World Cup Predictions & Tips | Day 6: Wednesday 17 June

The final between France and Argentina four years ago will go down as one of the greatest football matches ever. A hat-trick from Mbappe in that game was not enough to get them over the line and one could argue that their squad this time around is even stronger. Doue, Cherki, Barcola and Michael Olise are the major additions to a list that already includes Mbappe, Dembele and Kounde among others. Senegal will not be intimidated and we should not forget that in their first ever game of the finals back in 2002, they beat France 1-0! There will be no surprises this time around as key figure such as Mane, Nicolas Jackson and Ismaila Sarr are well known to the opposition. With the sheer amount of quality on the field, this game screams goals. Over 2.5 is 9-0 in France’s last 8 games and they have conceded at least once in their last 5.

Tips

Best Bet: Over 2.5 goals ($1.85)
Value: Over 4.5 goals ($6.00)
SGM: France WIN, Both Teams To Score – YES, 1st Half Over 1.5 goals ($5.25)

Many people are wondering how Italy did not qualify for the finals and the main reason is Norway. In their qualification group, the Scandinavians won 3-0 in Norway and 4-1 in Italy. Haaland scored in both games and netted 16 goals in 8 qualifying matches! He has scored 55 goals in 50 international matches which is a phenomenal strike rate. Partnered by Strand-Larsen and Sorloth in a three-pronged attack, the trio provide Arsenal’s Martin Odegaard with an abundance of options. The Norwegians have scored at least once in 17 of their last 18 matches but it is a very different story for Iraq as they have been held to nil in 3 of their previous 6 matches. This is the first time since 1986 that they have qualified and they are yet to register a single point in their history in this competition. Norway will win by multiple goals and could cause some upsets in the coming weeks.

Tips

Best Bet: Norway -1.5 ($1.60)
SGM: Norway WIN, Haaland 2+ goals, Over 3.5 goals ($4.05)
Value: Haaland To Score a Hat-Trick ($7.00)

The reigning champions begin their title defence against Algeria in a match that should be one way traffic. The Argies secured top spot in CONMEBOL qualifying with several games to spare and have been building towards the tournament by winning their last 7 matches. That includes 6 clean sheets and defence will be the focus as four years ago they suffered a shock loss to Saudi Arabia in their opening group game. They scored a total of only 5 goals across their three group games so I do not expect them to rack up the goals in this one. Algeria command respect as they have maintained 5 clean sheets in their last 6 games which includes a 0-0 draw with Uruguay and win over the Netherlands and Bolivia, 1-0 and 4-0 respectively. Messi has 7 goals in his last 8 international appearances and was unstoppable in Qatar where he bagged 7 goals for the tournament.

Tips

Best Bet: Argentina WIN/Under 3.5 goals ($2.00)
SGM: Argentina WIN, Both Teams To Score – NO, 1st Half Under 1.5 goals ($2.51)
First Goalscorer Promo: Lionel Messi ($3.90)

Congratulations to Jordan who are making their first appearance in the finals with Austria returning to the biggest stage for the first time since 1998. The Austrians have made the knockout stages at the last to editions of the Euros and an excellent qualification campaign emphasises their standing withing the UEFA confederation. Like many European nations, they set up with two holding midfielders, aim to control possession and limit any counter attacks. It translates to low scoring games with Under 2.5 goals holding on in 5 of their last 6 matches. That includes back-to-back 1-0 wins over South Korea and Tunisia in their final two friendlies with both of those teams also taking part in this tournament. Jordan’s last two matches against European opposition ended in heavy losses (4-1 vs Switzerland and 4-2 vs Albania). With Jordan conceding 2+ goals in their last 5 games leading into this, cannot see them claiming a point against an accomplished defensive unit.

Tips

Best Bet: Both Teams To Score – NO ($1.75)
SGM: Austria WIN, Under 3.5 goals, Austria Score in Both Halves – YES ($4.39)