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Date | Match Up | Rating | Score | Result | Profit | Lead Time | Analysis |
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07-15-18 | Croatia v. France | Top | 2-4 | Win | 100 | 24 h 51 m | Show |
At 11:00 am, on Sunday, our selection is on France to defeat Croatia, and lift the trophy (at -230 odds). Thus, our wager will win, if France succeeds in regulation, extra time, or on penalty kicks. The challenge ahead for Croatia is daunting after surviving its third straight match which required extra time. The Vatreni displayed plenty of grit to rally from an early 1-0 deficit to England to force extra by scoring a tying goal with under 25 minutes to go, and the winning goal in the 109th minute. But how much does this older team have left in the tank? With three straight contests requiring extra time in the knockout stage, the Vatreni have essentially played an extra game than the French (who also have the benefit of an extra day of rest for this championship match). But even if this wasn't the case, I was going to favor the winner of the France/Belgium game against the victor of the England/Croatia match. Les Bleus also are more youthful -- with an average age of 26 -- and they have a clean bill of health. It will be hard for the Croatians to slow down the 19-year-old sensation Kylian Mbappe, whose explosive speed will severely test their midfield and defense. Yet while Mbappe and fellow midfielder Paul Pogba receive most of the attention on this French team, it is midfielder N’Golo Kante who is France's Most Valuable Player. Kante was the key piece for two separate English Premier League championship teams for Chelsea and Leicester City with his ball-hawking and defensive skills. He will be up to the task of neutralizing Croatian star midfielder Luka Modric. So, the talent edge certainly goes to France (though Croatia has a slight edge in the midfield overall), especiall considering their back line and goalie Hugo Lloris (who is simply one of the top keepers in the world). Finally, the road for the French to get here has been more difficult with victories over Argentina, Uruguay, and then Belgium in the semifinals. In contrast, Croatia has needed extra-time to defeat Denmark, Russia and then England which are a level of class below what Les Bleus have overcome. Take France. As always, good luck....Al McMordie. |
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07-14-18 | England v. Belgium | Top | 0-2 | Win | 100 | 10 h 45 m | Show |
At 10:00 am, on Saturday, our selection is on Belgium PK, at --170 odds, to win the match (whether in regulation, extra time, or on penalty kicks). Both these teams will have to pick themselves up from deflating losses in the semifinals for this consolation 3rd place match. However, it will likely be more difficult for England to recover. Not only do the Three Lions have one less day to rest and prepare for this match but they also have to rebound from a grueling physical and emotional 2-1 loss to Croatia that needed the thirty minutes of extra time to resolve. The Three Lions had victory in their grasp for much of that match with Kieran Trippier scoring five minutes in, but they lost steam in the second half and eventually conceded the tying goal in the 68th minute. England looked like it would have the opportunity to win in a shootout but its hearts were broken when Croatia scored the winning goal with just nine minutes left in extra time. Manager Gareth Southgate has indicated that he will rest many of his regulars who are dealing with injuries (or who are simply just gassed from the physical demands of that match on Wednesday). At the very least, this sounds like Trippier, as well as midfield cogs Ashley Young and Jordan Henderson, as candidates to not take the pitch. So, Belgium should be more fit to win this match. Moreover, Manager Roberto Martinez has declared that his team will not be taking this opportunity lightly: "I am not going to make changes now to give certain players opportunities....Any change will be to make the team stronger." A victory for the Red Devils today will result in the top finish in Belgium history at a World Cup (besting its 4th place showing in the 1986 games in Mexico), and that is of great importance to this team. Take Belgium to be victorious (at --170 odds). As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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07-11-18 | England -155 v. Croatia | Top | 1-1 | Loss | -155 | 60 h 49 m | Show |
