New Zealand take on Egypt is the first World Cup action taking place in the early hours of Monday morning and later in the day we can look forward to Argentina vs Austria and France vs Iraq
Group G New Zealand vs Egypt (Vancouver)
After the opening round of matches in this group all 4 teams have 1 point against their name. Belgium and Iran, who meet on Sunday are the other nations in this group and you can read our preview of that game here.
New Zealand:
New Zealand’s first action of the tournament came against Iran in Los Angeles, they were in the lead twice but had to settle for a 2-2 draw. Both of New Zealand’s goals came from Elijah Just in the early stages of both halves and both assists came from Chirs Wood. NZ registered 8 shots on target in total and were awarded just the 1 corner.
Egypt:
Egypt’s opening match against Belgium in Seattle finished in a 1-1 draw. They took the lead through Emam Ashour on 20 minutes and it stayed that way until midway through the second half when Mohamed Hany’s own goal squared things up. Belgium finished the stronger although most of the overall stats were pretty even.
The Betting:
New Zealand are priced at around 9/2 to win the game with the draw available at 28/10 and Egypt can be backed at around 0.62/1.
A game of 3 goals or more is priced at 23/20 and it’s the same price for both teams to score
The Verdict:
Having come through the toughest test (Belgium) in this group with a point Egypt are in a strong position to not only qualify but change for top spot. I’m going with Salah and Marmoush and co to score 2 or more.
Bets: Egypt total goals over 1.5 at 9/10 with BetXchange
Note, odds are subject to change
Group J Argentina vs Austria (Dallas)
These two nations set the pace in this group with 3 points a piece whilst Jordan and Algeria have yet to open their account and they will meet early on Tuesday morning.
Argentina
Defending champions Argentina came through their first task with a comfortable 3-0 win over Algeria in Kansas City. The night belonged to Lionel Messi who scored a hat trick and he is now the all time joint top scorer in World Cup history. Messi opened the scoring on 17 minutes and added further goals on the hour and then 77 minutes. Argentina had 6 of 10 shots on target but only 12 touches in the opposition box and the corner count was all square at 2-2.
Austria
Austria eventually saw off debutants Jordan with a 3-1 win in San Franciso first up. Romano Schmid rifled in a shot to open the scoring on 21 minutes; it was 1-0 at half time but Jordan squared things up early in the second half. Austria regained the lead thanks to a 76th minute own goal before Marko Arnautovic made sure of the win with a penalty deep in injury time. Austria bossed the possession with 62% but Jordan refused to buckle and it was harder work than many expected.
The Betting:
Argentina are priced at around 4/7 to win the game with the draw available at 3/1 and Austria can be backed at around 5/1
A game of 3 goals or more is priced at 9/10 and its even money for both teams to score
The Verdict:
Argentina and Messi have made a great start but although Austria only put their game against Jordan to bed late on, I think they are a better side than the odds here suggest and I’m with both teams to find the net.
Bets: Both teams to score? Yes at 11/10 with BetXchange
Note, odds are subject to change
Group I France vs Iraq (Philadelphia)
After the opening round of matches in this group Norway and France both have 3 points whilst Senegal and Iraq have yet to get off the mark. Norway will play Senegal in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
France
France came into the tournament as joint favourites to lift the trophy and they didn’t disappoint in opening their campaign with a 3-1 win over Senegal. The first half finished without a goal although France had their woodwork rattled and we had to wait until the 66th minute for Kylian Mbappe to open the scoring. Bradley Barcola made it 2-0 on 82 minutes but Senegal pulled a goal back in the fifth minute of injury time only for Mbappe to score his second and France’s third just before the final whistle. France only registered 11 shots but 8 were on target and they were awarded 6 corners to Senegal’s 4.
Iraq
Iraq began their campaign against Norway in Boston and they went down 4-1. Aymen Hussein scored their goal late in the first half but that came either side of a brace for Haaland. Norway led 2-1 at the break and made it 3-1 on 76 minutes before Iraq’s scorer then put through his own net deep into injury time. Iraq gave a good account of themselves for much of the game and especially the first half but they only managed 1 attempt on target in the whole match.
The Betting:
France are priced at around 1 / 10 to win the game with the draw available at 10/1 and Iraq can be backed at around 25/1
A game of 4 goals or more is priced at 19/20 and its 18/10 for both teams to score
The Verdict:
A one sided betting heat and even if France choose to make a few changes they have the quality to win both halves of football.
Bets: France to win both halves? Yes at 15/20 with Pokerbet
Note, odds are subject to change
