Group B of the soccer World Cup produced one of the most entertaining games after Spain and Portugal drew 3-3.
This is a decent result for both of the favorites, who will now have a good chance to win their first game in the competition.
Portugal will play Morocco, who is on the brink of elimination and needs at least a point.
In the other game in this group, Spain will face Iran, who now has 3 points after a surprising win. It’s curious to see if the Asians could do something interesting despite the obvious difference in the quality of both teams.
Of course, the most important thing would be to check if there are some exciting betting opportunities to make money in the 2nd round.
I expected Portugal to take something from the game against Spain, and they didn’t disappoint. To be fair, the Spanish team seemed a bit better, but Cristiano Ronaldo is obviously on a mission, and he managed to score three goals.
What surprised me, though, was the howler of David De Gea. He is certainly one of the top keepers in the world, and I expect better from him as the tournament goes on.
At the same time, Spain was rather impressive. They managed to find enough penetration and score 3 goals against a team that defends well and is set up to play predominantly counter-attacking style. If they keep it going, Spain could actually win the trophy at the end.
In the other match of the group, Iran somehow managed to win against Morocco after a stupid own goal right at the end. I think that’s the end for the African team, as they will find it impossible to take at least 4 points from Spain and Portugal.
It’s a bit of a shame, really, because Morocco showed some great soccer in the first match, but the lack of clinical finishers up front was the main problem. They had some decent opportunities and should’ve found the net.
At the end of the day, they were punished and will most probably go home. Still, I think Morocco might have a role to play against Spain or Portugal. The Africans have the potential to upset one of the teams and have an impact on the outcome of Group B.
The main betting markets for this game show the following.
This game certainly won’t be a walk in the park for Portugal, as Morocco has shown some positives against Iran.
Furthermore, I expect the African side to play a style that won’t suit Portugal. Ronaldo and company don’t like to be in control and face teams that prefer to defend. Instead, the Iberians are at their best when they can sit deep and exploit space.
For that reason, I expect Portugal to struggle to create many chances against Morocco. However, they have many skilled individuals that can break the deadlock. Ronaldo is the best example, but pretty much any of the attacking players of Portugal could make the difference at some point.
At the same time, Morocco will face the tough task of scoring themselves. The team was unable to do it against an Iranian side that can’t compare to Portugal in any way.
The Europeans have a much better defense. If you add the lack of cutting edge in the Moroccan side, a clean sheet for Portugal looks highly likely.
Going for Portugal to win at 1.65 is not bad at all. I would say that the under 2.5 goals market, which is priced 1.61, is also a choice that makes sense, as both teams prefer to sit deep.
However, I think there is another better option out there. Portugal to win to nil is a great option, and the price is 2.40. I expect the European team to find a way to score and completely shut the front line of Morocco.
That would be the most logical development in this game, based on the strengths and weaknesses of both teams. Something like 2-0 for Portugal is what I expect.
Let’s start by looking at the main odds for this 2nd-round game of Group B.
Iran was extremely lucky to win the game against Morocco, and the whole squad was over the moon. It must be admitted that the team was brave and did whatever it could to keep a clean sheet.
I’m afraid that even a similar effort won’t bring much success against Spain. The European favorite has a much better squad than Morocco and a ton of quality players up front. They managed to create a lot of chances against a strong defensive team like Portugal.
Spain once again looks like they can create chances and score against teams who sit deep. One of the reasons is the clinical Diego Costa. The striker is not the most attractive player out there, but he knows how to find space and score goals.
At the same time, the full-backs of Spain are pushing hard when the team has the ball, and this leads to a lot of pressure for the opponents. I can’t see Iran resisting, and Spain should be able to score a couple of goals.
On the other end, it would be a miracle to see Iran scoring. They were toothless against Morocco, and it took a lucky own goal. I don’t think Spain will be in the mood for such gifts, so a clean sheet is highly likely.
I would also like to point out that Iran had some dirty fouls against Morocco, and I expect the same against Spain. This makes for a strong possibility of a lot of cards for Iran.
I don’t see anything but a win for Spain in this game. The price of 1.18 is actually not that bad, despite the fact that it looks super short. Still, I think there are a couple of better options out there.
For a start, I fancy Spain to score a couple and keep a clean sheet. A win with a 2-3 goal-difference or even more is quite possible. Under such circumstances, the odds of 2.10 for Spain to cover the -2 Asian Handicap are fantastic.
Any win by 3 or more goals will bring the cash home. Even if the European team struggles a bit and only wins with two, your bet is safe. Still, I expect a solid win, something like 4-0.
The other bet I believe is worth a shot is for Iran to receive more than 2.5 cards. The price is 2.37. If the team plays like it did against Morocco, I think this line could be covered with ease.
As I already mentioned in a previous post, the leaderboards of the Million Pound Bet of BetVictor show that the winning price will be higher than 3,500. This is why we need to go for some crazy wagers now if we want to try to win this promotion.
This is the suggestion for round 2 in Group B of the soccer World Cup.
Spain to Win 4-0 Iran Over 4.5 Cards Diego Costa to Score 3+ Goals Spain Over 9.5 Corners Iran Under 2.5 CornersI will go with my correct score prediction for the game between Spain and Iran. On top of that, I feel the dirty play of the Asians could bring them a lot of cards.
The other selection is on Diego Costa to score at least 3 goals, as he is the main man in Spain’s attack.
Finally, I think the Europeans will dominate and have plenty of corners, while Iran won’t win more than 2.
This combo is priced 4,799, so a win here would provide a great shot at bringing the million home.
This round should pretty much confirm that Spain and Portugal simply have too much for the other two teams. It’s interesting to see if both teams can continue their fierce goal-scoring form, as this could affect the race for the Golden Boot.
Both Cristiano Ronaldo and Diego Costa are among the favorites now, and a couple more goals in round 2 would certainly help.
As always, feel free to share your own thoughts and betting picks in the comment section.
Good luck!
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