BLOG: Oilers share their World Cup predictions

EDMONTON, AB - The beautiful game descends on the country of Qatar beginning Sunday morning when the host nation takes on Ecuador in the opening match of the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Inside the Edmonton Oilers dressing room, where the players who occupy it are better known for their exploits on the ice rather than on the pitch, both the heart and the head are guiding their predictions toward which nation will come out of Qatar with the World Cup trophy.
"I would say Canada, but I don't know if that's what will happen," defenceman Evan Bouchard said pragmatically. "So I'm going to go Brazil."
With Canada set to take part in their first World Cup since 1986, many allegiances from the Blue & Orange are aligned with the Red & White of 'Les Rouges' even if they might think it's a hopeful prediction at best.
Just getting this far to the final tournament is an accomplishment in itself for Canada, but that isn't preventing a few players from putting their hopes in the underdog home nation that has the potential to make some noise at their first World Cup in 36 years.
"I cheer for Canada, so hopefully they come out on top," defenceman Darnell Nurse said. "It's pretty cool to be able to watch the Red and White play in a World Cup, so I'm looking forward to watching that."
"Man, I don't know anything about soccer, but I'm going to go with Canada," forward Dylan Holloway said. "I think Alphonso Davies is going to lead us to the promised land."

Davies, who grew up in Edmonton after emigrating with his family to Canada in 2005, plies his trade at the club level for Bayern Munich in Germany -- the home nation of Oilers star forward Leon Draisaitl. While Draisaitl has a soft spot for his adopted home, it's hard for the 27-year-old to look past the perpetually competitive 'Die Mannschaft', his country's national team and the four-time World Cup winners.
"I'm going to have to go with my German boys," Draisaitl said. "I think they got a good team, got a great chance and I'll be cheering them on. Hopefully, they can pull through. If it's not against Germany, I'll probably be cheering for Canada. So hopefully (Davies) has a good tournament and they can advance.
Canada is pitted against Belgium, Croatia and Morocco in Group F, and if they're able to get out of the group stages and into the Round of 16, there is a more-than-likely chance they'll face none other than Germany. Draisaitl doesn't like Canada's odds.
"Really good for us, but not so well for you guys I don't think," he said. "I think Canada would be a little out-matched there, but we'll see. We'll see what happens."

Warren Foegele followed suit with Draisaitl by picking Germany for his heritage, while Devin Shore put his eggs in a few baskets for England, Belgium and Canada to show well at the World Cup.
"Canada?" Shore said with a smirk. "No, we wish them all the best. They're obviously underdogs, but I've got a soft spot for England. My family's English. 'Shore' is about as English as it gets, and I like Belgium too. My favourite player is Kevin De Bruyne, so those three, but we'll be pulling for Canada."
De Bruyne and Belgium, the number-two ranked country in the FIFA World Rankings, will be Canada's first opponent on Wednesday afternoon at 12:00pm MT. The Belgian midfielder is one of the best footballers in the world, and the task of stopping him draws comparisons to NHL teams trying to stop Connor McDavid.
"I think the same way you stop this guy here," Shore said as he pointed to McDavid's stall beside him in the Oilers dressing room. "You don't really stop them, but you try to manage them, contain them, and that's probably their best bet. He's a tough guy to full-out stop."

Then, there's our neighbours from the south. Derek Ryan and Jack Campbell admittedly aren't the most knowledgeable when it comes to international soccer, but their loyalties at the World Cup lie with the Red, White & Blue.
"Not real knowledgeable with the soccer, but I've got to go with my USA boys," Campbell said.
Newcomer Klim Kostin doesn't have a horse in the race, but his appreciation for Manchester United and Cristiano Ronaldo is pushing him to the Potrugal camp to come out with their first World Cup win. "I think it's a lot of good teams there, but there are a lot of Portuguese guys that play for Manchester United. It's my favourite club, so I'll go with Portugal," Kostin said. "I want (Ronaldo) to win the World Cup. He deserves it."
Head Coach Jay Woodcroft hasn't had the proper time to research his prediction with his focus on the Oilers, put as a loyal Canadian who grew up playing soccer, his hopes are firmly with Canada to perform admirably in Qatar.
"Let me get back to you on that. I haven't studied," he said. "I've been knee-deep in our season, so I haven't studied it enough. But obviously as a proud Canadian, and when I was younger, I played a lot of soccer. In fact, one of my coaches had played on the '86 team that went to Mexico. So proud Canadian, proud supporter of Canadian soccer, and my thoughts and hopes are that the Canadian side shows well here in Qatar."
During the first two weeks of the World Cup from Nov. 20 - Dec. 2, the Edmonton Oilers Community Foundation will be holding a 'Big Soccer 50/50' in support of Alberta Soccer that includes early-bird prizes of $500 gift cards to Sport Chek. Tickets for the 50/50 can be purchased here.