WORLD CUP TUESDAY: The Ultra previews Tuesday’s four World Cup games between ARGENTINA v SAUDI ARABIA, DENMARK v TUNISIA, MEXICO v POLAND and FRANCE v AUSTRALIA all including a recommended BETDAQ bet.
ARGENTINA V SAUDI ARABIA
10am Tuesday is a massive day at the World Cup as we settle into four fixtures a day on BETDAQ Betting Exchange. I have to say, there are obvious issues with having the World Cup in Qatar but the schedule is absolutely perfect for fans in the UK and Europe. We kick off the action early at 10am with Argentina taking on Saudi Arabia. Argentina come into the tournament as one of the favourites to lift the World Cup, and they are fully expect to win here. They are trading as short as 1.18 at the time of writing, which is actually the joint-shortest price of any side to win in the Group stage at the moment. The other side is Spain to beat Costa Rica on Wednesday, and while we might see big market moves as the tournament goes on it would go down as the shock of shocks if Argentina didn’t get the job done here. You have to say Argentina couldn’t arrive into the tournament in better form – they finally have a system that really works and fits around all their stars. They are unbeaten in 35 games, and we all know how tricky their qualification process can be too – Brazil still topped the table of course and at some stage Argentina will have to beat them (or hope someone else does) to lift the World Cup.
All the limelight will focus on Messi here, and it would be absolutely huge for his legacy if he could add a World Cup to his CV. Argentina finally lifted the Copa America after 28 years recently and you have to say this squad appears to be peaking at the right time. It’s fair to say that they won’t be challenged in the Group stages though, and we’ll just have to wait and see what they are made of later in the tournament. Looking at the sides here, I can’t see past an Argentina win but you don’t get any prizes for tipping 1.18 shots! I’m happy to look around the side markets for some value here. Saudi Arabia are a very limited side, and they really struggle in front of goal. Their tactics here will be obvious – they will put XI men behind the ball and play for a 0-0 draw. That will obviously make things interesting if Argentina have an off day – looking through the Saudi Arabia stats makes for quite dull reading! They have been involved in so many low scoring games recently, and they offer very little going forward. For all the attacking talent Argentina have, they are solid at the back and I feel they can keep a clean sheet here. Under 3.5 goals is tempting, but Both Teams Not To Score makes more appeal at around the same odds at 1.49.
The Ultra Says:
Three points win Both Teams Not To Score at 1.49 with BETDAQ BETTING EXCHANGE.
You can view all markets here -> https://betdaq.biz/ArgSau
DENMARK V TUNISIA
1pm We move to Group D next as Denmark take on Tunisia. With France in this Group and expected to top it, the pressure is on Denmark here to win. I would suggest Tunisia and Australia both have more or less the same chances of a shock so Denmark won’t be able to take any fixture lightly – not that they would in a World Cup but anyway! Denmark have been quite impressive lately – they made it to the Semi-Finals at Euro 2020 and they very nearly topped their Nations League Group involving Croatia, France and Austria. They finished just one point off top spot winning four games from six. They had a reasonably easy qualifying Group but they topped that without drama, and they should be able to outclass Tunisia and Australia. It’s fair to say that the France and Denmark game will decide the Group winner, and from a betting point of view including Denmark to win here at 1.49 in any Betdaq Multiple this week will be a popular. Tunisia have built their success on being solid at the back however, and Denmark will have to work very hard to beat them. It’s pretty easy to pick holes in the Tunisia qualification, and you’d have to say they had a pretty easy draw – they beat Mali 1-0 over two legs in the playoff and their Group in the stage before that was very easy – they topped a Group with Equatorial Guinea, Zambia and Mauritania.
It’s hard to know how to rate this Tunisia side given they have had quality opposition. I would suggest keeping stakes low here because of that, but my general view is that although it’s worth respecting how solid at the back Tunisia are it has to be said that they haven’t really been tested. It’s a general feeling that they are “lucky” to be here given their draw. I guess we’ll just have to see what level Tunisia can achieve from this game onwards. While Denmark have a lot of creativity in midfield, they do lack an out-and-out striker. I’m definitely keep stakes low here – it’s OK to say Tunisia are solid at the back, but it’s also right to worry about the level they are playing at. I’m happy to have a small bet on Under 2.5 goals at 1.79 as I expect Denmark to grind their way to victory. Even if we see an early goal for Denmark, I don’t really see Tunisia changing their tactics too much, of course they’ll open up late but I’d be surprised if we saw an open game here until the final 15 minutes.
