After Germany's seven-goal outburst, bettors turn to Spain, Belgium and Uruguay today, with several favorites looking to make early World Cup statements
Yesterday’s World Cup action delivered plenty for bettors, from Germany’s seven-goal explosion against Curacao to Sweden’s dominant 5-1 victory over Tunisia, while the Netherlands and Japan shared points in a 2-2 thriller.
On Day 4, Sweden was led two goals by Yasin Ayari, at 22, making him the third-youngest Swedish player to record a multi-goal game in a World Cup.
A late goal by Amad Diallo gave Ivory Coast a 1-0 win over Ecuador, in front of over 68,000 in Philadelphia.
Germany stuck to the script. As a -3300 betting favorite against Curacao, and with Betway offering +137 on Over 4.5 goals, the Germans cruised to a 7-1 win.
Attention now shifts to today’s card, where Spain, Belgium and Uruguay all begin their campaigns as favorites, giving bettors another opportunity to weigh powerhouse teams against underdog value plays.
Spain takes on Cape Verde, 12:00 p.m. EST, Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia.
In World Cup betting on Betway, Spain is -1400, Cape Verde +2800, and odds on a draw at +1200.
Belgium takes on Egypt at 3 p.m. EST at Lumen Field in Seattle, Washington. Belgium is the betting favorite there, at -175, with Egypt at +475, and odds for a draw at +280.
Saudi Arabia then takes on Uruguay, 6 p.m. EST, at Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida. Uruguay is -223, Saudi Arabia +600, draw +320.
Finally, Iran plays New Zealand, 9 p.m. EST, SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, California. Iran is the betting favorite, at -120, with New Zealand at +350, and odds for a draw at +240.
Spain entered the tournament as the betting favorites to win it all, at +450, along with France at +450, this morning on Betway. England and Portugal come in at +800, followed by Argentina and Brazil at +1000. Germany is at +1400.
Bettors are going to be focusing not just on Spain beating Cape Verde, but how emphatically they beat them. Bettors love underdog stories. Cape Verde is making its first-ever World Cup appearance and is one of the smallest nations ever to qualify. Can they stay competitive enough for bettors to cash spread bets? Both teams to score is at +160. Over 3.5 total goals is -138, Over 4.5 is +170.
I am also leaning the both-teams-to-score in Belgium versus Egypt (Yes -106), an intriguing matchup. Egypt is the underdog, but they have Mohamed Salah and Omar Marmoush, both world-class players. Salah is +280 to score, Marmoush +333.
In Group H, Uruguay is seen by many analysts as being second-best to Spain. But are they capable of making a deep run, led by Federico Valverde? A convincing showing against Saudi Arabia will shorten their future odds – Uruguay is -1000 to qualify for the Round of 32.
My best bet there is Uruguay to win and Under 2.5 goals (-134). Uruguay is way more talented, so the Saudi Arabians are going to zero in on defence, focusing on counterattacks, led by players like their captain, Salem Al-Dawsari, their most dangerous player, and Firas Al-Buraikan (+450 to score today).
So can Spain, Belgium, and Uruguay follow what the Germans did yesterday and dominate? Or will the underdogs today give a good showing?
With the expanded 48-team World Cup format, the first and second-place teams in each of the 12 groups advances, as well as the eight best third-place teams across all 12 groups.
Uruguay is at +6600 to win the tournament.
