The World Cup has officially arrived, and the Ladbrokes blog is your one-stop shop for daily tips ahead of all the key games. From the Group Stages, right through to the World Cup Final, check back each day to find out who our football expert is backing!
Group Stage
Switzerland vs Qatar Prediction – Group B (Match 2)
Switzerland have proven a tough team to trust on the World Cup stage, and they do appear to have their work cut out in a competitive Group B featuring Canada, feisty Bosnia Herzegovina side, and Qatar outfit that beat the Swiss 1-0 in a 2018 friendly.
A lot has changed since then though, particularly in the front half for Switzerland with Premier League stalwarts Noah Okafor and Dan Ndoye taking centre stage.
Qatar has struggled mightily on the international stage over the last few years, notably losing 1-0 to Ireland in a friendly last month. Lacking the same quality and losing four of their last six international fixtures, this looks like a tough spot for the Maroons to kick things off.
Brazil vs Morocco – Group C (Match 1)
Morocco will fancy their chances against a new-look Brazil side nursing a few key injuries, although they also have their own issues off the pitch that could cause a distraction.
Walid Regragui’s late resignation in March has seen Mohamed Ouahbi step inas manager, adding further intrigue to a side that was placed under the microscope following the AFCON final last year.
Speaking of AFCON, Morocco conceded only one goal in three Group Stage matches, and they’ve retained much of their key defenders down back as they look to combat some of Brazil’s individual dominance on Sunday.
Brazil’s path to the World Cup has been up and down, the lowlight being a 4-1 qualifying loss to Argentina. On quality, they have enough strike and firepower to win this opening match, but Morocco’s defensive profile could make it a tough assignment in low-scoring affair.
Turkey vs Australia – Group D (Match 2)
Despite what the odds say, our Aussies should have a certain level of confidence going up against a Turkey side that hasn’t featured on the World Cup stage since 2002.
In saying that, Turkey reached the semi-finals that year and have been in elite form on the international stage over the last 12 months, winning five of their six contests to arrive as slight outsiders behind the USA to emerge atop Group D.
Australia’s form, on the other hand, has been mixed. The Aussies lost 1-0 to Mexico and drew with Switzerland last month, but glass half full, they bring an experienced side with plenty of chemistry, led by Matthew Leckie, Mathew Ryan, and Jackson Irvine.
Similar to previous matches, Australia will be relying on their defence to do the talking after conceding close to half a goal on average during the qualifiers, while Morocco has the luxury of Real Madrid’s Arda Guler up forward to really put the pressure on.