At 2:00 pm, on Wednesday, our selection is on England to advance over Croatia, at -155 odds. Croatia needed every bit of its veteran grit (from a host of players that star in La Liga and Serie A of the top Spanish and Italian professional leagues) to outlast host nation Russia on Saturday. The Vatreni looked like they were on the verge of winning that match in extra time by a 2-1 score before they allowed the Bears to level the game on a dramatic goal in the 115th minute. But Croatia survived to win via penalty kicks to advance to the semifinals. But that victory did not come without a cost. The Vatreni were banged-up at the end, with a number of players dealing with injuries. The most notable was their goalkeeper Danijnel Subasic, who seemed to have pulled a calf muscle late in that match. This is an older team, with many of its star players on the north end of 30-years-old. That will make it all the more difficult for this group to be fresh after playing two straight games that required shootouts after 120 minutes of play. Meanwhile, England had things relatively easy on Saturday with its 2-0 victory over a Sweden team which they thoroughly dominated. That was the most complete effort for England in this tournament which gives it even more momentum to reach the finals of this World Cup. This is a youthful, but physical roster which manager Gareth Southgate has assembled. The Three Lions are in a better position to have the endurance to win this match being the more rested group at this point. Take England to advance. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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07-10-18 | Belgium +105 v. France | Top | 0-1 | Loss | -100 | 36 h 49 m | Show |
At 2:00 pm, on Tuesday, our selection is on Belgium to advance over France, at +105 odds. Les Bleus are the slight money-line favorite in this semifinals match, perhaps because of its better result in the 2016 Euro where it lost to Portugal in the finals. However, France was favored to defeat Portugal in that game (which was played in Paris) and the odds were stacked even more in their favor after Cristiano Ronaldo exited in the first-half with a leg injury. Yet France could not take advantage and eventually lost after extra time by a 1-0 score. In this tournament, after a group stage draw with Denmark, Les Bleus showed some vulnerabilities on defense against an overrated Argentina team in their 4-3 come-from-behind victory. They then caught a break in the quarterfinals against Uruguay where they had the fortune of facing a team without one of its best players -- Edison Cavani -- who had scored twice in Uruguay's previous match before suffering a calf injury. Like France, Belgium lost in the quarterfinals of the 2014 World Cup before its 2016 Euro experience ended by losing in the quarterfinals to Wales. Of course, the Red Devils did not have the benefit of being the host nation for that event. Belgium has won all its matches in this World Cup, including a most impressive victory when it defeated Brazil on Friday by a 2-1 score. It's true that Les Bleus are loaded with young talent but I feel they may be one more cycle away from being the best national team in the world. Belgium has two leaders -- midfielder Kevin DeBruyne and defenseman Vincent Company -- coming off an English Premier League championship with Manchester City, along with a keeper in Thibault Courtois who also won an EPL championship with Chelsea. This looks to be the magic moment for Belgium, and I look for it to advance to the final. Take Belgium to advance. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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07-07-18 | Croatia v. Russia UNDER 2 | Top | 1-1 | Push | 0 | 59 h 37 m | Show |
At 2:00 pm, on Saturday, our selection is on Russia/Croatia 'under' the total of 2 goals. Both of these sides advanced to the quarterfinals after winning via a shootout. Croatia bested Denmark after that match remained deadlocked at a 1-1 score after 120 minutes. Likewise, Russia defeated Spain to shock the 2010 World Cup champions after that match was deadlocked at 1-1 after extra time. I expect Russia to likely again park the bus in back and do everything it can to take its chances with penalty kicks. Russia survived Spain by controlling possession for 75% of that match while tallying 25 total shots. The Bears have size, and they worked hard to prevent La Roja from scoring a winning goal on Sunday. They also have an experienced quality keeper in Igor Akinfeev, who leads all remaining goalies in the World Cup with 14 saves. But Russia has scored only one goal in their last two matches. For Croatia, it looked like it was destined for a high-scoring affair with Denmark on Sunday when they broke a World Cup record for the fastest match to reach a 1-1 score after just four minutes. But neither team could score for the next 116 combined minutes which led to that shootout finale. The Blazers have only allowed two goals in their four World Cup matches -- after giving up only four goals in their 10 qualification matches -- so it will be very hard for the Russians to get much offense going when they are so focused on playing defense. Take the under. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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07-06-18 | France v. Uruguay +0.5 | Top | 2-0 | Loss | -106 | 31 h 56 m | Show |
