The DAZN Bet Trading Team provide you with their top picks for the Saturday’s World Cup fixtures. Odds* provided by DAZN Bet.
TUNISIA V AUSTRALIA – GROUP D – 10:00 – NOVEMBER 26
Tunisia’s strong team effort was more than enough to see them take a point from their opening fixture against Denmark.
The passion of the Tunisian side, and their supporters, was on display from the get go, and they limited the Danes to just a handful of chances and speculative efforts. They also had chances of their own to take the lead. Striker Issam Jebali had fine a breakaway effort ruled out for offside and was denied by Kasper Schmeichel in a one-on-one situation soon after.
Australia threatened to pull off a surprise when they took a ninth minute lead against France, but they couldn’t shutout the world champions and eventually lost 4-1. The Socceroos now face an early exit if they lose to Tunisia on Saturday.
France recorded 23 shots against Australia and the defensive line of the Socceroos could be a cause for concern. While France boast more firepower than the Tunisians, the rare glimpses of threat shown by Issam Jebali against Denmark will give Tunisia a sense of optimism ahead of this encounter. If Tunisia approach this game with a similar mindset, the Odense striker should get plenty of opportunities to get on the scoresheet.
Traders’ Tip: Anytime Goalscorer – Issam Jebali @ 11/4. A £10 bet at these odds could return £37.50
POLAND V SAUDI ARABIA – GROUP C – 13:00 – NOVEMBER 26
Saudi Arabia produced one of the biggest shocks in World Cup history when they came from behind to beat Argentina. After showing very little during the first 45 minutes, they sprang to life in the second half to turn the game on its head. After taking a 2-1 lead, they seemed happy to soak up the Argentine pressure and held on for a historic victory against a team that had gone unbeaten for over three years.
Poland took a point from their opening match against Mexico. Lewandowski was given a glorious opportunity to take the lead with a 54th minute penalty, but the Barcelona striker was unable to convert from the spot, leaving him still without a World Cup goal to his name.
Such was the monumental nature of their victory over Argentina, the Saudi Arabian King declared the following day a public holiday, and they’ll need to reproduce that same high level of discipline against Poland on Saturday.
We can’t see them maintaining that level of focus here, especially when their opponents are likely to take a much more patient approach to the game. Neither side really offered a sustained attacking threat in their first round of fixtures, but that’s typically been the kind of opposition that Poland have taken full advantage of in the past.
Traders’ Tip: Poland to win @ 15/20. A £10 bet at these odds could return £17.50
FRANCE V DENMARK – GROUP D – 16:00 – NOVEMBER 26
Despite conceding the opener, Les Bleus displayed a champion’s mentality by putting four past Australia. Veteran striker Olivier Giroud filled the centre forward void left by Karim Benzema’s absence, and he capitalised on the opportunity by scoring twice to put him level with Thierry Henry at the top of France’s all-time leading goalscorer list.
Kylian Mbappe was a handful for the Australians. His creativity caused their defence all kinds of problems, and he looks set to cause plenty more throughout the tournament.
Denmark created a few chances against Tunisia, but they couldn’t find that all important goal. Skov Olsen had a second half strike ruled out, Andreas Cornelius somehow missed with the goal at his mercy, and after a late VAR check for a penalty was turned down, they had to settle with a point.
They will take positives from keeping a clean sheet in their opening game, but it will feel more like a missed opportunity for the Danes.
Denmark may have won both of their Nations League games against France earlier this year, but their defence looked out of sorts at times against Tunisia. If they offer similar opportunities to France, Kylian Mbappe will take full advantage of the opportunity.
Traders’ Tip: First Goalscorer – Kylian Mbappe @ 7/2. A £10 bet at these odds could return £45
ARGENTINA V MEXICO – GROUP C – 19:00 – NOVEMBER 26
After being stunned in their opening fixture, and losing a three-year unbeaten streak in the process, Argentina already find themselves in a situation where they are effectively playing ‘knockout’ football.
For all their dominance during the first half of their game against Saudi Arabia, Argentina couldn’t put their opponents to bed, and that ultimately proved to be their undoing. Now they’re in a position where a defeat to Mexico will see them eliminated from the competition.
Mexico failed to take advantage of the shock from Tuesday’s early fixture after being held to a goalless draw by Poland, but they did pose a threat throughout large parts of the game. Alexis Vega seemed to take on a ‘shoot on sight’ approach, but the Mexican forward’s best opportunity came via a first half header that went the wrong side of the post.
Given the pressure on Argentina to produce a result we expect them to come out firing from the start. They may have been left frustrated by the well disciplined, high defensive line employed by Saudi Arabia, but it should prove to be too difficult for Mexico to sustain that same level of intensity. Mexico will likely take a much more attacking approach if they go behind early, and that could open the floodgates for Argentina to bounce straight back to winning ways in convincing fashion.
Traders’ Tip: Argentina Multigoals – 4+ @ 15/2. A £10 bet at these odds could return £85
*Odds correct at time of publishing. Available to UK residents (excluding Northern Ireland) aged 18+ only. T&Cs apply. www.begambleaware.org