Wide open... but usual suspects will figure again

Mirror Sport’s experts on the week’s talking points

WHO will win the World Cup...and how will England do?

CJOHN CROSS WINNERS: France.

EVEN without Paul Pogba and N’golo Kante, they have the best squad – particularly in attack. But they will either win it or spontaneously combust! And I think it’ll be the former.

I remember in 2002 as defending champions, they went out in such spectacular fashion.

Brazil have great options up front, Argentina, too, but Kylian Mbappe trumps the lot. Not to mention Karim Benzema.

England? Maybe the window of opportunity has passed as winners and defence is such an issue.

I fancy them to make the quarter-finals but the path is tricky.

I so admire the job Gareth Southgate has done and if this is to be his farewell, then he deserves a hero’s send-off.

C NEIL MCLEMAN WINNERS: Argentina

LIONEL MESSI will finally win it in his last dance on the world stage.

The Paris Saint-germain superstar, 35, has rediscovered his old Barcelona form this year to lead Argentina on a run of 35 unbeaten matches.

They won the Copa America in Brazil for their first major title 28 years last year and have a good keeper in Aston Villa’s Emiliano Martinez and a great attacking support cast in Angel Di Maria, Lautaro Martinez and Paulo Dybala.

A blockbuster all-south American semi-final with Brazil could be the match of the tournament.

England? Quarter-finals at best. Southgate’s side could not take advantage of the luck of the draw in the last two big tournaments.

The Three Lions had the chance to reach a World Cup final in Russia without facing a traditional big power then lost the Euro 2020 final to an Italy team which failed to qualify for the World Cups in 2018 and 2022. This time Senegal, who knocked out Mo Salah’s Egypt in the qualifiers, await in the first knockout game if they win Group B – then probably holders France in the last eight.

C DAVID ANDERSON WINNERS: France

I’M backing France to do what no country has done since Brazil in 1962 and retain the World Cup.

This tournament truly is an unknown quantity because it is the first to take place in a northern hemisphere winter and the Middle East.

You need goalscorers to win the World Cup and France have them in Mbappe, Benzema and Antoine Griezmann.they also have an experienced defence and rising star Aurelien Tchouameni.

England will qualify from their group but I expect them to lose to the first technically-good side in the knockout stages. That could be Senegal or Holland in the last 16 or possibly France or Argentina in the quarter-finals.

I have never felt Southgate, as successful as he has been with the Three Lions, has got the best out of his attacking talent.

C SIMON BIRD WINNERS: Brazil

THEY have such an array of attacking talent that will carry them through, including Neymar and Vinicius Jr.

They can play in a pragmatic way, as seen during qualifying, before turning on the style last year. And they will cope better than European teams with the heat. If they do not triumph they will equal their longest run of 24 years without a World Cup.

England will reach the semi-finals. I expect this to be Southgate’s last hurrah before leaving with head held high for club management having changed so much for the better.

Can he get his in-game management correct at the key moments? The squad are like a family and love being together. They knock on the door again.