World Cup round of 32 soccer preview as England, Belgium and USA all seek regulation wins on a packed day
The Round of 32 has not disappointed for the World Cup. Yesterday we had three games, and while there were no upsets, it was a fun day of soccer.
France dominated Sweden as expected, but if you saw some of the goals, you had to be impressed and think that no one will be able to beat them. Norway was able to escape the Ivory Coast, and that was a bit of a sweaty win, but a win nonetheless. The final game of the night saw Mexico win 2-0 over Ecuador, with Mexico's defense looking great and their speed unmatched. We went 2-1 in plays, and I'm looking for more today.
This is the game on the slate today that shouldn't be much of a mystery. England is a -1200 favorite to win in regulation, meaning they should absolutely dominate the Congo DR. That doesn't mean there is no betting value. We found a winner on France yesterday, and they were -900 on their three-way moneyline as well. England got two wins and one draw in the group stages, and while they didn't look great in every game, they do have more talent on their side in this game.
Congo DR had a win, a loss, and a draw in their three games. They haven't allowed more than one goal in a game this World Cup. Portugal and Colombia are both talented teams, and they held both to just one goal (even though they played to a draw and a loss, respectively). I think the under 2.5 is the best look. I don't see Congo scoring, and I think England is going to score two or fewer.
This is the closest matchup based on the moneyline on today's schedule of games.
Belgium comes into this after playing Egypt and Iran to draws and destroying New Zealand in the group stage. Senegal made it after losing to France and Norway in their first two games, but beating Iraq 5-0. I think it is fair to say that Senegal had a significantly harder group than Belgium. Although their offense isn't the caliber of France and Norway, Belgium is talented and should be the aggressor in this match.
I'm curious to see if Senegal can slow down the attack after struggling against two of the better offenses. I do think they should be able to get a goal on Belgium as well, especially if they can force a turnover. I like both teams to score, but it is pricey at -150. If you prefer, take the 90-minute draw at +230. I could see this going to extra time to decide who advances.
When the World Cup started, Team USA was billed as having a good path to advance and likely the potential to go far. As you can see, they've lived up to that expectation.
They went 2-1 in the opening round, but the loss to Turkey was meaningless as they had already secured their group. There was also some controversy around the loss, but we can put that behind us. Bosnia-Herzegovina had a bit of everything in their three games. They played to a draw against Canada, then lost badly to Switzerland, and finally beat Qatar in their final match, 3-1. I think that both teams will score in this one as well.
America has allowed a goal in two of their three matches, and if they have a concern, I'd say it is their defense. Give me both teams to score at -115.
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