At 10:00 am, on Friday, our selection is on Uruguay plus 0.5 goals vs. France, at -106 odds. France earned a big win last wekend when it defeated Argentina and eliminated Lionel Messi from this World Cup with a 4-3 victory. However, it may be difficult for the French to maintain that high level of focus when facing a lesser-ranked South American team in the Uruguayans. Additionally, Les Bleus showed vulnerabilities against a struggling Argentina side. France only controlled possession for 41% of that match. Concerns regarding their young talent on their defensive back line remain after they allowed three goals to Messi & Co., which doubled the goal count for Argentina in this World Cup. On the offensive side, France's final two goals were scored in spectacular fashion by its 19-year-old phenom Kylian Mbappe. But Uruguay will not make the same mistakes that Argentina made that allowed the speedster to exploit them in counter-attacks. La Celeste has won all four of its matches, including a 2-1 victory over a Portugal team which defeated the French in Paris two years ago in the 2016 Euro Finals. Uruguay prioritizes defensive tactics while being led by an outstanding duo in Diego Godin and Jose Maria Gimenez, who play together for Atletico Madrid. Tellingly, La Celeste has allowed just one goal in its four games in this tournament. It's true that Uruguay will be without Edinson Cavani, who scored two spectacular goals against Portugal before succumbing to a hamstring injury. But it still has its top striker in Luis Suarez who did take part in training this week after also suffering a knock. With an elite defense, and Suarez leading its counter-attack, Uruguay still has what it takes to pull the upset or extend this match to extra time after 90 regulation minutes. Take Uruguay plus the +0.5 goal. WORLD CUP GAME OF THE WEEK! As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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07-03-18 | England -0.25 v. Colombia | Top | 1-1 | Loss | -62.5 | 12 h 0 m | Show |
At 2:00 pm, on Tuesday, our selection is on England minus the -0.5 goal vs. Colombia. This is a very favorable match-up for the Three Lions since Colombia plays a direct style and will attempt to push the pace. But England is at its best when counterattacking opponents that prioritize possession of the ball. Colombia clinched a spot in the knockout stage with a 1-0 victory over Senegal on Thursday but that win came at a significant cost. Its 2014 World Cup Golden Boot winner, James Rodriguez, left that match after 31 minutes with an injury to his right leg. This is a different injury than the left calf injury which kept him from starting in its opening match loss to Japan. While tests on Saturday indicated that Rodriguez only has swelling and did not suffer a muscle tear in his right leg, he remains in doubt to play. Manager Jose Pekerman told the media he is “extremely concerned” about Rodriguez’s status. But even if Rodriguez can take the pitch, his effectiveness has to be questioned at this point with both legs hampered. Los Cafeteros reached the quarterfinals of the 2014 World Cup but that including a fortunate draw in the first elimination match where they played Uruguay who was without Luis Suarez (suspended for biting). Colombia has developed a reputation defeating lesser opponents while failing to achieve good results against the better teams in the world. In its qualifying matches, it lost to Brazil, Uruguay, Chile, and Argentina twice. Even worse for Colombia: England will be quite fresh for this challenge after manager Gareth Southgate rested eight of his regular starters on Thursday in a meaningless 1-0 loss to Belgium. The Three Lions' Harry Kane has scored five times already in two matches, and England also leads all teams in this tournament with six goals from set pieces. Lay the 0.5 goals with England. World Cup Soccer High Roller Winner! As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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07-01-18 | Denmark v. Croatia -0.5 | Top | 1-1 | Loss | -130 | 11 h 7 m | Show |
