The World Cup kicks off this Sunday and the DAZN Bet Trading Team have taken a look at each of the first round games for groups A and B to pick out their top selections.
Odds* provided by DAZN Bet.
QATAR V ECUADOR – GROUP A – 16:00 – NOVEMBER 20
The Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor plays host to the opening game of the 2022 World Cup as Qatar take on Ecuador.
The hosts have never previously qualified for the World Cup, and with a team made up entirely of players from the Qatar Stars League, they could struggle to compete on the biggest stage.
Ecuador took the fourth and final automatic CONMEBOL qualifying berth, making it to a fourth World Cup in their last six attempts.
The South Americans are ranked 44th in the World and have ex-Premier League player Enner Valencia leading their attacking line. The former West Ham and Everton striker scored four times during qualifying and will be hoping for a repeat of his last World Cup appearance, when he scored three times during the group stages in 2014.
The relatively unknown nature of the hosts makes this a difficult one to predict, but Ecuador’s experience at the highest level should get them the first three points of the tournament.
Traders’ Tip: Ecuador to Win @ 11/8. A £10 bet at these odds could return £23.75
ENGLAND V IRAN – GROUP B – 13:00 – NOVEMBER 21
England will be aiming to put their recent Nations League troubles behind them when they play Iran on Monday afternoon.
The Three Lions were semi-finalists four years ago in Russia and they will be keen to avoid an early slip up in a tricky Group B.
Iran narrowly missed out on the knockout stages four years ago, finishing a point behind both Spain and Portugal in the group stages, and they have every chance of causing a few headaches once more in Qatar.
Harry Kane may have been the Golden Boot winner in 2018, but Iran have come up against teams led by Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Diego Costa during their last two World Cup campaigns, conceding just once against each of those sides. It might be a frustrating afternoon for England, but we believe that they can grind out a low scoring victory.
Traders’ Tip: England to win & Under 2.5 goals @ 17/10. A £10 bet at these odds could return £27
SENEGAL V NETHERLANDS – GROUP A – 16:00 – NOVEMBER 21
Senegal enter the World Cup as the highest ranked African side in the competition. The recent African Cup of Nations winners will be aiming for another strong display in Qatar, after being the first team in history to be eliminated via the ‘fair play’ tie-break rule four years ago.
The Netherlands failed to qualify for the last World Cup, but they made amends by topping their qualifying group this time around. They haven’t lost a match since their 2-0 exit to the Czech Republic in the last 16 of Euro 2020, and have impressively topped a group containing Belgium, Poland and Wales to book their place in the semi-finals of the UEFA Nations League during this period.
With such a solid upturn in form since Louis van Gaal took over last August, the Netherlands are expected to have a decent showing this time around. They were the League A top scorers during the group stages of the Nations League and they look good to continue that scoring form against Senegal.
Traders’ Tip: Netherlands Total – Over 2.5 @ 11/4. A £10 bet at these odds could return £37.50
USA V WALES – GROUP B – 19:00 – NOVEMBER 21
The United States will be lining up as slight favourites when they take on Wales in the second game of the day from Group B.
USA only just pipped Costa Rica to an automatic qualification spot to secure their 12th World Cup appearance. If previous performances are anything to go by then we shouldn’t be surprised to see the States perform above expectations, having made it through to the knockout stages in three of their last four appearances.
Wales needed a play-off victory over Ukraine to secure their second World Cup appearance, but failed to maintain any momentum following that success, picking up just one point in their Nations League group and suffering relegation from League A as a result.
Despite Wales’ poor results, it’s hard to make a legitimate case for the US being favourites here. They haven’t won any of their last eight matches outside of the States, a run which includes draws against El Salvador and Jamaica, as well as a defeat to Panama.
Wales have scored in 12 of their last 13 matches, and that consistency could be enough to pick up a victory, so siding with the experienced Welsh team to grind out a win looks to be the best selection here.
Traders’ Tip: Wales to Win @ 19/10. A £10 bet at these odds could return £29
*Odds correct at time of publishing. Available to UK residents (excluding Northern Ireland) aged 18+ only. T&Cs apply. www.BeGambleAware