From now until the start of the 2018 World Cup on June 14, players all over the planet will be looking to earn a place in their nation's 23-man squad for the tournament in Russia. It will be a stage for some of the sport's rising stars to make their first real impact on the global scene but while outfield players will feel as though they have enough opportunities to secure a spot in their respective starting lineups until May, it is much tougher for goalkeepers with national team coaches naturally leaning towards experience over youth when it comes to selection between the sticks. However, there are some stoppers who will feel that a strong second half to the campaign could still make the difference between a few weeks representing their country and a lonely place on the bench.
As far as England's World Cup 2018 predictions are concerned, most supporters will be pessimistically expecting a penalty-shootout elimination, but there is a lot more uncertainty over who will start in goal against Tunisia in Volgograd. Manager Gareth Southgate has frequently suggested that Joe Hart remains his first choice between the sticks - despite his inconsistent form for West Ham United - but for many, now feels like the right time for Jack Butland or Jordan Pickford to replace the long-time number one. There is an element of risk to making such a high-profile switch but in the past, Southgate has stressed that he will play his form players and at this stage, Butland and Pickford are playing better than Hart. Butland has had his injury troubles over the past 18 months and Pickford has shipped a lot of goals behind a leaky Everton defence, but it is only a matter of time until one of them is promoted in the pecking order so why can't that be before June?
© Offside
Nigeria have quality and experience throughout their squad but it is a different story when it comes to goalkeepers. As many as half-a-dozen players have been in and out of contention for a place in Gernot Rohr's squad since he was named the Super Eagles' boss in 2016. However, Rohr has been given an extra option with the emergence of Francis Uzoho, who made his international debut at the start of the second half of the 4-2 victory over Argentina. Nigeria were trailing 2-1 at the break and went on to secure a memorable triumph over opposition whom they will face next summer, with their attacking players understandably receiving most of the plaudits, but 19-year-old Uzoho deserves huge amounts of credit for keeping out the South American nation's attack. It may not have featured the likes of Lionel Messi or Sergio Aguero - who went off at half time - but the Deportivo La Coruna youngster - who has kept a clean sheet in one of his two La Liga outings this season - is now in the running to start in Russia.
Danijel Subasic has held on to the number-one spot for Croatia for several years and after starring for Monaco in Ligue 1 and the Champions League last season, his spot in goal for his country looks relatively assured. However, with his club side having failed to repeat their performances of the previous campaign, it throws question marks over the 33-year-old and many will debate whether Lovre Kalinic is the answer. Kalinic is currently playing for Belgian outfit Gent - who broke their club transfer record to sign the 27-year-old in January - and after impressing against Tottenham Hotspur in the Europa League soon after his arrival, he has only gone from strength to strength. Gent have the best defence in the top flight - despite only occupying fifth place -and Kalinic has kept a total of six clean sheets in 14 outings. If the former Hajduk Split stopper continues to look solid, do not be surprised to see him start in Russia.
© Offside
Football Manager users will be familiar with Serbian prospect Predrag Rajkovic but the 22-year-old is still having to bide his time behind Vladimir Stojkovic on the international stage. However, with Stojkovic now 34 years of age, it will not be long before Rajkovic is given his chance in the spotlight and the Maccabi Tel Aviv goalkeeper will recognise that he can still be given the nod at the World Cup. One of the reasons that the Serbian FA recently sacked head coach Slavoljub Muslin was for his failure to use some of the younger crop in his squad and Rajkovic will fall into that category. Mladen Krstajic is currently in interim charge, but that could change by the time of next summer's tournament. With Rajkovic already having plenty of Europa League experience to his name, he is no stranger to playing on the continent and there appears to be every chance that he could soon be promoted to number one for his country.