At 2:00 pm, on Sunday, our selection is on Croatia minus 0.5 goals vs. Denmark. Croatia has been one of the most impressive teams in the World Cup by winning all three of its matches in a group many observers believed to be the most challenging. Argentina was widely considered one of the top five teams in the world. Iceland had come off a Quarterfinals appearance in the 2016 Euro which included a victory over England and a draw with the eventual champion in Portugal. And Nigeria had a roster many considered to be more talented than the group which made the knockout stage in the 2014 World Cup. Yet Croatia outscored those three teams by a 7 to 1 margin in its three victories. Its 2-1 victory over Iceland on Tuesday was its narrowest win, but manager Zlatko Dalic did make nine changes for that match to rest some of his key players. Talent has never been the question for this national team; instead, stability and team cohesion have been the obstacles for Croatia since making the Semifinals in the 1998 World Cup. Its opponent this afternoon -- Denmark -- rates as a solid, if unspectacular squad. The Danish Dynamite finished in second place in its group with a win over Peru, and draws against Australia and France (which just knocked out Argentina, yesterday). But its 0-0 draw with Les Bleus on Tuesday needs to be taken with a grain of salt since France rested six of its key starters. Lay the 0.5 goals with Croatia. Elite Info Winner. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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06-30-18 | Portugal v. Uruguay | Top | 1-2 | Win | 100 | 20 h 50 m | Show |
At 2:00 pm, on Saturday, our selection is on Uruguay Pk'em (on the goal-line) vs. Portugal, at -111 odds (at the time of this writing). There will not be a lack of superstars on the pitch in this battle. Portugal is led by Cristiano Ronaldo, who is perhaps the best player in the world right now after leading Real Madrid to three straight Champions League titles. Ronaldo also led the Selecao to the 2016 Euro championship. But Portugal was fortunate to achieve those results considering that it was the semifinals before they finally won a match in regulation time. These concerns have not abated this summer for this aging group which lacks complementary star talent to Ronaldo. The Selecao needed every bit of his superpowers with his hat-trick helping them eke out a 3-3 draw with Spain. Portugal was then unconvincing in a 1-0 win over Morocco before it struggled against Iran to hold on to a 1-1 draw. With its 1-1-1 record and just a +1 goal differential, those results pale in comparison to Uruguay's +5 goal differential along with its perfect 3-0 mark. La Celeste played its best match of the tournament on Monday when it crushed Russia by a 3-0 score. That match demonstrated the balance Uruguay has on the pitch with Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani each scoring goals. Indeed, both forwards have registered goals in each of the last three World Cups. However, what makes this team so dangerous is its ability to play lock-down defense. Led by perhaps the best center back duo in the world in Atletico Madrid's Diego Godin and Jose Maria Gimenez, Uruguay has not allowed a goal yet in this tournament. And it has allowed just six shots on target in its three matches. Ronaldo is always a threat but he will have his hands full with La Celeste. Take Uruguay as a Pk'em on the goal-line. World Cup Soccer Elite Info Winner! As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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06-28-18 | Belgium v. England UNDER 2.5 | Top | 1-0 | Win | 100 | 11 h 23 m | Show |
At 2:00 pm, on Thursday, our selection is on England/Belgium 'under' 2.5 goals. England and Belgium face off in this final Group Stage match having both clinched spots in the knockout stage. The winner of this match will earn first place in Group G. It might be tempting to expect this showdown to be a high-scoring affair considering that both teams have scored eight goals in their first two matches. However, contests that seem to promise high-scoring affairs on paper often end up being lower scoring in practice, since both teams will be more attentive to the defensive end of things. Moreover, both of these teams have allowed only two goals in this tournament -- with backlines and keepers that star for their respective English Premier League squads. Finally, the biggest reason to favor the under is that much of the offensive firepower of both these teams will likely not be on the pitch. There's certainly a benefit to be gained from resting such star players as Harry Kane and Romelu Lukaku, given that the value of winning this match is possibly less than their health going forward. Also, some players, like Lukaku and Belgian midfielder Eden Hazard, suffered injuries in their last match, which just makes the decision to rest them that much easier. And then there are other players -- like the Red Devils' Kevin DeBruyne -- who will likely be given this match off so they avoid picking up a second yellow card, which would trigger a suspension in the next game. Take the under. WORLD CUP TOTAL OF THE MONTH. As always, good luck...Al McMordie.
