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!
World Cup Semi-Finals Tips
France vs Spain Predictions – Semi-Finals (Match 1)
The predicted heavyweight battle between the tournament’s top two sides kicks off on Wednesday morning, and it’s France who go in as warm favourites after shutting out Morocco 2-0 during the Quarter-Finals.
Spain finally conceded a goal in their 2-1 win over Belgium, a game highlighted by the individual brillance of Mikel Mireno in the 88th minute.
Both sides appeared relatively composed during the Quarter’s, but each side does bring contrasting styles of play into this win-or-go-home encounter, with France happy to push the envelope and attack with pace, while Spain likes to sit back and control possession.
Whoever wins the midfield battle could find themselves coming out on top in this one, and it will be up to Real Madrid’s Aurélien Tchouaméni to disrupt Spain’s fluidity through the middle part of the ground and force some mistakes.
As we’ve seen already in clashes between the top sides, there’s hardly anything separating the pair in terms of class, so this game will boil down to individual moments and decision-making on attack.
It’s unlikely anything more than a goal decides it, and the added chance of extra time or even penalties, appears relatively high.
Prediction: Under 2.5 Goals @ $1.88
Value: Method of Victory – France in Penalty Shootout @ $11
Player Pick: Ousmane Dembele to Score or Assist @ $2.30
