Getty Images
Even if you weren’t satisfied with a tie against England, USA’s 0-0 draw against one of the strongest teams in the World was impressive. The USMNT plays like a unit of young studs, hungry for victory. Oh and by the way, it’s called “soccer”!
Note (from FanDuel Sportsbook): No team will be playing at home during the World Cup in Qatar. For betting purposes, FanDuel explains that: “Home Team refers to the team listed first, Away Team refers to the second team listed.”
Game: USA vs. Iran, +300
Iran has no chance of winning this game. The United States fought with energy against a strong British team. Veteran center defenseman Tim Ream was excellent on defense for the men’s team, making critical tackles against the English offense. Raheem Sterling and Harry Kane struggled to get open shots in the box against the US’s defensive line. Christian Pulisic has also played phenomenally, and it was Timothy Weah who was able to score America’s only goal of the tournament against Wales. A draw is a strong result for this young squad against England, who finished as runners up in the 2020 Euro.
With that being said, Iran was able to pull off a huge win over Wales in their second game of the competition. Wales did go down a man as a result of a red card in the match. In fact, Wales’ Wayne Hennessey was handed a red card in the 86th minute of the game, allowing Iran to score in the eighth and 11th minutes of added time. Obviously, Iran got lucky with a late red card to Wales, allowing them to play 11 on 10 ferocious offense in added time. Iran had just 38% of possession but finished the game with 21 shots while Wales had 62% possession in the game but just 10 shots. Obviously, the majority of Iran’s offense came very late in the game, allowing them to upset Wales in stoppage time.
To me, it seems evident that the US will quiet Iran, especially as they got lucky to take the win away from Wales, who had 501 total passes in the match to Iran’s 298. The U.S. should cream Iran in a game which they really would like to win.
The Pick: USA, +100
In addition, you can expect the U.S. to score the first goal in this game. They have a stronger, hungrier team than Iran that got very lucky to score two goals against Wales past the 90th minute of regulation time. A red card allowed them to take advantage of more than 10 minutes of stoppage time and score two goals to beat Wales. Against the U.S., Iran won’t have it easy. They certainly will not score the first goal in this game because we will.
The Pick: USA to Score the First Goal, -150
Fantasy SP has worked diligently to bring you next-level sports betting analytics, prop betting tools, public betting splits, and so much more! Become an Edge+ member today!
2022 World Cup Group Stages Best Bets & Props: Tuesday, November 22
Are you psyched about the 2022 World Cup and endless soccer each day for the next few weeks? We certainly are. If you are planning on watching the games and keeping track of all the action in Qatar, here are some picks for the four group stage matches scheduled for tomorrow: Tuesday, November 22.
Note (from FanDuel Sportsbook): No team will be playing at home during the World Cup in Qatar. For betting purposes, FanDuel explains that: “Home Team refers to the team listed first, Away Team refers to the second team listed.”
Game: Saudi Arabia at Argentina, -650 (5:00am EST)
Without a question, this should be an easy win for Argentina. They are one of the favorites to win the 2022 World Cup as a result of their outstanding corps of forwards and midfielders. In contrast, Saudi Arabia likely has one of the weakest rosters in this year’s competition. For this reason, it could be interesting to look at some other props. For instance, you could consider taking Argentina to win and for a certain amount of goals to be scored in the game. Taking into consideration the mismatch and the potential for Saudi Arabia to score a consolation goal, you can roll the dice on Argentina to win and for five or more goals to be scored in the contest for +430.
Bet: Argentina to win, and 5 or more total goals in the match (+430)
Game: Tunisia at Denmark, -185 (8:00am EST)
Denmark is certainly the stronger team in this matchup. Tunisia isn’t a joke but ultimately, Denmark has elite players from around the world spread at different positions throughout their roster. Christian Eriksen is the feature player on Denmark's’ 2022 World Cup Squad. Tunisia has virtually no players competing at a tough international level. This should be an easy first win for Denmark’s national team, and a safe bet for you regardless of if you are an avid sports bettor or simply trying to keep along with tomorrow’s action.
The Pick: Denmark, -185
Game: Poland at Mexico, +155 (11:00am EST)
Though both teams have solid rosters, the edge goes to the Polish national team. At forward, they have one of the most prolific goal scorers in the World over the last near-decade in Robert Lewandowski (Barcelona). The rest of Poland’s roster is sprinkled with players competing in the top European divisions. Mexico’s brightest players will be veteran goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa (Club America), Andres Guardado (Real Betis), Edson Alvarez (Ajax), and Hirving Lozano (Napoli). This season, Lozano has produced three goals and three assists in 14 games for Napoli. While Mexico’s roster shows promise, Poland’s roster has much more depth. Neither team is the heavy favorite, but I'd put my money on the team with players who have more experience at a European club and international level. This is where Poland’s roster shines over Mexico’s.
The Pick: Poland, +155
Game: Australia at France, -390 (2:00pm EST)
Heading into their first World Cup game, the French national team has lost some key players. Both Paul Pogba (Juventus) and N’Golo Kante (Chelsea) were ruled out of the tournament more than a month ago as a result of their respective injuries. It was reported earlier this week that 2022 Ballon D’Or winner Karim Benzema (Real Madrid) suffered a hamstring injury practicing in Qatar which will keep him sidelined for the tournament. Heading into their first match of the group stage of the competition, France is missing three of its best players. Fortunately, they still have one of the most talented and deep rosters despite losing these crucial veteran players. In contrast, Australia is one of the weakest teams at the World Cup. Regardless of the hits the French national team has taken to their roster, “Les Bleus” should comfortably win this game by two or more goals.
