World Cup preview with Mauricio Pochettino: Groups A & B

Jimbo, Michael Cox, James Horncastle and former Spurs and PSG manager Mauricio Pochettino sit down to pick the bones out of Groups A and B as we count down to Qatar. Can England settle on a style and go all the way? Can Iran put the controversy back home behind them? Bassil Mikdadi tells us more. Are the Netherlands dark horses for the tournament under the guidance of special guy Van Gaal? Will Qatar prove to not actually be rubbish? Are we better off playing now than in June? And we ask Maher Mezahi whether Senegal can add to their AFCON glory. Produced by Charlie Jones. RUNNING ORDER:  • PART 1: Hello Mauricio (01.00) • PART 2a: Group A - Ecuador set to surprise us? (05.30) • PART 2b: Group A - Netherlands dark horses battling history (09.00)  • PART 2c: Group A - Senegal’s prospects with Maher Mezahi (14.30) • PART 2d: Group A- Might Qatar not actually be rubbish? (21.00) • PART 3a: Group B - How far can England go? (26.00) • PART 3b: Group A- Iran with Bassil Mikdadi (32.00) • PART 3c: Group A- Wales and USA previews (40.00) SIGN UP TO THE ATHLETIC TODAY FOR £1 A MONTH FOR THE FIRST 6 MONTHS • theathletic.com/totally Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices