Saudi Arabia delivered the first major shock of the tournament yesterday with a stunning win over second favourites Argentina.
Fortunately we managed to avoid the trap of backing the South Americans, instead profiting from a converted penalty by Lionel Messi at 5/2 and that could be a strategy that pays dividends throughout the tournament.
Today sees four of Europe’s top ranked teams get their World Cups underway and a clean sweep of wins for Germany, Spain, Croatia and Belgium pays over 43/10 at Bet365.
2018 runners-up Croatia kick things off in the morning kick-off against Morocco and according to the bookies they have they toughest task of the four, priced up at and odds against 11/10.
Croatia topped a tough Nations League group that also included Denmark and France so it’s pleasing to see them at what looks a generous price.
Ajax’s Hakim Ziyech will be the main danger for Morocco and could be worth
Germany and Spain being drawn together has cast Group E as the closest we have to a Group of Death in this year’s tournament but they both should start with a win today.
Spain are too short at just 1/7 to win against Costa Rica, especially if you watched Argentina crash and burn yesterday, so look elsewhere for value in that one. The Spanish aren’t renowned for racking up big scores. They did top their recent Nations League group to reach the finals but only score eight in six matches so don’t go mad on the goals front in this one.
Once more a penalty might be profitable. It’s 5/2 that Spain score from the spot and 13/8 that a penalty is awarded in the match.
Despite being a bigger price, the ever-reliable Germany feel a better bet to beat Japan at 4/9. It may not be a vintage German side this time round but they know what it takes to go deep in to major tournaments.
A talented Japanese squad were profligate in front of goal in qualifying and their natural tendancy to attack could leave them vulnerable at the back. A German win with Over 2.5 goals in the game pays 21/20. On the penalty front it’s 3/1 for Germany to net from the spot.
Belgium‘s golden generation look past their best but on their day could be a match for anyone in the tournament. It looks like a straight shoot-out between themselves and Croatia to top Group F, however Morocco may have something to say about that.
A win over Canada should be straightforward enough this evening and there could be a few goals in it for Roberto Martinez’s side. The Canadians have been largely untested against top tier nations and they could find themselves seriously out of their depth in Qatar.
It would be remiss not look a Belgium penalty which is 7/2 to be scored and in the four games today they look most likely to be awarded and score one.
With so many penalties being awarded at the tournament here’s a list of today’s likely penalty takers for each team according to a list published pre-tournament by Yahoo!…
Today’s potential penalty takers (Anytime scorer odds)
- Sofiane Boufal (Morocco) 4/1
- Luca Modric (Croatia) 9/2
- Ilkay Gundogan (Germany) 7/2
- Takumi Minamino (Japan) 5/1
- Alvaro Morata (Spain) 4/5
- Celso Borges (Costa Rica) 16/1
- Romelu Lukaku (Belgium) – Injured
- Junior Hoilett (Canada) 6/1
Our in-depth World Cup coverage is now up and running. Big thanks to KevMac, Mark Walker and SlipsTips for giving us the benefit of their research and insight for the upcoming tournament. Group by Group Betting Tips are all available Group A, Group B, Group C, Group D, Group E, Group F, Group G, Group H as well as featured markets; Golden Boot, Golden Glove, Group Stage Acca, Dark Horses and Outright Winners.
We’ll also be previewing all 64 matches in Qatar in partnership with Highbet who’ll be providing exclusive free bets as prizes throughout the tournament. Watch this space!
Super Singles
- Germany to win & Over 2.5 Match Goals 21/20
- Croatia to win 21/20
- Belgium to score a penalty 7/2
Upcoming Match Previews & Tips
- Football Bet of the Day: Canada to cause Belgium’s ageing defence a few problems
- Wed 10:00 Morocco vs Croatia
- Wed 13:00 Germany vs Japan
- Wed 16:00 Spain vs Costa Rica
- Wed 19:00 Belgium vs Canada
- Thu 13:00 Uruguay vs South Korea
- Thu 16:00 Portugal vs Ghana
- Thu 19:00 Brazil vs Serbia
Golf Tips
The DP World Tour season has hardly finished but it’s all about to begin again with a couple of low key affairs this week in Australia & South Africa. The Caddy previews this week’s Joburg Open.
Racing Tips
Rizzel has plucked out his three best selections for Wednesday’s action, including his NAP in the finale at Wetherby in the bumper race.
As always, let us know your best betting tips and predictions for today in the comments section below and good luck with all your bets!
The post Wednesday’s World Cup Top Tips: Germans to Find it Easy against Japanese appeared first on MrFixitsTips.
