Argentina will be desperate for a win after a shock loss in their opening game, while France will look to wrap up early qualification.
Let’s look into our best bets for matchdays 7 and 8, featuring:
- Argentina vs. Mexico
- France vs. Denmark
- Croatia vs. Canada
Argentina vs. Mexico
November 26, 2022 – 02:00 PM EST at Lusail Iconic Stadium
Argentina Will Be Desperate
Argentina suffered one of the most shocking defeats in World Cup history after losing their opening game to Saudi Arabia. The Argentinians have the second-best odds to win the tournament at +550. They came into the game as -700 favorites. None of that matters anymore as they are now forced to beat Mexico in their next game.
Mexico went into their game versus Poland as slight +165 favorites against Poland. They actually played really well, controlling the game for large spells. Some might say they were lucky to escape with a draw after Robert Lewandowski missed a penalty.
In reality, there was nothing lucky about the veteran goalkeeper, Guillermo Ochoa, stopping the shot. This is his third World Cup for Mexico, so he wasn’t fazed by the moment.
The Pick
Mexico will need the best of Ochoa against Argentina, but it still won’t be enough. We expect Lionel Messi to play much better, and Argentina really needs a way to find minutes for Paulo Dybala. Our pick for this one is Argentina -170.
Soccer Pick: Argentina (-170) at Caesars Sportsbook
France vs. Denmark
Saturday, November 26, 2022 – 11:00 AM EST at Stadium 974
France Ready to Book Their Ticket
Despite all of the injuries, France looked like one of the favorites to win the tournament. The defending champs went down behind early to the Australians before roaring back with two quick first-half goals. The unstoppable Kylian Mbappe made it 3 in a performance that was not as close as the final score.
Karim Benzema goes down with an injury and Olivier Giroud steps up to take his place in style. He became the second oldest goal scorer in World Cup history, while also tying Thierry Henry for the all-time goals in the French national team. On Saturday, they will look to find the score sheet again when they look to book their ticket in the next match against Denmark.
In the Denmark vs. Tunisia game, the Danes controlled the game for the most part and had some good chances to score, hitting the post in the second half. The problem is Tunisia had some decent chances of their own and really should have been leading 1-0 at halftime.
The Pick
Denmark will not enjoy over 60% possession the way they did against Tunisia. Mbappe in particular looks unstoppable while Ousmane Dembele is a constant threat down the other wing.
At -120, we like France to wrap up qualification with a win.
Soccer Pick: France ML (-119) at Caesars Sportsbook
Croatia vs. Canada
Sunday, November 27, 2022 – 11:00 AM EST at Khalifa International Stadium
Croatia Has Good Value Against Canada
Canada will be competing in their first World Cup since 1986. They finished first in the CONCACAF qualification and are a very good team. We all know Croatia’s resume, having made it to the final of the last World Cup. They’re in a position here where nothing less than a win will not be sufficient.
They played decently against Morocco but they will not be satisfied with that performance. They lack a real central striker since the retirement of Mario Mandzukic from the national team.
The Pick
We have an up-and-coming Canadian team that may be out of their depth against a desperate Croatia team led by veteran star Luka Modric. He was below par by his standards in the game against Morocco and we expect him to lead by example against Canada.
We’re taking Croatia at -118.
Soccer Pick: Croatia (-118) at SBK
