World Cup Predictions & Tips | Day 13: Wednesday 24 June

Had very high hopes for Portugal leading into the tournament but their performance against Congo was abysmal. After Joao Neves put them in front only 6 minutes into the game it looks like they would put on a show. That was not the case as they conceded on the stroke of half time and despite finishing the match with 75% possession, they were only able to generate 7 shot attempts – one less than Congo. Something similar happened to them against Morocco four years ago and they clearly have difficulty breaking down opponents who put 11 bodies behind the ball. That is exactly what Uzbekistan will do here and it could lead to another frustrating game for Portugal. At one stage last year Uzbekistan has 5 clean sheets in a 6-game stretch and they will not be shy to throw their weight around and be physical in this contest. Can see them holding Portugal to 1 or 2 goals.

Tips

Best Bet: Under 3.5 goals ($1.50)
Value: Portugal WIN/Under 2.5 goals ($3.30)
SGM: Both Teams To Score – NO, 1st Half Under 1.5 goals, Portugal Most Corners

We learned something about England in their 4-2 win over Croatia and that is that they will not be holding back in this tournament. The direction from Thomas Tuchel is to play a proactive and very attacking style of football with an extremely high tempo. They conjured up 20+ shots against a quality defensive side in Croatia so Ghana can forget about keeping a clean sheet as they did in a 1-0 win over Panama. The Africans had recorded 5 losses and a draw in their 6 games prior to that with 13 goals allowed in that stretch (2.2 goals per game). With England having scored 2+ goals in 8 of their last 11, the goals will continue to flow here. In comparison, it has been some time since Ghana’s attack blew an opponent out of the park with multiple goals in only 1 of their previous 11 internationals. Harry Kane opened the scoring against Croatia and is the best option to repeat the dose

Tips

Best Bet: England WIN/Over 2.5 goals ($1.75)
Value: England Over 3.5 goals ($3.60)
SGM: England Score in Both Halves, Ghana Under 0.5 goals, Bellingham Anytime Goalscorer ($7.35)
First Goalscorer Promo: Harry Kane ($3.10)

One could argue that Panama were the better team in their battle against Ghana but as has so often been the case in this tournament, winning the line share of possession does not equate to victory. They were positive when in possession and the same can be said about Croatia who went toe-to-toe in a 4-2 loss to England. Over 2.5 is 7-1 in Croatia’s last 8 games and that is despite playing a tough schedule which includes matches against Belgium, Brazil and Colombia. That trend should continue here as both nations are in a position where all three points are needed. It has been 8 games since Croatia kept a clean sheet meaning we should see both teams find the back of the net in a high scoring contest.

Tips

Best Bet: Over 2.5 goals ($1.95)
Value: Over 3.5 goals ($3.25)
SGM: Croatia WIN, Both Teams To Score – YES, 1st Half Over 0.5 goals ($3.74)

When Congo conceded in the 6th minute against Portugal the consensus was that things would go very wrong thereafter. That was not the case as Congo responded to get onto level terms just before the break and were able to limit Portugal to a grand total of only 7 shots despite having 75% possession. In the meantime, Colombia took control of Group K with a 3-1 win over Uzbekistan with in-form Luis Diaz the star of the show. He will have his chance to shine again as Colombia will dominate possession but I am not willing to write off Congo. Their midfield trio of Mukau, Moutoussamy and Kayembe worked extremely hard against Portugal. They defended physically without fouling and sprung to life with Yoane Wissa when in possession. Under 2.5 goals has held in 12 of Congo’s last 14 games and with a draw being a suitable result for Colombia, this one will be a like a chess match. 

Tips

Best Bet: Under 2.5 goals ($1.65) 
Value: Under 1.5 goals ($2.88) 
SGM: Congo Double Chance, 1st Half Under 0.5 goals, Yoane Wissa 1+ Shots ($5.33)