We’ll soon find out who the new champion is! The world’s best national teams keep fighting for the legendary trophy. In this article, MELBET assesses the teams’ chances of progressing to the next round.
France vs Morocco, July 9
How can you stop this France side? It’s virtually impossible to beat them playing open football. Paraguay’s UFC parody didn’t help either. We don’t respect that sort of approach. And it certainly didn’t scare France. As Mbappé said after the game: “If we have to get our hands dirty, we’ll do so”.
Morocco caused a real sensation at the previous tournament. This time, they are genuine contenders for the top spots. The Atlas Lions have already knocked out the Netherlands on penalties. And in the group stage, they drew 1-1 with Brazil. This team can put up a fight against France!
Les Bleus are in for a tough battle. Still, we predict that Didier Deschamps’s side will make it through to the semi-finals. The odds on MELBET are 1.25.
Spain vs Belgium, July 10
Spain don’t put on a show in every match. They just win with confidence. What’s more, they don’t concede goals. In the round of 16, Luis de la Fuente’s side beat Portugal 1-0. La Roja scored in stoppage time, although they could have sealed the result earlier.
Belgium have finally woken up! The team nearly crashed out at the group stage. Then, in the round of 32, they came back from 2-0 down to beat Senegal 3-2. Did the US really need to get Balogun’s suspension overturned? They only made the Red Devils angry! Rudi Garcia’s men destroyed their opponents 4-1, while Kevin De Bruyne didn’t even take to the pitch.
But Belgium’s recent success doesn’t make them favorites. For this team, the match against Spain is the end of the road. Our prediction: a win for the European champions in regular time at odds of 1.605. We’re not even sure Belgium will manage to score.
Norway vs England, July 11
Look at those Vikings rowing! Haaland is a goalscoring machine. He’s already got 7 goals to his name. Mbappé has scored just as many, while Messi has only one more. Besides, Erling has no intention of slowing down. His opponents’ names mean nothing to him, and in the clash with England, the Manchester City striker will be up against defenders from the Premier League. For Haaland, winning a one-on-one duel against them is easier than finishing his favorite steak.
England’s performances against Ghana, Panama, and the DR Congo were, at best, sleep-inducing. The match against Mexico proved to be more entertaining (3-2), but Thomas Tuchel’s side still don’t look like title contenders. Unless, of course, Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham carry the team on their shoulders all the way to the final.
We believe the Norwegian fairy tale will continue. But we’ll make a cautious prediction: a Norway win or a draw in regular time at odds of 1.971.
Argentina vs Switzerland, July 12
Argentina have the easiest tournament path of all the giants, but Lionel Scaloni’s men are struggling to win. Their knockout stage games against Cape Verde and Egypt both ended 3-2. What would La Albiceleste do without Messi?
In the round of 16, Switzerland beat Colombia on penalties. Now they face the boss of South American football. Before the tournament, few would have backed the Swiss to win this tie, but anything could happen now.
We predict that Argentina will reach the semi-finals, but only with great difficulty. We also expect no more than 2 goals in regular time. The odds are 1.65.
The race for the trophy continues. Do you think you know how the matches will end? Show off your football knowledge in a prediction competition from MELBET and grab a share of the $5,000 prize pool. Registration closes one hour before the first quarter-final game. Hurry up!
