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The World Cup is finally here. A few months later than normal but here nonetheless. And the team at RotoBaller has you covered for all your World Cup needs. We'll be bringing you DFS articles, game previews, and betting picks throughout the competition.
To get things going, we're previewing a different group every day until the big kick-off on Sunday, November 20th. We'll be predicting how each group will pan out, what to expect from each nation, and offering our favorite picks for every country involved. We'll be using units for each betting pick to track them, with 10 units being the maximum play for any pick and a total of 25 units played for each group.
Group B throws up some interesting fixtures with top seeds England, who is looking to repeat their only World Cup win from 56 years ago, competing against neighbors Wales (appearing at a World Cup for the first time in 54 years), IR Iran and the United States of America who are making an eagerly awaited return after missing out on qualification in 2018. It’s set to be a competitive group with all four nations currently inside the top 20 of the FIFA world rankings.
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England Preview, Odds, Best Bet and Predictions
Preview
Despite reaching the semi-finals four years ago and losing the European Championships final on penalties last year, England do not come into the tournament in good form. They finished bottom of their UEFA Nations League group without a win in their six games and with Manager Gareth Southgate coming under some pressure for his tactics.
England has one of the best groups of young and exciting attacking players, although the tactics deployed by the team have stifled them somewhat. Their success at the European Championships last year was built on their defense, keeping five clean sheets in seven games. But they managed just one in their six Nations League games, conceding ten goals in total and most of their likely starting defensive unit in poor form for their clubs.
Prediction
If they win the group, they could be in line to avoid one of the top nations until the Final. But there's a lot of permutations to play out for that and England's recent form has me doubting they'll get beyond the quarter-finals.
Favorite play: Stage of elimination – Quarter-finals (+250) 3 units
England should be able to navigate the group and as long as they win it, they should avoid the Netherlands in the second round. But I’m not convinced they are set to go any deeper than the last eight and without some luck in the draws, they will likely meet their first big test in the quarter-finals and that is where they could come up short.
Today's World Cup Sportsbook Odds - Group B
- DraftKings Sportsbook World Cup Odds - Bet Now on DraftKings!
- England to win the World Cup +850
- FanDuel Sportsbook World Cup Odds - Bet Now on FanDuel!
- IR Iran to win the World Cup +55000
- England to win Group B -250
- IR Iran to win Group B +1900
- BetMGM Sportsbook World Cup Odds - Bet Now on BetMGM!
- USA to win Group B +550
- Wales to win Group B +600
- PointsBet Sportsbook World Cup Odds - Bet Now on PointsBet!
- USA to win the World Cup +15000
- Wales to win the World Cup +25000
- Caesars Sportsbook World Cup Odds - Bet Now on Caesars
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Iran Preview, Odds, Best Bet and Predictions
Preview
Iran (20th) is the highest-ranked Asian nation but it’s fair to say they haven’t faced the same level of competition as most of the other countries inside the top 20. They do have a friendly win over Uruguay this year and a draw with Senegal and as the old saying goes; you can only beat what’s in front of you. Only Japan (58) scored more goals than Iran (49) in their 18-game qualification campaign but 24 of those goals came in two matches against Cambodia.
In their previous five World Cups, Iran has failed to progress past the first round and never scored more than two goals. It’s difficult to see them achieving either this time around. This is as close to a home World Cup as Iran has had and they should be well supported which might give them a boost to pick up a famous win. But even that might not be a realistic hope in what looks like a tough group.
Prediction
I don't see Iran getting out of the group and while they might pick up a point, I can see them heading home with nothing to show for their efforts.
Favorite play: To finish bottom of the group (-120) 7 units
Even if Iran manages to pick up a win, they could still find themselves bottom of the group and with their opening game coming against England, unless a massive upset comes to pass, they’ll have to chase points against Wales and USA. If their historical trend of a lack of goals continues, it’s difficult to see a scenario whereby Iran avoids finishing last in Group B.
United States of America Preview, Odds, Best Bet and Predictions
Preview
After failing to qualify for the 2018 World Cup, soccer in America needed a new direction and Greg Berhalter has certainly helped turn things around. It wasn’t a vintage qualifying campaign as they finished third behind Canada and Mexico, only pipping Costa Rica to third (and avoiding a playoff match against New Zealand) on goal difference. But they should be confident after their 2021 Gold Cup success.
The US has a young squad with 14 of their 26 players aged 24 or younger. They have players in the squad who ply their trade at some of the biggest European clubs with representation from Arsenal, Chelsea, AC Milan, Juventus, Valencia and Borussia Dortmund. Many of them are from that young group so whilst they may lack experience in years, they shouldn’t be found wanting and will fancy their chances of getting through the group stage.
Prediction
USA's expectations going into a World Cup haven't been this low in a while and I fancy them to put on a good showing, getting into the second round. But that's as far as I can see them going.
Favorite play: Total points in the group stage – Over 3.5 (-155) 10 units
It’s difficult to call this group with regards to who makes it into the second round, but the US shouldn’t have difficulty in picking up at least four points from their three games. Providing they beat Iran, they’d only need a draw against Wales or England and given they face Wales in the last group game, most scenarios will see the US needing at least a point in that game to progress so they shouldn’t be playing any dead rubbers.
Wales Preview, Odds, Best Bet and Predictions
Preview
Wales will be competing in just their second World Cup, and first in over half a century. They had to qualify the hard way, having to draw with Belgium in their final group game to make the playoffs, then beating Austria and Ukraine to seal their place at Qatar. Their recent record at the European Championships should give them added confidence, after reaching the semi-finals in 2016 (topping their group with England) and reaching the knockout stages in 2021.
They come into the tournament ranked 18th but found themselves in pot four for the draw after their final playoff qualification game was delayed so they will feel hard done by that they weren’t in pot three and had a slightly easier group. But they will still feel confident that they can progress and their success in recent European Championships should hold them in good stead.
Prediction
Just getting to the World Cup is a fantastic achievement for Wales and while I don't see them getting embarrassed at all, going home with one win is all I can realistically expect from them.
Favorite play: Wales top scorer – Gareth Bale (+175) 5 units
Despite his issues while with Real Madrid, Bale has always performed for the national team and is regarded as one of the greatest players to ever play for Wales. He’s the nation’s all-time leading scorer with 40 goals in 108 games and only needs two more caps to break the record for appearances. He scored both goals against Austria and was credited with the goal against Ukraine as he helped fire Wales to the World Cup. Expect him to find the net at least once in Qatar.
Good luck with those World Cup bets and remember to bet responsibly!
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