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06-27-18 | Costa Rica v. Switzerland -0.5 | Top | 2-2 | Loss | -145 | 36 h 50 m | Show |
At 2:00 pm, on Wednesday, our selection is on Switzerland minus 0.5 goals vs. Costa Rica. Switzerland needs just a draw in its third match in group stage play to advance to the knockout stage. But a victory could be even better as it might put them in position to win first place in Group E which would give them a better seed in the next round. Nati Swiss received very good news Monday afternoon when FIFA declined to suspend two of its players, Xherdan Shaqiri and Granit Xhaka, for making possible political gestures after they both scored goals in the 2-1 victory over Serbia last Thursday. Switzerland is unbeaten in its last eight matches, as this team is playing with both confidence and cohesion. On Wednesday, they'll face a Costa Rica team which has been eliminated from reaching the knockout stage after it lost by a 2-0 score to Brazil. That was a heartbreaking loss for Los Ticos as they allowed two goals in the stoppage time at the end of the game, which spoiled what was looking like an impressive 0-0 draw with the FIFA's #1-ranked team. This will be the final match in World Cup play for a golden generation of Costa Rican players which led the team to the quarterfinals in 2014. However, this is also an aging team which has yet to score in this tournament. They managed only four shots (with none on target) vs. Brazil while only controlling possession in 34% of that match. Los Ticos has also failed to win its last four matches against European teams in the World Cup, with three of those ending in losses. Costa Rica will no doubt want to play the role of spoiler but too many of its key players are past their prime. Lay the 0.5 goals with Switzerland. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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06-26-18 | Croatia v. Iceland +0.5 | Top | 2-1 | Loss | -130 | 35 h 29 m | Show |
At 2:00 pm, on Tuesday, our selection is on Iceland +0.5 goals vs. Croatia, at -135 odds. The Croatian national team has already qualified for the knockout stage as it won its second straight match in this World Cup with its 3-0 win over Argentina on Thursday. Even with a loss to the Viking Boys, the Vatreni are all but assured to be the top seed from Group D given its +5 goal differential (it also defeated Nigeria 2-0 in its first match). Thus, it would take Nigeria crushing Argentina (or Croatia getting blown out by Iceland) to threaten this dominant edge in the goal differential tie-breaker if both teams end with six points apiece. Because of this, manager Zlatko Dalic may choose to rest some of his key players (or substitute them out early in the match) with matters likely in hand. At the very least, Croatia will be satisfied with a draw since that would clinch first place along with the preferred seeding in the round of 16. In contrast, Iceland needs the three points that come with a victory to keep its knockout stage dream alive after it lost to Nigeria by a 2-0 score on Friday. The Viking Boys may have suffered a letdown in that match with the Super Eagles after they pulled off a 1-1 draw with Argentina in their opening contest. Certainly, this Iceland side has proven it can compete with the best teams in the world, as it drew 1-1 with Portugal, and then bested England, 2-1, two years ago in the first knockout round of the 2016 Euro. Don't be surprised if it is now Croatia which cannot resist a letdown in intensity after its rewarding result against Lionel Messi's Argentina team. This will also be the most organized defensive team which Croatia has encountered in this tournament. Take Iceland plus the +0.5 goal. SOCCER GAME OF THE WEEK. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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06-25-18 | Morocco v. Spain -1.5 | Top | 2-2 | Loss | -100 | 11 h 28 m | Show |
At 2:00 pm, on Monday, our selection is on Spain minus 1.5 goals (at Even odds) vs. Morocco. The Moroccans find themselves already eliminated in this World Cup after their 1-0 loss to Portugal last Tuesday. The Atlas Lions have had scoring opportunities but now they risk becoming the first team since both Honduras and Algeria in the 2010 World Cup to fail to score at least one goal in the entire tournament. With only pride at stake now, manager Herve Renard will likely loosen things up to help create more scoring opportunities. Unfortunately, this may play right into the hands of Spain. La Roja thrives when engaging a team that does not simply park the bus in the back. That is what an organized and well-coached Iran team did on Tuesday and it almost worked as La Roja escaped with just a 1-0 victory. Unfortunately for Iran, Spain broke through nine minutes into the second half when Diego Costa scored his third goal in this tournament. The good news for the 2010 World Cup champions is Costa is thriving within its tiki-taka short-passing game system that failed to succeed in a disastrous 2014 World Cup. La Roja scored three times against the reigning Euro champions (Portugal) in its opening match and would have taken the win if not for the magnificent hat trick from Cristiano Ronaldo. Importantly, Spain needs a victory to ensure it stays ahead of Iran to advance to the kncokout stage. Moreover, La Roja remains unbeaten in its last 22 matches going back to 2016 Euro. They scored 36 goals while allowing only three in their 10 qualification matches so a win by at least two goals is very much in play. Spain will have its foot on the gas pedal in this match while playing an opponent which will also likely be willing to engage in an aggressive style. Lay the -1.5 goals with Spain. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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06-24-18 | Panama v. England -1.5 | Top | 1-6 | Win | 100 | 58 h 7 m | Show |
