England have been tipped to win the World Cup in Qatar by Lloyd’s of London-based on a prediction model using players’ collective insurable value as the commercial insurance market targets a hat-trick after picking the last two champions. Lloyd’s have predicted that Gareth Southgate’s England side will beat Brazil in the final. The same model correctly identified Germany as winners in 2014 and France in 2018.

Sticker in Braille

Barquisimeto: A blind12-year-old Venezuelan soccer fan has found a way to participate in the craze of collecting World Cup soccer stickers, by adding Braille to them. “My dad is a genius,” SebastianFiloramo, who lost his sight as a baby, said. “He told me:‘Do you want to fill the album? Then let’s get it adapted.’”

President’s decision

Quito: Ecuadorean President Guillermo Lasso hasdecided not to attend his nation’s high-profile matchagainst Qatar kicking off theWorld Cup, citing domesticunrest. Qatar and Ecuador,both rank outsiders, play eachother in Group A on November 20 after the opening ceremony at the 60,000-capacity AlBayt Stadium.

Son will be in squad: Coach

London: South Korea coach Paulo Bento said on Thursday Son Heung-min will be selected for the World Cup in Qatar, adding that he does not have a contingency plan in place if the forward is unable to recover from a facial injury in time.

In an Instagram post on Wednesday, Tottenham Hotspur’s Son said he will be available for selection at the World Cup after undergoing surgery to stabilise a fracture around his left eye.

Son, 30, sustained the injury in Tottenham’s 2-1 Champions League tie at Olympique de Marseille last week.

“Of course, he’s going to be selected,” Bento told reporters, adding that there was no ‘Plan B’. “It’s a situation that’s going to demand certain adaptations. We should let him come and do what he should do. And after that, we have time to make the best decisions for all of us.”

Reuters