WHEN navigating the outright markets ahead of any major tournament it is always a considerable plus to first create a roadmap of how you personally believe the tournament will play out.

Granted this is an obvious point, and granted, it’s something we instinctively do anyway. But still, painting a big, complete picture of Qatar ’22 and stepping back from it filters what can an overwhelming array of options. It simplifies and illuminates.

For one thing, it helps us discount bets that might ordinarily have appealed, with the top assists market a good example of this.

Presently, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic boasts a league-high of seven Serie A assists for Lazio, while his international team-mate Dusan Tadic has laid on an impressive nine for Ajax. With the latter priced at a generous 70/1 to be Qatar’s assist king that’s a bet that whispers sweet nothings into your ear.

Which is apt because that’s precisely how much we’d win back as our roadmap informs us that Serbia are not overly fancied to get out of Group G. Not with Brazil imperious, and not with Switzerland finding form and results after a Euro lull. Cameroon, meanwhile, are very capable of punching upwards.

Besides, Serbia always flatter to deceive on the biggest stage, which begs the question: Just how many chances can Milinkovic-Savic and Tadic carve out in only three games?

Serbia are 13/20 to be eliminated at the group stage, likely coming third behind Brazil and Switzerland as transpired in 2018.

No, instead we must look to the teams tipped to go far, which leads us to a 6/1 favourite in Kevin De Bruyne whose creative endeavours for his country surpasses even his handiwork for Manchester City.

Since joining the Blues in 2015, De Bruyne has assisted 134 in 326 appearances, or one every 2.4 games. But for Belgium even that remarkable tally is topped, with 46 in 93 equating to an assist every two outings.

Crucially too, the 31-year-old has been responsible for 12 direct goal involvements in previous major competitions for the Red Devils.

Back De Bruyne to be this World Cup’s assist king at 6/1.

Creating a roadmap also critically highlights pathways, a fundamental deliberation when tackling pre-tournament outrights.

England best demonstrate this, a team that come attached with some serious doubts, namely their ability to overcome the world’s elite. Since Gareth Southgate took the reins in 2016, his overall record has been largely decent but consistently the Three Lions have struggled against sides ranked in FIFA’s top 12. Just seven wins in 27 is testimony to that. Add in that some of their key players, such as Harry Maguire and Raheem Sterling are woefully out of sorts right now and their chances of ending 56 years of hurt feels minimal.

Yet should England finish top of Group B – and they should – their pathway potentially opens up quite nicely, with only France offering up uber-stuff competition on route to a possible consecutive major final.

Does this mean Southgate’s men should be backed to bring football home from the Middle-East? Alas, no, because the ultimate glory may well belong to Brazil, who are stocked with so many Premier League stars it will at least feel like an English victory of sorts.

Far less dependent on Neymar’s capricious magic these days, it bodes supremely well for A Selecao that their megastar also happens to be in good shape making it a win/win for coach Tite. One third of PSG’s ridiculous triumvirate has scored 11 in 14 in Ligue 1 and five in five for his country.

Elsewhere, Brazil are blessed with an abundance of attacking talent while all told they are the most complete side heading to Qatar. Suggestions that they haven’t been properly tested across a 15-game unbeaten run should be ignored as frankly, it’s not true.

Roll the dice on Brazil winning a sixth World Cup at 4/1.

Where England’s navigable pathway is relevant however is in the goal-scoring stakes, as Harry Kane strives to become the first player to win two World Cup Golden Boots. If given five or six matches to make his presence felt there is no reason why the Spurs ace can’t make history in this regard but picking a top-goalscorer out of any competition is always a precarious enterprise with a Toto Schillaci or Oleg Salenko typically popping up and having a fortnight of their lives.

Instead, why not delve into our tournament predictions market and back Kane to out-score every other Premier League player at the tournament. That feels like a golden shoo-in.

Go for Kane as the Premier League player to score most goals in the competition at 5/2.

If you’re determined to dabble in the top goal-scorer market however – and admittedly it’s fun and keeps neutrals fully invested when watching – then Neymar stands out, even if only four previous winners of the award have additionally lifted the trophy. This will reportedly be his final appearance at a World Cup and this is his time.

The phenomenon that is O Joia is 14/1 to claim the Golden Boot this winter.

If selecting a hot-shot is difficult, pre-empting the best goalkeeper at the tournament feels like we’re in safer hands.

Since establishing himself as Brazil’s number one, Alisson Becker has kept 39 clean sheets in 57 outings for his country, conceding every 242 minutes going all the way back to 2015. Indeed, the Liverpool stopped has been beaten just once in his last seven-and-a-half hours of international football and though the media like to talk up a rivalry between he and Manchester City’s Ederson for the shirt, in reality there isn’t one.

Alisson is a tempting 17/4 to win the Golden Glove merit in Qatar.

Some random shouts to end on. Poland should be fancied to finish above Mexico in Group C, with the Mexicans currently in relative disarray. Priced at evens to progress, the Poles have the freakishly prolific Robert Lewandowski in their ranks while El Tri have been consistently inconsistent.

And again, going back to those pathways, Holland feel fated to go out at the quarter-final stage if they top Group A as expected. There they conceivably face Argentina.

The Netherlands are 5/2 to exit in the last eight.