Bet: France to win and 3 or 4 goals in the match, +160
Fantasy SP has worked diligently to bring you next-level sports betting analytics, prop betting tools, public betting splits, and so much more! Become an Edge+ member today!
The 2022 World Cup in Qatar gets underway in less than two weeks. As international teams finalize their 26-man rosters, it’s time to start thinking about which countries will boom or bust in this World Cup.
Here, we take a look at some initial picks and team props to get you thinking about the World’s most watched international competition kicking off very shortly.
Best Bets of the Group Stage
From FanDuel Sportsbook: Home Team refers to the team listed first, Away Team refers to second team listed. Wagers based on 90 minutes plus any injury time only (Extra Time and Penalty Shootouts do not count)
Game: Senegal at Netherlands, -170
This is quite the upset pick, but the Netherlands national team hasn’t been good in recent years. Senegal could be considered one of the dark horses to make it pretty far in Qatar in 2022. That’s because their star-player, Sadio Mane, is one of the best forwards in the game today. Many of Senegals’ strongest players are in the midfield with names like Pape Gueye (Marseille), Idrissa Gueye (Everton), and Pape Matar Sarr (Tottenham) competing for some of the best clubs in the Premier League and the French Ligue 1. Netherland has far stronger players than Senegal with guys like Virgil van Djik (Liverpool) on defense, Frankie de Jong (Barcelona) in the midfield, and Memphis Depay (Barcelona) up front. Still, if you wanted to go for a stunning upset, I think Senegal has one of the best chances to pull something like that out of all the teams in the first group stage games of this year’s World Cup. Place a small bet here, and hope for the best. Ultimately, we like Senegal to defeat Netherlands as the most probable upset of all the first games to be played. Again, it is unlikely for Senegal to win this one. However, for a +450 profit, we like them as a team that could make it out of their group beginning with an important team win over the Netherlands.
The Pick: Senegal, +450
Game: USA at Wales, +200
The U.S. men’s national team has been in a period of major rebuilding over the last few years. After finding success in the 2014 World Cup, the national team roster with Clint Dempsey, Jozy Altidore, and Tim Howard at the forefront was getting old. Today, the US national team heads into Qatar with what will likely be one of the youngest rosters in the tournament. Notably, the U.S. will bank off the heroics of Christian Pulisic (Chelsea), Giovanni Reyna (Dortmund), and Weston McKennie (Juventus) who are all elite players on Champions League caliber rosters. Though Pulisic and McKennie are both 24, Reyna is just 19 years old as he continues to develop as a youngster shining in Borussia Dortmund's midfield. These young talents are poised to redefine what US soccer is about heading into this year’s World Cup. They will be poised
The Pick: USA, +135
Game: Morocco at Croatia, -130
Croatia made it to the finals of the 2018 World Cup but fell short of Gold. Heading into Qatar in 2022, the Croatian roster looks a lot younger. Though their (very likely) captain, Luka Modric (Real Madrid), is now 36-years old, many young players have been added to the roster. One crucial talent for Croatia in this year’s World Cup will be Mateo Kovocic (Chelsea). Now into his late twenties, the veteran midfielder has played a crucial role for Chelsea since he joined the team in 2019.
Morocco’s prospective roster isn’t a joke either. Notably, defenseman Archraf Hakim (Paris Saint-Germain) leads all the names on the roster as one of the most outstanding center-backs today. While Morocco doesn’t have many other big names in their roster, many of the team’s players expected to make the roster play in the French Ligue 1 or Spain’s La Liga.
Despite Croatia’s aging squad, they should easily beat Morocco in their first game of the tournament.
The Pick: Croatia, -130
Team Props
Game: France at Australia, +1100
France has potentially the most lethal offense heading into the 2022 World Cup. As they compete against significantly weaker teams within their group, Les Bleus will kick-off their World Cup against the Australian national team. On paper this should be a blowout, as France’s roster which is stacked with superstars is simply no match for Australia’s significantly weaker group of players. While it’s tough to say that France will certainly score four or more goals in their first game of this year’s World Cup, we really like this prop at +360 especially from the defending World Cup (2018) Champs. With Karim Benzema, Antoine Griezmann, and Kylian Mbappe, France’s offense has all it needs to score plenty of goals in their first game of this year’s World Cup. Furthermore, the addition of two young studs from Real Madrid
The Pick: France to Score 4 or More Goals, +360
Game: Belgium at Canada, +810
Belgium should dominate Canada in their first match of the Group stage. Canada has a very weak roster that pales in comparison to Belgium's. Belgium went all the way to the Semi-Finals of the 2018 World Cup losing to future champions France. On paper, they have one of the strongest roster of players. Goalkeeper Thibault Courtois (Real Madrid) remains one of the best in the World. Even though they have a solid defense, their lethal midfielders and forwards should make them one of the most dangerous offenses to face in this world cup. Though Eden Hazard’s time at Real Madrid hasn’t gone well, he is still a world-class caliber player. Alongside Hazard, Belgium have Romelu Lukaku and Dries Mertens up front. The heart of the Belgian midfielder lies with Kevin De Bruyne, who might be the team’s best player all together. Alongside Yannick Carrasco and Alex Wietsel, Belgium’s midfield could be the strongest of all 32 teams in this year’s tournament. Expect them to score at least one goal in each half of their first world cup game against a simply inferior Canadian national team.
The Pick: Belgium To Score in Both Halves, +106
Fantasy SP has worked diligently to bring you next-level sports betting analytics, prop betting tools, public betting splits, and so much more! Become an Edge+ member today!
