The FIFA World Cup starts on Thursday and with up to four games a day the action will be fast and furious. Whether you are a football fan or not you can increase the excitement with some betting. In this article I will look at some of the most enticing world cup 2018 betting odds for the first four groups.
Group A
This is definitely an interesting group with Uruguay as clear favorite. The race for second is the most interesting element when it comes to betting. My feelings are that Russia struggle to do enough to get out of the group. That is because there are two really interesting teams in Egypt and Saudi Arabia who will push them hard.
Main bet
Egypt to qualify at 13/8. With Mohammed Salah seeming to be fit and ready I like Egypt to get through this group and into the knock-out stages. If you are feeling aggressive then Egypt to finish second at 11/4 would net you a bigger profit.
Other bets of interest
Bet the over number of goals scored in the game on Saudi Arabia games. They are a team that go all out for victory with pacey attacking players. This often leaves them vulnerable at the back and they could be involved in some high scoring games.
If you bet on Egypt to qualify then doubling down on Russia not qualifying is a solid investment. However, that is very much putting all your eggs in one basket.
Group B
This group appears top heavy with Spain and Portugal. However, Morocco and Iran will not just lay down for them. Portugal, who finished third in their Euro 2016 group can be slow starters. Morocco are the dark horses here with a ton of talent, but they may have been dealt a bad hand with this group.
Main bet
Laying a lot of money on Spain to win the group at 5/9. It is not fun or sexy but it’s a cash builder. If you are feeling really unadventurous then big money on Spain at 1/10 to qualify is another way to build cash.
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Other bets
Portugal to not qualify at 33/10. Everyone expects the winners of the Euros to cruise through, but a bad result against Spain could leave them low on confidence and vulnerable. If you are going down this route then Morocco to qualify at 4/1 is a good partner bet. A combo bet placing big money on Spain to qualify paired with this makes for a high reward low risk pairing.
Group C
This is another interesting group which has a clear favourite in France. Behind them you could make the case for any of the other three teams. Denmark are solid, Peru are exciting and Australia know what they do well. The fun storyline here is the Peru captain being allowed to play after having his ban overturned. The other three captains wrote to FIFA to have his suspension for cocaine use lifted. Wouldn’t it be fun if he struck them to the top of the group?!
Main bet
I do not feel great about any bets but probably Denmark to not qualify at 5/4 is the best.
Other bets
Australia at 5/1 to qualify might be fun and Peru at 2/1 could be a nice earner. Peru to finish first at 11/1 is a fun bet with their captain’s story line but to finish second at 11/4 is the sensible choice.
Group D
This is our third group which has one clear favorite and then a competition for the second spot. Argentina is the clear favorite but Croatia, Iceland and Nigeria can all make a case for second. Croatia seem to always be there or there about. Iceland broke onto the stage in the Euros when they beat England. Nigeria are full of talent and can cause upsets on their day.
Main bet
Argentina to win the group and qualify are safe cash building bets. Nothing sexy but at 8/11 to win the group and 1/7 to qualify it feels like easy money.
Other bets
This really depends where you want to go but either Iceland (7/2) or Nigeria (14/5) to qualify are interesting. Again the aggressive bet is for either of them to finish second which increases the odds a little.
Bonus bet
Diego Costa to win the golden boot at 25/1 is a bet I really like. Costa is a monster and should be leading the line for Spain in most of their games. When Costa is on there are not many more clinical strikers in world football.
