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
USA vs Australia Predictions – Group D (Match 5)
Some stout defensive heroics and a pair of clutch goals from Nestory Irankunda and Connor Metcalfe have given the Socceroos a genuine chance to make it through to the knockout stage.
The only outcome sweeter than a 2-0 win over Turkiye last Sunday would be a victory over the USA, but optimistic patriotism aside, this is still a tall task for Tony Popovic’s men after the co-hosts set the tone with a dominant 4-1 win over Paraguay last week.
Away from the pitch, the Americans have given the Aussies plenty of ammo and motivation with their comments to the press during the week, setting the stage for what promises to be one of the best matches of the Group Stage.
An Australian upset starts with implementing the same defensive tactics that saw them successful in their opener whilst also remaining patient in transition for space and runs to open up.
The worry is the USA’s Folarin Balogun, who set the tone against Paraguay with two stunning goals. The Aussies will feel confident knowing goalie Patrick Beach was a brick wall between the posts against Turkey, but with some serious striking class on both sides of the pitch, we should see plenty of shots and potentially, a number of goals.
Scotland vs Morocco Predictions – Group C (Match 5)
Scotland put the exclamation point on a glorious return to the World Cup stage with a 28th John McGinn strike to put Haiti away 1-0 last Sunday.
It was an exciting moment for a side that hadn’t featured on the World Cup stage since 1998, but the time for celebration is over with Morocco up next.
The Atlas Lions pulled off one of the early shocks of the tournament drawing 1-1 with Brazil last week, holding the heavy Group C favourites to only eight shots across the full 90 minutes.
Earmarked as genuine dark horses after making it as far as the semi-finals in 2022, Morocco represent good value ahead of their second game with an unchanged squad expected.
Ismael Saibari rates a serious scoring threat after finding the back of the net in the opener, while the class of Brahim Diaz and Man United’s Noussair Mazraoui are expected to cause some serious headaches for the Scots.
Brazil vs Haiti Predictions – Group C (Match 6)
Despite settling for a surprise 1-1 draw with Morocco last week, Brazil still looks every bit the powerhouse compared to a Haiti side that failed to make much noise in a 1-0 loss to Scotland.
Manager Carlo Ancelotti will be hoping for a little more attacking flare from Raphinha and Igor Thiago after the pair managed only two shots between them against Morocco, but on the defensive side, we should see the Brazilians lock down and control posession in a big way against a much lesser opponent.
Haiti deserve credit for getting here, but this is a massive step up in class. They’ll likely sit deep and try to limit the damage, but containing a Brazil side eager to make a statement for 90 minutes is a huge ask.
Turkiye vs Paraguay Predictions – Group D (Match 6)
Turkey talked a big game in the leadup to their opener with the Australians, mustering 30 shots but failing to ripple the back of the net.
Paraguay, meanwhile, is staring down the cold reality of just one win from their nine World Cup openers, suffering a blowout 4-1 defeat to the Americans following what very easily could have been the worst first half of football to begin the tournament.
The revenge angle is huge here between these two sides but the glass a little more full when it comes to Turkey. They mustered some genuine scoring threats and forced Aussie goal keeper Patrick Beach into some phenomenal saves.
Likely to come out firing, this shapes as another grim evening for a Paraguay outfit struggling to find any solidarity defensively.