Luzhniki Stadium will host the first match of the 2018 World Cup. (Dmitry Serebryakov/Associated Press)Russia vs. Saudi Arabia
Group A, Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow
Host Russia takes center stage at the World Cup with the tournament lid-lifter against Saudi Arabia, and it might be the best chance of victory for either team in a group that also includes Uruguay and Egypt. (In terms of FIFA’s rankings, Saudi Arabia and Russia are the lowest-rated teams in the field.) Both nations are stocked with players from their own professional leagues, with 17 players on Saudi Arabia’s 23-man roster coming from just two club teams. Three others were loaned to teams in Spain’s La Liga, though only two saw the…
