Liam Flin
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The final 8 teams begin their World Cup campaigns in Qatar on Thursday with Uruguay, Portugal and tournament favorites Brazil among those playing their first games.
Groups G and H are the last two sections to play their first slate of matches and there are some exciting matchups in prospect with Portugal taking on Ghana and Brazil facing a tricky Serbia team.
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Here is the parlay we have prepared for Thursday’s slate, which pays out at +672 odds at DraftKings Sportsbook at time of publishing.
Switzerland ML (-135)
Uruguay ML (-140)
Portugal ML (-260)
Both teams to score in Brazil vs Serbia (-115)
4-leg parlay odds: +672
Let’s check out the reasoning behind each of our selections:
Switzerland vs Cameroon: Switzerland ML (-135) – 5:00am ET
Switzerland has reached the round of 16 at each of the last 2 World Cups and can make a winning start to Group G against Cameroon. The Swiss will recognise the importance of this clash with games against Brazil and Serbia to come in the group and can take confidence from their recent performances in the Nations League.
Although they did not win their section, Switzerland finished its Nations League campaign with wins over Portugal, Spain and Czech Republic. They have a new head coach leading them in Murat Yakin but their roster features plenty of experience from Chicago Fire midfielder Xherdan Shaqiri to Arsenal’s Granit Xhaka and Borussia Monchengladbach goalkeeper Yann Sommer and they can get the win.
Real our full Switzerland vs Cameroon predictions
Uruguay vs South Korea: Uruguay ML (-140) – 8:00am ET
Many see Uruguay as a lively outsider in Qatar and the South Americans can begin their tournament positively by beating South Korea. Uruguay was far from impressive in World Cup qualifying, finishing 11 points adrift of Argentina in the CONMEBOL standings, but its roster is stacked with big names from Federico Valverde to Darwin Nunez.
Uruguay won all 3 of its group games at the 2018 World Cup without allowing a goal and South Korea should not cause too many problems. South Korea’s star man Heung-Min Son has been out of form for club team Tottenham in the EPL and is set to play with a mask in the tournament due to a fractured eye socket. The Koreans were comfortable in World Cup qualifying but still scored only 13 times in 10 games and finished below Iran.
Real our full Uruguay vs South Korea predictions
Portugal vs Ghana: Portugal ML (-260) – 11:00am ET
Fernando Santos led Portugal to glory in Euro 2016 and he has a much stronger roster at his disposal this time around with EPL stars Joao Cancelo, Bruno Fernandes and Bernardo Silva among the team’s most notable talents, while Cristiano Ronaldo no longer qualifies as an EPL star after leaving Manchester United this week.
Ghana has enhanced its chances at this World Cup by drafting in some new players, most notably Athletic Bilbao striker Inaki Williams, but it could take time for the new group to gain some chemistry. They failed to make an impression at this year’s Africa Cup of Nations, crashing out in the group stage, and could struggle to tame the Portuguese.
Real our full Portugal vs Ghana predictions
Brazil vs Serbia: Both teams to score – Yes (-115) – 2:00pm ET
Brazil is chasing a 6th World Cup crown in Qatar and, while many fancy the Selecao to go the distance, they may not have things all their own way in their Group G opener against Serbia. Brazil’s offensive options are impressive with Neymar, Vinicius Junior, Gabriel Jesus, Richarlison, Raphinha and Antony among the players looking to cause problems and they stormed CONMEBOL qualifying with 14 wins in their 17 games.
Serbia’s offense should not be dismissed, though, with Dusan Vlahovic and Aleksander Mitrovic strong options through the middle and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic an explosive midfielder with an eye for goal. The Serbs finished above Portugal in World Cup qualifying with 6 wins from 8 games and 18 goals scored in the process. Both teams to score looks a good wager when these teams clash at the Lusail Stadium.
Real our full Brazil vs Serbia predictions
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