The Ultra Says:
One point win Under 2.5 goals at 1.79 with BETDAQ BETTING EXCHANGE.
You can view all markets here -> https://betdaq.biz/DenTun
MEXICO V POLAND
4pm We move back to Group C next for a massive clash between Mexico and Poland. Both sides will be keeping a keen eye on the Argentina game earlier in the day, but it’s reasonable to suggest that Argentina will top this Group and then this fixture is very likely to decide who finishes second. We have an exceptionally open market with both sides almost trading the same price. When you look at this game it’s very hard to see anything bar a very close game, and if we do get a draw we’re probably going to goal difference to decide second. Poland have been very poor lately, and exited Euro 2020 at the Group stage. They will say that they have made improvement in the Nations League, but at the same time they were well off the pace against the Netherlands and Belgium. Their two wins came against a struggling Wales side, and I have to say I’m not a fan of this Poland side on paper. Their recent form and performances have just been average in my opinion, but the big question here is are Mexico good enough to beat them? Mexico came through the CONCACAF qualification process, finishing second behind Canada but with the same amount of points, three ahead of the USA.
Mexico generally like to keep games tight, and I would expect a very cagey affair here. Poland are generally the same, however they did ship six goals to Belgium in the Nations League away from home this year. Robert Lewandowski is obviously going to be under a lot of pressure to deliver for Poland, but he needs good service and I don’t see him getting it here. The market is expecting a very close game because we have a very open betting heat, and I expect a close game too. I would have been thinking about Under 2.5 goals but the market is expecting that as it’s currently trading 1.57 – it’s hard to argue that it should be shorter. I feel the value call here is the draw at 3.1, and I couldn’t put anyone off checking out the prices of a 0-0 or 1-1 score line in the Correct Score market closer to kick off.
The Ultra Says:
One point win Draw at 3.1 with BETDAQ BETTING EXCHANGE.
You can view all markets here -> https://betdaq.biz/MexPol
FRANCE V AUSTRALIA
7pm We finish the action on Tuesday with another massive favourite as France meet Australia. France have had a difficult time coming into this World Cup, and they have a number of issues. It’s hard to see past them winning here just because there is a gulf in class between the sides, however I wouldn’t be rushing to back them at around 1.25. There are serious question marks about the fitness of Paul Pogba and N’Golo Kante coming into this World Cup and that just leave a huge hole to fill in the midfield. That could leave France needing to change their tactics which obviously isn’t ideal, and they had a woeful Nations League campaign too. The manager is under pressure at home because of the Nations League results, and they barely avoided relegation. It will be very interesting to see what tactics Didier Deschamps goes with, and indeed who he names in his starting XI. Benzema is going to be their star man, but he often comes up a little short for France compare to what he achieves for Real Madrid. Perhaps we’ll learn more about France when they go past the Group stage, because you could argue they are unlikely to be fully tested against Australia and Tunisia.
It will be interesting to see the France v Denmark game and how that pans out, however I don’t see Australia really challenging France. They finished third in AFC qualification behind Saudi Arabia and Japan, and they were a little off the pace too. They were eight points behind Saudi Arabia, and they had Oman, China and Vietnam behind them – they then beat UAE in the playoff to reach the World Cup. It’s hard to say what level Australia are at for sure, but it looks like a pretty low level. I would expect them to play pretty average football, but at the same time France haven’t been firing lately which does make this game difficult from a betting point of view. I don’t fancy a host of goals from France, but I’m not confident enough to back Unders not fully knowing the level of Australia. I feel the best option is Both Teams Not To Score at 1.62 – I don’t expect it to be a pretty game, but France can keep a clean sheet here. I wouldn’t be surprised if the general feeling after this game is that France look a bit “dull” but let’s wait and see – bigger tasks lie ahead.
The Ultra Says:
Two points win Both Teams Not To Score at 1.62 with BETDAQ BETTING EXCHANGE.
You can view all markets here -> https://betdaq.biz/FraAst
