Conversely..................per the match schedule Nigeria plays Argentina....for their final match of the group stage......two strong teams........and b/c neither has qualified def.....they have to play hard....increasing the chances of exhaustion, injury, etc.................subtle ways to cheat....








For stategic purposes.....why might u want to play the strongest team last??  Russia has 6 points......even if they lose to Uruguay in their final match.........it doesn't matter.....they have already qualified for the playoffs......so has Uruguay....both countries could rest their top players before the playoffs start...............exhaustion, energy.......all of it matters..............all 4 teams have played two matches...........no matter if Egypt of Saudi  Arabia win their final match and win big......of course they play each other....................they are out of the playoffs mathematically......in soccer, a win is 3 points.....a tie is one point......and a loss is zero points......with 6 points, both Russia and Uruguay have already qualified.......so if they wanted to fix it so Russia wins it all......cheating........and the tournament IS in Russia, which has never won a world cup......that would be crucial......it is like the NFL or NBA.....who rests their star quarterback or point guard, or center......at the end of the season.......it is not worth risking an injury to the top players.......and also your players are fresher.....with the rest.........also.....if the rest of your opponents are really tired from just trying to qualify for the playoffs in their last match.....u have a competitive advantage over them........