There are four star-studded matchups this weekend in Qatar and we have three betting picks on those 2022 World Cup quarter-finals games right here! Don’t bet on any matches until you read this and get our free expert betting advice on the round ahead!
3-Way Moneyline: Netherlands vs. Argentina
We have ourselves a rematch of the 2014 World Cup semi-finals in this one — a scoreless matchup that was won in penalty kicks by Argentina. Eight years later, the top World Cup sportsbooks are pegging Argentina as the betting favorites over Netherlands, but not by much. Here’s where the odds currently stand:
Per usual, all eyes will be on Leo Messi, who is chasing his first-ever World Cup in what many expect to be his last hoorah now that he’s 35 years of age. He’s up to three goals this tourney and when he’s not getting into the back of the net himself, he’s creating chances for his teammates. But that’s been perhaps the story of Argentina’s tournament so far: wasted chances by everyone not named Messi.
We’re honestly not all that impressed with the Argentines form this tournament. They were upset by Saudi Arabia and struggled in the Round of 16 matchup with Australia. Those teams are cakewalks compared to the sneaky-good Netherlands side. Manager Louis van Gaal is, amazingly, unbeaten at the World Cup with Holland. Across 11 games in three different stints, his Netherlands side has never been beaten in regulation.
We’re betting that streak continues — and not in the form of a draw, but an outright win. You read that right, we’re picking the Netherlands to shockingly beat Argentina. Why? Because they don’t waste scoring chances. No, they punish opponents as we saw in a 3-1 win over the United States in the previous round. The Dutch’s physicality will expose Argentina’s suspect backline en route to victory.
Over/Under 2.5 Goals: Morocco vs. Portland
Morocco is the “Cinderella” team of the World Cup. The African team — the first to advance to the quarters since 2010 — has used a suffocating defense to advance this far. Morocco is yet to concede a goal so far (well, they allowed one but it was an own goal). That defense makes betting the over/under between Morocco-Portugal Spain particularly interesting. Here’s how those odds are set:
We’ll be honest, though, if a team is going to infiltrate Morocco’s defense, it’s going to be Portugal — so long as they use the same lineup that torched Switzerland for six goals last round. That lineup had Cristiano Ronaldo on the bench. The aging legend was replaced by 21-year-old Goncalo Ramos, who proceeded to bag the tournament’s first hat trick.
Morocco escaped Spain in penalties last time out but Spain wasted chance after chance at scoring. We don’t imagine this surging Portugal team to make the same mistakes, which is why we’re betting the game’s over.
3-Way Moneyline: England vs. France
This is perhaps the most blockbuster matchup of the quarterfinals. It features two of the top-4-favored teams to win the World Cup. It features two of last World Cup’s semi-finals team. It features two powerhouses from Europe. And England-France features the closest betting line of the four quarters games, as seen below:
England is the highest-scoring team of the tournament up to this point, netting 12 goals in four contests. Similarly, the reigning World Cup champions from France are absolutely loaded offensively. Kylian Mbappe (the current Golden Boot leader with five goals and two assists), Olivier Giroud, Antoine Griezmann, and Ousmane Dembele form perhaps the most-talented attack up front left in the tourney. France’s xG of 8.5 actually tops England’s 6.40 despite having three fewer goals for.
A lot is being made about the lack of clean sheets from the French. Many use this to downplay France’s success this tourney against, admittedly, lower competition like Australia, Denmark, Tunisia, and Poland. But we think this is erroneous if you’re actually paying attention. The Poland score was a penalty right before the end of regulation, while the Tunisia goal was against France’s reserves mostly. Yes, France is beating up on inferior teams, but the same argument could be made about the Three Lions (Iran, USA, Wales, and Senegal).
This game could be decided by the individual matchup between the red-hot Mbappe and England’s standout right back Kyle Walker. Whichever player gets the better of the other could will their team into the semi-finals. Our money is on Mbappe, who is an absolute cheat code right now. France’s win will come between the 90 minutes of regulation too so take the reigning champions on the moneyline.
How To Bet On 2022 World Cup Quarterfinals
Now that you know which bets to make at the 2022 World Cup quarters, the last thing you need to do is actually put real money on these. With the matches being Friday and Saturday, you want to get in on this sooner rather than later. You can easily do so by visiting one of the underneath bookmakers.
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