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!
Round Of 32
Ivory Coast vs Norway Predictions – Round of 32 (Match 5)
The Viking Row will be in full swing in Dallas on Thursday as Norway looks to progress to the Round of 16 for the first time since 1998.
Standing in their way is a stout Ivory Coast side that has played the role of spoiler on more than one occasion across the tournament, their biggest scalp being a 1-0 opening win over Ecuador before taking Germany to the sword in a close 2-1 defeat.
While the knockout stage is unfamiliar territory for Emerse Fae’s side, Les Elephants rate a genuine chance at threatening in this game against a slightly weaker European position – aided by the knowledge that they also beat France in a friendly before the World Cup began.
Shutting down the in-form Erling Haaland is the biggest task across the full 90 minutes, and the potential absence of key defender Wilfried Singo does complicate matters for Ivory Coast.
Still, they’ve shown tremendous heart to make it this far and with a decent amount of attacking prowess, don’t be surprised if Ivory Coast keep this interesting.
Prediction: Both Teams to Score @ $1.73
Value: Over 3.5 Goals @ $3.20
Player Pick: Amad Diallo Anytime Goalscorer @ $3.80
France vs Sweden Predictions – Round of 32 (Match 6)
The tournament favourites are back in action as France looks to down Sweden and move on to a massive Round of 16 clash against Paraguay on Sunday.
Les Bleus has shown a tendency to switch off at times defensively, but they’ve remained deadly on the attacking end, led by this year’s second-leading goalscorer, Kylian Mbappe.
After opening 5-1 winners over Tunisia in the Group Stage, Sweden has sputtered in a 5-1 defeat to the Netherlands and a 1-1 draw with Japan. They’ve lost five of six to France in the past and it’s hard to imagine their shaky backline limiting a classy, top tier side for a full 90 minutes.
The one positive is that four of those five losses have come by no more than a goal, but again, does Sweden have enough attacking quality in the final third to keep this close?
So far, the Blue and Yellow have left a lot to be desired and unless France get caught out underestimating their opponent, it’s hard to envision any sort of upset.
Prediction: France to Cover (-2 Goals) @ $2.63
Value: Correct Score – France 3-0 @ $9
Player Pick: Ousmane Dembele Anytime Goalscorer @ $2.15
Mexico vs Ecuador Predictions – Round of 32 (Match 7)
Mexico have been one of the more reliable sides in the tournament so far, staying unbeaten and putting together their best performance last time out in a convincing 3-0 win over Czechia.
They look sharp going forward, organised without the ball, and full of confidence at the right time. Ecuador, though, are no easy out. They have improved with each match and their 2-1 win over Germany looks even better now with the Germans already knocked out by Paraguay.
This should be tight, but Mexico’s consistency gives them the slight edge.
Prediction: Mexico to Win @ $1.60
Value: Over 2.5 Goals @ $2.90
Player Pick: Enner Valencia 2+ Assists @ $2.80