Our first World Cup 2018 acca ended with 4/5 successful legs; Brazil’s inability to beat Switzerland proving ultimately to be our downfall.
It has been a tournament that has delivered expected results and shocks in equal measure, but in moving into the second round of group matches things should – emphasise that word *should* – settle down somewhat.
And so we go in again with our World Cup inspired football accumulator betting tips.
| Match | Recommended Bet | Odds |
|---|---|---|
| Serbia vs Switzerland | Under 2.5 Goals | 1/2 |
| Belgium vs Tunisia | Belgium to Win | 2/7 |
| Mexico vs South Korea | Mexico to Win | 4/6 |
| Germany vs Sweden | Germany to Win | 2/5 |
| England vs Panama | England -1 Handicap | 4/6 |
| Five-Fold Acca Odds | 6.49/1 | |
Serbia vs Switzerland: Under 2.5 Goals
Both of these teams went ‘under’ in their opening Group E matches, and that’s not a huge surprise given that they set up with defensive stability in mind.
Aleksandr Mitrovic and Haris Seferovic lead the line manfully for their respective teams, but you suspect that neither is going to blow teams away single-handedly. They need support from their midfield-based teammates, but with the focus on avoiding defeat here don’t expect them to bomb forward.
Serbia will want to win here – they play Brazil last up, but a 1-0 victory is far more likely than a 3-2. As for the Swiss, a goalless draw here and they would only need to beat Costa Rica last up to secure a last 16 place.
Belgium vs Tunisia: Belgium to Win
After taking their time to hit their stride against Panama, Belgium finally found their feet and won comfortably; a fine strike from Dries Mertens and a brace from Romelu Lukaku sealing the deal.
Roberto Martinez will know that victory here will render his side’s final game against England meaningless, and so don’t expect any mercy from the Belgians.
On the face of it, Tunisia’s 1-2 defeat to England looks a respectable scoreline, but don’t forget that their goal was a rather fortuitous penalty, Lingard and Sterling missed sitters for England and Harry Kane should have been given at least one penalty.
So, the Tunisians *could* have lost 0-4 or worse….
Kevin de Bruyne and Eden Hazard both hit the ground running, and they – along with Lukaku and Mertens – can guide the Belgians to a comfortable win on Saturday.
Mexico vs South Korea: Mexico to Win
Just imagine the confidence boost that Mexico would have gotten from beating Germany.
Were they value? Not exactly, but their front three of Javier Hernandez, Hirving Lozano and Carlos Vela looked lively and suggests more is to come from a nation who historically have few problems getting through World Cup groups.
South Korea didn’t muster a single shot on target against Sweden, and it was a performance reflective of that stat. They chucked the giant Shinwook Kim up front, but his lack of movement meant that the Koreans simply didn’t have an out ball.
Tottenham’s Son Heung-min was a complete passenger against the Swedes, and if Mexico can keep him quiet here they will surely canter to victory.
Germany vs Sweden: Germany to Win
The history books will forever tell us that Germany lost their World Cup 2018 opener, but savvy punters will have noted that all was not quite as it seems.
The Germans recorded 25 shots on goal against Mexico: nine on target, and seven blocked by the hard-working Mexican defence. They also hit the woodwork twice, and if they deliver the same performance level against Sweden hey will surely romp home.
The Swedes, despite winning 1-0 against South Korea, really don’t have an attacking outlet of any note, and this is a side that has a spine of players that you would describe as being English Championship standard; indeed, Pontus Jansson and Sebastian Larsson are.
Joachim Low is a shrewd operator; he will know the good times are just around the corner for his side.
England vs Panama: England -1 Handicap
Were you impressed with England against Tunisia?
There’s no reason not be given that if the referee and VAR were a bit more on the money we could have won convincingly.
Panama held Belgium to a goalless draw in the first half of their clash, but they tired badly in chasing around their more skilful opponents and the Belgians bagged three second half goals.
There’s no reason to suspect that England won’t dish out something similar: the early weather forecast for Nizhny Novgorod on Sunday is 31°! That’s a long time to be chasing the ball….Panama will tire considerably.