Joe Casey
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The United States missed out on the World Cup in Russia 4 years ago, but the Stars and Stripes return to the world stage with an interesting matchup against a nation that has endured a much longer absence from the World Cup, Wales.
The British team last reached the World Cup finals in 1958 and this will be just the Dragons’ second appearance in the tournament. Wales reached the semifinals of the European Championship in 2016 and is still led by former Real Madrid star Gareth Bale, fresh from his MLS Cup win with LAFC.
Wales provides an awkward first test for the Americans on Monday (2:00pm ET, FS1, Peacock, Telemundo) and we have picked out a Same Game Parlay for what should be an ultra-competitive matchup.
We cashed our Qatar vs Ecuador Same Game Parlay on the opening game of the tournament at +1077 odds, so let’s try to repeat that success.
Be sure to check out the rest of our World Cup soccer predictions and remember to gamble responsibly.
But now, here is the parlay we have prepared for this matchup.
Both teams to score (+108)
Gareth Bale anytime goalscorer (+220)
Over 8 corners (-140)
Same Game Parlay odds: +727
Let’s check out the reasoning behind each of our selections:
Both teams to score (+108)
Wales qualified for the World Cup the hard way, coming through the UEFA playoffs to reach this point, which included a 2-1 win over Austria in the semifinals. Seven of Wales’s last 9 games have seen both teams scoring and Monday’s matchup could be another. Wales endured a difficult Nations League campaign this summer, losing 5 of the 6 games played against the Netherlands, Belgium and Poland.
However the Dragons were able to get on the scoresheet in all of those games, bar a 1-0 loss to Poland. In what should be a competitive contest between a pair of teams who know their way to goal, both teams to score is the first pick for our parlay at plus-money.
Don’t miss our World Cup preview and Golden Boot best bets
Gareth Bale anytime goalscorer (+220)
Wales’ impressive performances in recent years have been spearheaded by the efforts of captain and talisman Gareth Bale. The former Real Madrid winger is a big-game player for his nation. He netted 3 times in the incredible Euro 2016 campaign and continued that this year, by scoring the winning goal in both the semifinal and final playoff games that saw Wales reach the World Cup.
Bale is the record goalscorer for his nation with 40 and he takes free kicks and penalties for his team, so looks the likeliest route to goal for Wales. The 33-year-old has been sharpening up his fitness after moving to MLS this season, helping LAFC to win the MLS Cup with another dramatic late goal. That experience will have helped him to prepare to carry the weight of a nation’s expectations and it would be no surprise if he can conjure up a goal, whatever the final score is.
Over 8 corners (-140)
Competitive games between fairly evenly matched teams tend to produce plenty of corners and that looks likely to be the case in this matchup. The United States’ last 3 games have seen 32 corners taken, an average of almost 11 per game and it seems reasonable to expect at least 9 in the game against Wales. The Welsh will look to exploit set plays and that could lead to plenty of corners in this intriguing opening game.
Make sure you check out the rest of our World Cup predictions for the early games
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