Soccer

If Morocco can keep Cristiano Ronaldo from performing his magic, which is easier said than done admittedly, Portugal do not have many options in the final third of the pitch. We would expect Morocco to man mark Ronaldo out of the game, soak up pressure and hope to his Portugal on the counter attack, particularly with balls over the top because the Portuguese central defensive partnership lacks pace.

Russia need to try and not get carried away with their 5-0 win over Saudi Arabia because it was their first victory in eight matches and Egypt will pose a much sterner test. Egypt know that they likely have to beat both Russia and Saudi Arabia if they are to progress to the Round of 16, which will only serve as a catalyst for Mohamed Salah.

The Polish could be the dark horses of the 2018 World Cup because they have a hard-working team and one of the best strikers in the world in Robert Lewandowski. However, if teams learn how to stop Lewandowksi, Poland have very little firepower at their disposal.

It must be frustrating supporting Colombia because they seem to have a squad of players that has a mixture of grit and flair yet they always seem to struggle when push comes to shove and the pressure is on. Colombia reached the quarter-finals at the 2014 World Cup and will be hopeful of a repeat performance four years on, especially as Group H is one of the weaker groups in the tournament.

Tunisia are unlikely to scrape even a point in this game as is evident by their +850 odds on winning and the +400 on the game ending in a draw. An England win, for those of you wanting to take a punt, is priced at -290. England will be hoping to get their World Cup campaign off to a flying start after a dreadful 2014 World Cup where they failed to progress from the group.

A Belgium win is as close to a banker bet, one that is almost guaranteed to win, as you will get at the World Cup; it is inconceivable to think that any other result will occur. Belgium is -600 to win the game with Panama at +1700. The draw, which is also unlikely, comes in at +650 but we will be staying away from that bet.

You would be forgiven to think that this game was a foregone conclusion before a ball has even been kicked because Sweden are ranked 23rd in the world and Korea Republic are as low as 61st. The game will not be as plain sailing as one may think, mostly because Sweden are not one of Europe’s powerhouse teams; in fact they are quite average.

The Brazil versus Switzerland game should be an exciting one to watch because of the teams’ contrasting style. Brazil love to play attacking soccer, while Switzerland are happy to hog the possession and hope to sneak a goal on the break or from a set piece. Brazil, should on paper at least, walk away with this game comfortably due to their immense firepower.

Mexico may have a strong World Cup heritage but that will count for nothing when they come up against the might of reigning champions Germany. Germany are priced at -225 to beat Mexico, with a Mexico win available at +650 and the draw being +350. Germany brushed Mexico aside 4-1 in the FIFA Confederations Cup in June 2017 and it would not surprise us to see a similar scoreline when the two sides meet again.