Casting a wary eye toward World Cup host Russia
The World Cup quarterfinals are set, eight teams remain and the intrigue is thick.
The left side of your bracket is loaded, with two battles matching Europe and South America, complete with eight World Cup championships between the four teams. The right side is more wide open, with England the only previous winner.
But all remaining teams have something in common, save one. Seven of the teams are ranked by FIFA in the world’s top 25. The other - Russia - is 70th. Russia takes on Croatia on Saturday morning.
And, yes, that feels a bit suspicious.
Russia’s presence in the quarterfinals could be viewed as the story of a plucky little host underdog, if you feel so inclined.