The World Cup is up and running, and the games just keep on coming.
The DAZN Bet Trading Team have taken a look at Wednesday’s World Cup matches.
Odds* provided by DAZN Bet.
MOROCCO V CROATIA – GROUP F – 10:00 – NOVEMBER 23
Croatia will be hoping their fine run of recent form continues when they take on Morocco in their opening group game.
Since an extra time defeat to Spain at Euro 2020, the Croatians have only lost once in 16 outings. They've won their last five matches against Denmark (twice), France, Austria and Saudi Arabia.
Morocco are on an incredible run of form themselves, having only lost two of the 36 matches they've played since October 2020, and they'll be hoping to perform a lot better than they did four years ago, when they finished bottom of their group.
With both Morocco and Croatia entering this World Cup strongly, we could be set for a stern defensive showing from both teams. Goals aren’t expected to flow here and as a result, we can see at least one of these sides not making it on to the scoresheet.
Traders’ Tip: Both Teams To Score - No @ 7/10. A £10 bet at these odds could return £17
GERMANY V JAPAN – GROUP E – 13:00 – NOVEMBER 23
Germany will be determined to bounce back from a disappointing 2018 World Cup when they start their Qatar journey against Japan.
The Germans finished bottom of their group four years ago after being derailed by two injury time goals from South Korea. Japan were beaten by Belgium in the Round of 16 in 2018. A Nacer Chadli goal four minutes into injury time consigned them to a 3-2 defeat, despite leading 2-0 midway through the second half.
Germany have lost just once since their Euro 2020 exit, with their 1-0 defeat to Hungary also being the only time they haven’t scored during this period. Japan, however, have proven to be a tough team to break down this year. Their recent 2-1 defeat to Canada ended a run of five matches without conceding, and they will be hoping to bounce back defensively once more.
With Germany stuttering in their last two major tournaments, it’s difficult to confidently back them to go deep this time around. It could be a tough afternoon for the Germans, but they should be able to finally see off Japan during the second half.
Traders’ Tip: Halftime/Fulltime – Draw/Germany @ 33/10. A £10 bet at these odds could return £43
SPAIN V COSTA RICA – GROUP E – 16:00 – NOVEMBER 23
Spain start their World Cup against Costa Rica as the shortest priced favourites from the opening round of fixtures.
Costa Rica beat New Zealand 1-0 in an Inter-confederation play-off to book their place in Qatar, but Spain look set to offer a much more challenging opposition when the two face off on Wednesday.
The Euro 2020 semi-finalists will be full of confidence having recently topped their UEFA Nations League group to confirm their place in the last four of that competition, and they currently find themselves ranked 24 places above their North American opponents in the official FIFA rankings. Spain may find it difficult to break down a side that has lost just one of their previous ten matches, winning eight in the process, and although we believe they will come out on top after 90 minutes, they may not be as free-scoring against the Costa Ricans as some might predict.
Traders’ Tip: Spain Total – Under 2.5 @ 4/5. A £10 bet at these odds could return £18
BELGIUM V CANADA – GROUP F – 19:00 – NOVEMBER 23
Belgium enter the World Cup as the second-best team on FIFA’s official rankings and they'll be hoping to get off to the perfect start against surprise qualifiers Canada.
The Canadians managed to show both defensive discipline and attacking threat in topping the CONCACAF group, but it remains to be seen whether or not they can carry this form over to the global stage.
Since qualifying, Canada have played four friendlies against non-North American teams, beating fellow World Cup teams Qatar and Japan, but losing 2-0 to Uruguay and drawing 2-2 against Bahrain.
Belgium topped their UEFA qualifying group, but they only managed to finish second in their UEFA Nations League group following two losses to the Netherlands and a draw with Wales.
Despite their failure to progress in the Nations League, Belgium have looked like a real attacking threat to most of their opponents. Their 1-0 defeat against the Netherlands back in September was the first time they had failed to score a goal since the 2018 World Cup. With the likes of Romelu Lukaku and Kevin De Bruyne, it’s easy to see why the Belgians are expected to do well, and they should have enough to see off a spirited Canada side with relative ease.
Traders’ Tip: Handicap - Belgium -1.5 @ 5/4. A £10 bet at these odds could return £22.50