At 8:00 am, on Sunday, our selection is on England minus 2.0 goals, at +134 odds vs. Panama. It has been 28 years since England made the semifinals of the 1990 World Cup. However, England demonstrated perseverance and grit in its 2-1 win over Tunisia on Monday. The Three Lions of the past would have probably left that match with a demoralizing 1-1 draw against an inferior squad. These Three Lions, though, have a new generation of exciting talent led by Harry Kane whose winning header in stoppage time secured the victory. His heroics should help the Three Lions play with confidence in this second match against Panama. The Canal Men played a nice first-half against Belgium on Monday but were overwhelmed in the final 45 minutes in a 3-0 loss. The Red Devils' tactics in that second half should offer a blueprint to England's manager Gareth Southgate as to how to create space against Panama's physicality. Interestingly, Panama is the CONCACAF team which took the USA's expected World Cup spot. But this team could only manage a quarterfinals appearance in last summer's Gold Cup which included B-teams for Mexico and Costa Rica, as they rested players for this summer. The Canal Men later qualified for this tournament last fall on a fateful night where they scored a phantom goal against Costa Rica while, simultaneously, the USA suffered an embarrassing loss to lowly Trinidad and Tobago. Even worse: Panama limped into this tournament with just one victory in five friendlies (while scoring only one goal in those matches). Their 6-0 loss to Switzerland in late March, along with a 5-0 loss to Argentina and a 4-2 loss to Chile in the 2016 Copa American suggests that their poor second half against Belgium is the form we should expect to see here vs. the Three Lions. Lay the 2.0 goals with England. HIGH ROLLER WINNER. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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06-23-18 | Sweden v. Germany -200 | Top | 1-2 | Win | 100 | 40 h 8 m | Show |
At 2:00 pm, on Saturday, our selection is on Germany on the moneyline vs. Sweden. Germany became the third straight reigning World Cup champion to lose its opening match with its 1-0 loss to Mexico on Sunday. Italy and Spain also lost their first match as defending champions in 2010 and 2014. It's true that both of those national teams failed to advance into the knockout stage, but Die Mannschaft’s prospects remain quite good to still make a deep run in this Tourney. One thing to remember is that Mexico is loaded with talent and was widely considered the likely favorite to join the Germans to represent Group F in the knockout rounds. Germany won the Confederations Cup last summer with a B-team roster which included a 4-1 victory over a similarly-constructed Mexico team in those quarterfinals. Thus, El Tri was highly motivated with revenge plus very prepared to counterattack the Germans' possession tactics. Germany will no doubt be razor-focused in this second match, since it cannot afford another disappointing performance. This German team still oozes with quality at all three levels of the pitch. They will be looking to defeat a Sweden side with one less day of rest and preparation following its 1-0 win on Monday over South Korea. That was not a surprising result despite Sweden moving on from the Zlatan Ibrahimovic era after he led the team for a decade. Sweden had plenty of scoring chances but only scored via a penalty kick which raises concern that its roster lacks a reliable scoring threat without Ibrahimovic. The Blue and Yellow also did not score a goal in any of its final three warm-up friendlies for this tournament. It's hard for me to believe Sweden will be able to stay with an angry and motivated German side. Take Germany on the moneyline. WORLD CUP GAME OF THE WEEK. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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06-22-18 | Nigeria v. Iceland | Top | 2-0 | Loss | -102 | 24 h 56 m | Show |
