Joe Casey
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Australia pulled off one of the biggest shocks in recent World Cups when beat Denmark in its final group game to qualify for the round of 16 for just the second time. That has handed the Aussies a tough game against Argentina, who bounced back from losing their first game 2-1 to Saudi Arabia to win Group C.
We have picked out a Same Game Parlay for the matchup which pays at +877 odds with FanDuel Sportsbook at the time of publishing.
Be sure to check out the rest of our World Cup soccer predictions and remember to gamble responsibly.
Under 3.5 goals (-270)
Lionel Messi anytime assist (+110)
Julian Alvarez anytime goalscorer (+140)
Same Game Parlay odds: +846
Let’s check out the reasoning behind each of our selections:
Under 3.5 goals (-270)
High-scoring games are unlikely in crucial elimination games at the World Cup, with teams often happy to play conservatively as they don’t want to leave themselves vulnerable in defense. Despite the difference in quality between Argentina and Australia on paper, the Socceroos have been solid since being beaten by France 4-1 in their opening game, posting back-to-back shutouts in 1-0 wins over Tunisia and Denmark.
Only one of Argentina’s last 6 games has had over 3.5 goals and this looks unlikely to be a high-scoring matchup. Australia’s 4-1 loss to France was the only game in their last 11 to go over 3.5 and this looks likely to follow that pattern.
Don’t miss our full Argentina vs Australia predictions
Lionel Messi anytime assist (+110)
Lionel Messi is missing 1 trophy from his considerable collection — the World Cup. The Paris Saint-Germain forward won his first international trophy when he led his country to the 2021 Copa America title. Messi has scored twice and registered 1 assist in the World Cup so far as he looks to power his team toward winning the famous trophy for the third time.
The 35-year-old has 14 assists in 18 games for his club this season and is a solid pick to have another in this game. Messi takes all of Argentina’s set-pieces and is also a creative mastermind, so I’ll take him to register an assist.
Julian Alvarez anytime goalscorer (+140)
Argentina has long been producing some of soccer’s best offensive talent and its latest exciting forward is Julian Alvarez, who joined EPL team Manchester City this summer. The 22-year-old has scored 3 times in 3 Premier League starts and was dangerous in Argentina’s 2-0 win over Poland, getting on the scoresheet with his 4th goal in 15 games for his national team.
Alvarez has plenty of pace and is a good finisher, so he could benefit from Lionel Messi’s precise passes to get in the goals once again. Take the tricky Alvarez to score in regulation time.
Note: While the markets are named anytime assist and anytime goalscorer, only goals scored before the end of regulation will count — goals scored in extra-time and penalty shootouts do not qualify.
Make sure you check out the rest of our World Cup predictions for the upcoming games
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