The group phase of Brazil 2014 was a joy to watch and hopefully you landed plenty of winning bets too, cashing in on the many goals that were banged in throughout the opening 48 games. We’re on to the Round of 16 now and we’ve got eight great ties and 16 nations looking to book their spot in the next round and so we’re going to dish up a tasty tip for each of the clashes as a World Cup special.
Saturday 28th June 2014
Brazil v Chile (17:00) – Brazil to win and both teams to score (12/5 with Coral)
Brazil haven’t impressed many pundits but they are growing into the tournament and we think they will edge out a talented Chile side here. It will be close and given how potent the Chileans have looked going forward we suspect they’ll trouble the host nation who are hardly renowned for their defending. Backing the Brazil win with both teams scoring is the way forward here and odds of 12/5 with Coral look superb.
Colombia v Uruguay (21:00) – Colombia to win (21/20 with Coral)
Had Luis Suarez been playing this could have been a close contest but we strongly fancy Colombia will prove too adept in attack and will outscore Uruguay here. Another all-South American affair, we fancy this one could get feisty but think it will be the favourites who keep their cool. In James Rodriguez and Jackson Martinez they have two potential stars of the tournament and we fail to see how the slow, lacklustre defence of Uruguay can keep them at bay.
Sunday 29th June 2014
Netherlands v Mexico (17:00) – Netherlands to win (11/10 with Bet365)
Many people may oppose Netherlands at this price but we feel they are value with a rested Robin van Persie restored to the side after suspension. Mexico are tactically very adept and know their system well but Netherlands have some real stars and RVP and Arjen Robben will have the intelligence to unlock the Mexican defence. It will be a close game and backing the Dutch to win 1-0 appeals but we’ll play it safe and simply take Louis van Gaal’s men in the 90 minute betting.
Costa Rica v Greece (21:00) – Under 1.5 goals (7/5 with BetVictor)
The most surprising and yet also the least alluring of the World Cup Round of 16 contests sees Group D surprise package Costa Rica face Greece, who scraped out of the group with a late, late penalty against a heart-broken Ivory Coast side. Neither team is great going forward but both know how to defend and we expect a very close game as the tension and enormity of the occasion gets to players inexperienced at this level. We think Costa Rica will win 1-0 but under 1.5 goals is our call here.
Monday 30th June 2014
France v Nigeria (17.00) – Over 3.5 goals (12/5 with Coral)
France have been one of the most entertaining sides at the World Cup, beating Honduras 3-0 and Switzerland 5-2 before a 0-0 draw when qualification was already assured and changes to the starting XI were made. Back to full strength here we think they can plunder more goals against Nigeria. However, given the Africans put up a real fight before losing 3-2 to Argentina we expect this match will be a real cracker, with over 3.5 goals our main betting tip at nice odds.
Germany v Algeria (21.00) – Germany to win by exactly two goals (3/1 with Bet365)
Germany have been hit and miss thus far, shining in their 4-0 win over Portugal but letting their standards slip a little against Ghana and the USA. Algeria have undoubtedly over-performed simply by making it this far but we think this is the end of the road for them. Germany will simply have too much class in all areas and whilst Algeria will put up a solid fight we expect a relatively comfortable win for the favourites.
Tuesday 1st July 2014
Argentina v Switzerland (17.00) – Argentina to win and both teams to score (5/2 with Coral)
Argentina boast the world’s greatest player (in most peoples’ eyes, if not the most recent awards) and he will be the difference once more here. Lionel Messi has four goals to his name, all of them fine strikes, and we think he will add to them here as he leads his side to victory. However, Switzerland have their own star in the making, Bayern Munich’s Xherdan Shaqiri, and, fresh from a hat-trick last time out we fancy the Swiss star can cause trouble for an Argentine backline that is far from convincing. We take Messi and co to win this 2-1 or perhaps 3-1 but Argentina and both teams to score is our betting tip here.
Belgium v USA (21.00) – Belgium to win by exactly one goal (5/2 with Sky Bet)
Belgium won all of their three group games by a single goal and with the US losing to Germany by that same margin we think the Premier League-star-packed Belgians can pull off a narrow win once more. The US drew 2-2 with Portugal and beat Ghana 2-1 so everything points to a close game here. Whilst Belgium have the superior players, the US should handle the conditions better and also have the edge on organisation and team spirit. A draw is a distinct possibility whilst the draw/Belgium ht/ft bet also appeals but overall we’re prepared to take a chance on Marouane Fellaini and co to win by exactly one goal.