We’re just days away from Thursday’s big kick-off as the World Cup gets underway in Russia.

Our football writer Charlie Croasdale assesses the major betting markets ahead of a true feast of football and has recommended seven selections for the tournament.

Outright winner:

In the outright market, I’m taking a flyer on two-time winners Uruguay each-way at 28/1 to cause a major shock.

Oscar Tabarez is a vastly experienced coach and the 2010 semi-finalists look well up to the task of repeating that feat, especially given the way the draw has aided their cause.

Drawn in the weakest of the eight groups alongside Russia, Egypt and Saudi Arabia, Uruguay look a class apart and should progress with at least seven points to top the group.

Granted Spain win Group B, their last 16 opponents look like being either a sub-standard Morocco or very beatable Portugal, who were incredibly fortunate to even reach the knockout phase at Euro 2016, having failed to win a group stage match.

A potential quarter-final clash with France would see Uruguay begin to face much classier opponents, but Tabarez is an excellent tactician and I believe this impressive South American unit, with a bit of luck, have what it takes to potentially go all the way.

Quality operator Diego Godin leads the defence alongside Atletico Madrid team-mate José María Gimenez, while Inter’s Matias Vecino and Nahitan Nandez offer both ball retention and attacking verve in midfield, with Nandez likely to be relied upon as the main supplier to Uruguay’s superb forward line of Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani.

In Suarez and Cavani, Uuguay arguably have the best strike-force in the tournament. Suarez’s qualities are well-known to the British audience, after his exploits with Liverpool and subsequently Barcelona, while Cavani is coming off a terrific season with Paris St Germain and was top scorer in the whole of South American qualifying (albeit operating against some poor defences).

The deadly duo could rack up a hatful of goals against Russia and Saudi Arabia, and while I fancy Egypt will prove a tough nut to crack, further goals could follow. With Suarez and Cavani hopefully full of confidence going into the last 16, Tabarez could just sense a special run to the latter stages in his final tournament at the helm.

Group stage betting:

There are several short-priced favourites in the group stages, five of which look nailed on to win their respective fourball.

Uruguay (Group A) are 4/5 to finish ahead of Egypt, Saudi Arabia and a weak Russia side while Spain (8/15) should claim Group B, despite the presence of rivals Portugal, who failed to win a group stage match at Euro 2016, but snuck through as one of the best third-placed finishers before remarkably going on to win the whole competition.

That leaves France (Group C), Brazil (Group E) and Germany (Group F) as banker selections to win their respective groups. The five-fold currently pays around 7-1 if you shop around and that looks an excellent price given the weak-looking nature of their respective challengers to win each group.

How far will England progress?

England to be eliminated at the quarter-finals looks the value at 2/1. After having a long, hard think on this market, I’m struggling to see how Gareth Southgate’s side can fail to reach the knockout round.

Firstly, Tunisia and Panama represent two of the weakest group opponents possible, and Belgium and England should sail into round two, the only question mark being which side tops the group.

Either way, the path to the quarter-finals looks a winnable one, with England set to face one of Poland, Senegal, Japan or Colombia in the last 16. The latter named of that quartet would prove tricky opposition and looks the only real stumbling block (bar an Iceland-esque implosion) in the way of The Three Lions progressing to the last eight.

But it’s at that stage where England’s tournament will surely end. Barring a major shock in the early rounds, either Brazil or Germany will lie in wait in the last eight, two teams England are far inferior to at this level.

A last eight finish would still represent fine progress for Southgate and his young squad but getting any further sadly looks a step too far at this stage in their development (but of course, we’ll win Euro 2020!).

Golden Boot:

In the top goalscorer market, Brazil’s star individual Neymar looks the best play.

On the face of it, the Paris St Germain striker is short enough at 11-1 with Ladbrokes but it’s easy to see why he’s such a price when you dig deeper into his stats.

A stunning haul of 55 international goals from 85 caps tells its own story, and while Gabriel Jesus is likely to play down the middle, his finishing isn’t quite on a par with Neymar, who is also on penalty duty in this team.

Neymar’s main attribute in this market however is his pure selfishness. Whilst more of a team player when playing for Brazil than he is at PSG, he will pull the trigger whenever possible and very rarely looks to play in a team-mate if they’re in a better position.

His ruthless streak in a group containing Costa Rica, Serbia and Switzerland could prove potent, and with Brazil surely set to reach the last eight at the very least, Neymar is the standout pick, representing better value than the other market leaders Lionel Messi, Antoine Griezmann, Cristiano Ronaldo and Jesus.

At a massive 80-1 (Unibet, 66s general), I’m also backing James Rodriguez in this market. The Colombian maestro won the Golden Boot at the 2014 World Cup with six goals in five games and looks overpriced for a repeat performance.

The 27-year-old has struggled at Real Madrid but produced some excellent form on-loan at Bayern Munich in the second-half of last season. He’s Colombia’s talisman and their entire set-up is based around utilising James in the dangerous number 10 areas in the final third of the pitch.

He’ll be employing a shoot-on-site mentality in a winnable group containing Senegal, Japan and Poland (who conceded more goals in qualifying than any of the 32 teams) and it’s not inconceivable to think he could have three or four goals on the board by the time the knockout phase begins.

Golden Ball:

A tricky market to predict the tournament’s best player, but I’ll take two against the field, with David Silva (28/1, Skybet) and Edinson Cavani (50/1, bet365).

History tells us you’ve got to reach the final stages of the tournament to win the Golden Ball, and with Spain rating a good bet to reach at least the semis, Silva could provide value here.

The mercurial Manchester City midfielder is coming off a brilliant campaign with the Premier League champions, playing the best football of his career and weighing in with nine goals and 11 assists in the league.

He’s a guaranteed starter for his country and has the experience and guile required to light up a tournament. I could envisage Silva lighting this World Cup up just as Wesley Sneijder did for Holland in 2010.

Given I fancy Uruguay to have a strong tournament, I want their likely top-scorer onside at a huge price.

As mentioned previously, Cavani was top scorer in South American qualifying and could set Group A alight if in the same mood as he was for long periods of last season.

While Suarez is also interesting at 33s, the 31-year-old Cavani is averaging almost a goal-per-game for club and country over the past two seasons and is the likelier of the duo to grab the headlines if Uruguay – as hoped – go deep into the knockout rounds.

Recommended bets:

Uruguay outright @ 28/1 – 1pt ew

Group winners fivefold (Uruguay/Spain/France/Brazil/Germany) @ 7/1 – 4pt win

England quarter-final elimination @ 2/1 – 2pt win

Neymar Golden Boot @ 11/1 – 3pt win

James Rodriguez Golden Boot @ 80/1 – 0.5pt ew

David Silva Golden Ball @ 28/1 – 1.5pt win only.

Edinson Cavani Golden Ball @ 50/1 – 0.5pt win only.