Germany, Poland, and Colombia lost in upsets in the first round and now find themselves in a position of facing must-win games to have any chance of moving on to the knockout stage of the 2018 World Cup. The teams that upset them, Mexico, Senegal, and Japan, can punch their tickets with victories, too. That dynamic creates some interesting betting opportunities, and OG found these five bets available that should help gamblers maximize their World Cup betting return.
1. Germany Under 1.5 goals
The defending champions had a shocking defeat at the hands of Mexico, making Saturday’s game against Sweden a must-win. They can’t shoot for a draw here, they have to win, or they are going home.
As badly as Germany played in the first half of their opening contest, they did have a much better performance in the second half. Expect them to come out much better against Sweden, who hasn’t given up more than one goal in its last 12 international matches. At +500, it seems a worthy risk to bet that neither team will turn this match into a score-fest.
2. Colombia +125 to Win
Both Colombia and Poland were upset in their opening match, and both were criticized. Colombia defender Carlos Sanchez received a red card early against Japan for a hand ball that led to a converted penalty kick. He was later the subject of death threats, bringing back memories of Andres Escobar’s murder after an own goal in the 1994 World Cup.
While that team was unable to recover and was sent home after Group play, this year’s squad will overcome the unfortunate break and defeat Poland, who was soundly outplayed by Senegal in their loss.
“It will be like a final. Each team will battle hard to keep the ball, and will close down the space for their opponents to operate in,” Colombia’s Radamel Falcao told FIFA.com. “Perhaps we won’t make as many mistakes as we did before, because we all know this is a match that will determine who will continue in the World Cup.”
3. Exact Score 2-0 Mexico
Mexico has a sombrero full of confidence after shocking Germany, 1-0. They can advance from Group F with a victory this weekend over South Korea, who lost to Sweden, 1-0.
Mexico has a streak of not losing a second match at the World Cup since a defeat by Argentina in 1978. That streak is likely to continue for a 10th World Cup against South Korea on Saturday, and at +650 for a 2-0 result, it seems worth the bet to put money on their scoring a second goal in this win.
4. Romelu Lukaku to Score in First Half
Bookmakers are offering this scoring prop at 11/4. The Belgium striker had two goals in his first contest, when his team defeated Panama, 3-0. He should get at least one more against a Tunisia team that lost its starting goaltender.
Farouk Ben Mustapha replaced Mouez Hassan when he suffered a shoulder injury against England. Mustapha came in with the game tied at one, but gave up a last-minute goal to Harry Kane for the loss. Expect nerves to overcome Mustapha and Lukaku to strike early.
5. Harry Kane Scores First Before 20th Minute
England has shown the offense runs through Kane, who had the two goals in the country’s 2-1 win over Tunisia. Kane is extremely adept at finding openings and exploiting them. He scored his first goal at the 11-minute mark, and at +500, this is a good value wager.
He should do the same against a Panama team that qualified for its first ever World Cup and was actually happy they lost by only three goals to Belgium.
