World Cup Preview & Tips | Day 5: Tuesday 16 June

Four years ago Spain began their campaign with a crushing 7-0 win over Costa Rica only to be stunned by Morocco in the Round of 16. On paper this one is a complete mismatch. Spain secured their place in the tournament by winning their first 5 qualifiers by a combined score of 20-0. That included a 6-0 win away to Turkey so the key for Cape Verde here will be defence. A former Portuguese colony, many of the Cape Verde players play in the Portuguese league including the trio of Semedo, Cabral and Livramento. That said, the harsh reality is that there isn’t a single player in the Cape Verde squad that would start for Spain who are stacked with talent. The key to Spain’s success, particularly in the last two decades, has been their strength in midfield. The short passing and tiki-taka style of football has been a feature of their play and this time around the bus will be driven by Rodri, Pedri and Fabián Ruiz. There is a question mark over the availability of Yamal for the first match and they can afford to rest him.

Tips

Best Bet: Spain Win Both Halves ($1.75)
Value: Spain 1st Half Over 2.5 goals ($4.50)

Belgium’s ‘golden generation’ has all but come to an end with De Bruyne (34), Lukaku (33) and Courtois (34) among the last survivors but the current side has been playing with a sense of freedom. They are undefeated in their last 13 games which includes notable wins this year against nations taking part in the finals; 5-2 over the USA, 2-0 against Croatia and 5-0 versus Tunisia. Egypt used to be the benchmark of African football but have taken a back seat to the likes of Morocco in recent years. Nevertheless, they do have an attack that boasts Salah and Marmoush so shouldn’t be written off completely. If there is one question mark hanging over Belgium it is their failure to deliver on the biggest stage. Under 2.5 goals is 5-0 in their last 5 matches in this tournament and Egypt notably have 4 clean sheets in their last 5 games leading into this one. Happy to be on the Under here as a single goal could determine the winner.

Tips

Best Bet: Under 2.5 goals ($1.80)
Value: Under 1.5 goals ($3.30)
SGM: Egypt Double Chance, 1st Half Result – Draw, Under 2.5 goals ($4.47)

Uruguay has made the Round of 16 or better in 3 of the last 4 editions of this tournament but replicating that this time around could be difficult. They would have to finish ahead of Spain in the group to give themselves the best chance or will likely face Argentina in the Round of 32 as Groups J and H play one another in the Round of 32. There is no doubt that Uruguay has the talent with Valverde, Darwin Nunez, Ugarte and Bentancur all top-class players. They will need to overcome a stubborn Saudi defence. Under 2.5 goals went 7-1 in their last 8 qualifying matches with an average of 1.5 goals per game in their 10 third round qualifying games. Abdulhamid is the only player in the squad that plays abroad and irrespective of the money invested into the Saudi Pro League, the quality does not compare to the major European league or South American leagues. Uruguay are a good bet here.

Tips

Best Bet: Uruguay WIN ($1.44)
Value: Uruguay WIN, Both Teams To Score – NO, Under 3.5 goals ($2.34)

New Zealand were one of the big beneficiaries of the expanded format with Oceania being granted one automatic spot. In 2010, New Zealand was the only undefeated team in the tournament but three draws in the group stage was not enough to progress to the knockout stages. This time around it feels like there has been a level of complacency from the squad. They have won only 1 of their last 10 matches and have failed to find the back of the net in 4 of their last 5. It is not secret that a big part of their game plan will be to use Chris Wood as an aerial target and anything but a defence-first mentality would be a surprise. The positive is that they face Iran in the opening group game who aren’t exactly an attacking force. They have never made the knockout stages in their 6 prior appearances and have scored 13 goals in 18 finals games played. Under 1.5 goals is 5-4 in their last 9 matches in this competition and this is one of those games where one goal will likely win it. In a scrappy type of game, a single piece of quality from Chris Wood could settle it.

Tips

Best Bet: Under 2.5 goals ($1.57)
Value: Under 1.5 goals ($2.75)
SGM: New Zealand Double Chance, 1st Half Result – Draw, Under 2.5 goals ($3.57)
First Goalscorer Promo: Chris Wood ($7.00)