Archie Wilson shares his picks and plays for Day 15 of the World Cup.
Ecuador were a side who I thought would cruise their way into the Round of 32, but with their lack of attacking quality, they have gone through their two easiest games while only being able to secure a point.
Now they come up against their tallest task in Germany, who are already guaranteed group winners based on their first two wins. While that normally wouldn’t bode well for a side like Ecuador needing a win, the fact Germany are likely to make wholesale changes may provide the South Americans with a chance to get some kind of result and try to keep their tournament alive.
Tips
Best Bet: Ecuador or Draw @ $1.91
Best Goalscorer: Deniz Undav ATS @ $2.30
Same Game Multi: Ecuador or Draw + Deniz Undav 2+ Shots On Target + Over 2.5 Total Goals @ $7.23
The other game in the group will see Ivory Coast take on Curaçao, who are very much on the outside looking in as it pertains to qualification. Based on the odds as well, it seems fairly far-fetched that they will be able to pull off anything special against the African side, but it is certainly not impossible.
The main reason I see it being difficult is the fact they will have to shut down young Ivory Coast winger Yan Diomande, who has already created seven chances in the tournament and certainly won’t be slowing down against the “weakest” opposition he has played yet.
Tips
Best Bet: Yan Diomande To Score Or Assist @ $1.45
Best Goalscorer: Ange-Yoan Bonny ATS @ $1.95
Same Game Multi: Over 2.5 Ivory Coast Total Goals + Yan Diomande To Score Or Assist @ $2.19
Japan have been playing a superb brand of football at this World Cup and look like a team that no big side will want to run into during the Round of 32. For Sweden, some kind of result would be huge, not just because of the table standings, but because they are trying to find themselves after being demolished by the Netherlands last time out.
The game is poised to rest on some of the bigger names in attack taking over, and that’s what I would expect to see from both sides and their stars.
Tips
Best Bet: Any 2 of Alexander Isak, Ayase Ueda, Junya Ito or Viktor Gyokeres to Score @ $2.80
Best Goalscorer: Ayase Ueda ATS @ $2.50
Betcha Boost: Alexander Isak & Ayase Ueda Each Have 2+ Shots on Target @ $7.00
A fairly uneven match-up here, as Tunisia have already been beaten twice and have a goal difference of -8. The problem for them is they are yet to take on the best side in their pool on paper, the Netherlands, who seemingly found themselves last time out against Sweden.
The scary fact about the Netherlands as well, if you are a Tunisian fan, is that this is no dead rubber. A win would go a long way towards securing them top spot in the group and the easiest route through the playoffs, meaning we aren’t going to see too many changes to their strongest XI.
Tips
Best Bet: Over 2.5 Total Goals @ $1.72
Best Goalscorer: Brian Brobbey ATS @ $1.85
Betcha Boost: Brian Brobbey to Score & Netherlands Win 3-0, 4-0 or 5-0 @ $4.50
Prior to the tournament, if you had told me that the USA would have the opportunity to rest players in their last game of the group stage and Türkiye would still be playing for something, I would have picked the latter to win this one. However, the USA have looked like a well-oiled machine under Pochettino, who has the whole squad bought in and playing his up-tempo style of football.
While for Türkiye, they have been well off the pace in their first two games and feel like a defeated side if you looked at the body language at the end of their last clash. For me, this means that even if the USA do leave some of their bigger names out of the line-up, they can still get up against Türkiye with the home fans behind them.
Tips
Best Bet: USA To Win @ $1.95@ $2.05
Best Goalscorer: Ricardo Pepi ATS @ $2.50
Same Game Multi: Under 2.5 Total Goals + USA To Win @ $4.45
A very interesting one to close out Friday’s action, as Australia need to ensure they put in a good 90-minute shift against a Paraguay side they enter the affair as underdogs against.
While that is true, the margins aren’t huge between the two sides, and if the Australian coach doesn’t try to galaxy-brain his line-up and actually plays his best attackers, such as Nestroy Irankunda, then I think they will have a much better chance of getting some kind of points on the table.
Tips
Best Bet: Draw @ 2.15
Best Goalscorer: Nestory Irankunda ATS @ $4.00
Same Game Multi: Draw + Nestory Irankunda ATS + Both Teams to Score @ $15.37
World Cup Videos