At 11:00 am, on Friday, our selection is on Iceland PK'em (on the goal-line), vs. Nigeria, with the current odds being (roughly) -107. Iceland continued to play the role of Cinderella on the big stage of major international competitions by earning a 1-1 draw last Saturday against Argentina. Representing a nation of 300,000 people, the Viking Boys are the smallest country to ever play in the World Cup. But manager Heimar Hallgrimsson's team should have already proven that this result was no fluke. They reached the quarterfinals of the 2016 Euro with a 2-1 win over England in the first knockout round after earning a 1-1 draw with the eventual winner in Portugal in their opening match. Iceland scored in every match in that Euro and they continued that trend in this tournament by quickly leveling the score four minutes after an Argentina team -- generally considered as one of the top five national teams in the world -- scored first in the 19th minute. Iceland is a counterattacking side that sets traps after emphasizing a primary focus on defensive tactics. Nigeria will likely play right into their hands after they lost their opening match on Saturday in a 2-0 loss to Croatia. The Super Eagles lacked attacking spark throughout that match and now find themselves in a must-win situation as they are in last place in Group D. We had Croatia in that match on Saturday as our World Cup Soccer Game of the Week, and I noted my concern over Nigeria's inexperienced 19-year-old keeper in Francis Uzoho, who seemed to be given the starting job due to a loss of confidence in the incumbent starter. Uzoho allowed a frustrating own-goal in the first-half before giving up a penalty kick in the second half but those difficult circumstances do not remove his lack of seasoning in these high-pressure contests. Iceland the momentum, confidence and outstanding team cohesion. Take Iceland as a pk'em, on the goal-line. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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06-21-18 | Croatia +0.5 v. Argentina | Top | 3-0 | Win | 100 | 14 h 53 m | Show |
At 2:00 pm, on Thursday, our selection is on Croatia plus the +0.5 goal vs. Argentina. Lionel Messi disappointed the Argentine faithful on Saturday when he missed a penalty kick which ultimately made the difference between earning three points (with a victory) and a single point (with their 1-1 draw with Iceland). It was a frustrating result for La Albiceleste considering that the advantage of having this generation's best player in the world was not enough to defeat a national team which represents only 300,000 people. Argentina is ranked 5th in the world by FIFA, but owns an aging roster, and had uninspiring results in its qualifying matches. Certainly, the team looks to be past its prime, as Messi once led a golden generation of talent but the younger crop of talent does not appear to be nearly as promising. These concerns have only heightened after the Iceland match, and they'll now have to take on a tough foe in Croatia. The Vatreni will not feel inferior to Argentina when it comes to talent on the pitch. Led by Messi's teammate at Barcelona in Ivan Rakitic along with Real Madrid's Luka Modric and Mateo Kovacic, they boast one of the best collection of midfielders in the world. Team cohesion has been the biggest issue when these stars enlist with the national team but this group gained confidence and chemistry with a 2-0 victory over Nigeria on Saturday. With Argentina's surprising draw, the Vatreni are on the fast track to advance to the knockout stage from this group. Croatia would be happy with a draw but have more than enough skill to win this match outright. Take Croatia plus the +0.5 goal. As always, good luck...Al McMordie. |
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06-20-18 | Iran v. Spain +1.5 | Top | 0-1 | Win | 100 | 10 h 31 m | Show |
At 2:00 pm, on Wednesday, our selection is on Spain over Iran. While Spain's 3-3 result against Portugal on Friday left La Roja with a bad taste in their mouths, it actually dominated much of that match after falling behind 1-0. Indeed, it looked like Spain was going to win by a 3-2 score before Cristiano Ronaldo scored on a perfectly executed free kick in the 88th minute. Despite the failure to secure the 3 points with a win, there were a number of encouraging developments for La Roja. First, their tiki-taka tactics allowed them to hold possession for 61% of the match against the reigning European champions. And, second, Striker Diego Costa scored twice and seemed very comfortable operating within their short and continual passing scheme. That's important, as one of the biggest questions the Spanish had entering the World Cup was whether Costa would thrive in this system. Certainly, La Roja needs to clean up its defensive play but it has an appropriate foil in Iran, which surely is feeling very good about itself after its 1-0 win over Morocco last week. For much of that game, it looked like Team Melli was going to end up with a draw. But a corner kick resulted in an own-goal by the Moroccans to give Iran the surprising upset victory in the extra stoppage time. Yet Team Melli was outplayed in most of that match as they controlled possession for just 36% of the game. I look for a blowout today, as Spain scored 36 goals while it allowed only three in its 10 qualification matches for the World Cup. Meanwhile, Iran's win vs. Morocco was just its second victory ever in a World Cup, and it's scored just one goal in its last four matches dating back to 2014. Take Spain. Elite Info Play. As always, good luck....Al McMordie. |
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