18.5f. She stayed on strongly at the finish, and this extra 1.5f should suit her. It was a rare run on good ground after four heavy-ground jump runs over the winter/spring (a win and two runner-up finishes over the jumps). This is her first run over good-to-firm ground, and it could prove beneficial to her in this handicap.

A progressive profile from the 4yo. He improved again at the start of this year in Meydan: 2 wins from 5, 2 narrow defeats, and a huge run when last seen. Beaten 3L in the Group 1 £2.1 million turf race won by the 128-rated star Ombudsman. He would have finished much closer but got stuck in a pocket on the rail 2f out. I like the fact that those rivals would have been fully tuned up for a big run. Another positive is that he ran a big race at this Royal Meeting last year. He looks overpriced now running in a Listed contest.