Archie Wilson shares his picks and plays for Day 12 of the World Cup.
The GOAT was back at his best this past week, where, after everyone seemingly forgetting about him, Lionel Messi turned up on the world’s biggest stage and opened his 39 year old World Cup campaign with an astonishing hat-trick.
Now of course we didn’t think Messi was going to be bad because his playstyle ages like fine wine, but the re-emergence of his greatness was certainly a warning shot to all the other nations that the defending champions aren’t just going to roll over.
In this one against Austria, I expect Argentina to go all out to secure the three points and essentially lock up the one seed in their pool, which is why there is certainly a chance of a blowout win on the cards for the South Americans.
Tips
Best Bet: Lionel Messi To Score Or Assist @ $1.52
Best Goalscorer: Lautaro Martinez ATS @ $2.30
Same Game Multi: Argentina To Win + Lionel Messi To Score Or Assist + Over 2.5 Total Goals @ $2.66
France are, and as they should be, the tournament favourites as they enter this second game of their campaign against Iraq.
Outside of a bit of World Cup magic, it does seem fairly far-fetched that Iraq can pull this one off, especially when you look at the attacking options at Didier Deschamps’ disposal. A couple of those names really stick out to me as scoring options for this one, with a France win being what I am predicting.
The two names are Bradley Barcola and their superstar striker, Kylian Mbappé. For the latter, you don’t really need much of an explanation, as he is just a machine when it comes to scoring World Cup goals. However, Barcola is another name who is prolific when given chances, and I can see him getting a start against Iraq on the left, where he will no doubt cause plenty of issues for his opposite number.
Tips
Best Bet: France Over 2.5 Total Goals @ $1.50
Best Goalscorer: Bradley Barcola ATS @ $2.10
Same Game Multi: France Over 2.5 Total Goals + Bradley Barcola ATS + Kylian Mbappe ATS @ $3.23
The game of the day for me comes at midday, where two quality sides in Norway and Senegal clash for what could be a group-defining showdown. Both sides are relatively stacked with talent across the board, but certainly have some superstars at their disposal.
For Norway, they will be relying on the likes of Erling Haaland and Antonio Nusa to make inroads against the Senegalese defence. For Senegal though, they also have names like Sadio Mané and Iliman Ndiaye, who could create plenty of chances for their striker Nico Jackson, who I would not be surprised to see score.
Tips
Best Bet: Draw @ $3.50
Best Goalscorer: Nicolas Jackson ATS @ $3.20
Same Game Multi: Draw + Erling Haaland 2+ Shots On Target + Nicolas Jackson 2+ Shots @ $7.81
When looking at this one, I see it being a lower-scoring affair where both teams, if they are to win, will have to make the most of their limited chances. When it comes to those chances, it feels like Algeria should be the side to have more looks on goal.
Who could be in those positions? For me, they need to do all they can to have the ball at the feet of their young star Ibrahim Maza as much as possible. Maza possesses quality that not many on the park have, and if given a decent opportunity, will be the guy to make the most of it.
Tips
Best Bet: Under 2.5 Total Goals @ $1.88
Best Goalscorer: Ibrahim Maza ATS @ $3.70
Same Game Multi: Algeria Or Draw + Ibrahim Maza To Score Or Assist+ Under 2.5 Total Goals @ $5.20
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