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The World Cup 2022 action continues on Thursday, as Groups E and F reach a conclusion.
Spain, Germany and Belgium are among the teams in action, with four places in the knockout stage still up for grabs.
We have previewed the action by picking out the best prop bets - a type of wager which looks beyond the final result.
The odds for December 1 are from the DraftKings sportsbook, which is offering a $1000 deposit bonus to new customers.
Morocco executed their game plan brilliantly against Belgium. They kept the Red Devils at bay in the first half, content to sit a little deeper and frustrate Kevin De Bruyne and co. In the second half they showed more attacking intent and were rewarded with late goals from Romain Saiss and Zakaria Aboukhlal.
Morocco will again look to keep things tight at the back in the opening 45 minutes, especially as a draw would be enough to book their place in the knockout phase. Canada made a blistering start against Croatia but were ultimately undone by tactical naivety, so they too might avoid going gung-ho from the first whistle.
As legs and minds tire, the match could open up after the break. Back more goals in the second half than the first.
Croatia are one point away from qualifying for the knockout stage. The runners-up from four years ago got off to a slow start in Qatar, playing out a dull 0-0 draw with Morocco in their opening encounter. But after falling behind to Canada at the weekend, Croatia turned on the style to win 4-1 and go top of Group F.
Belgium sit third ahead of Thursday’s crunch clash, which they almost certainly need to win to advance. We have not seen the best of Roberto Martinez’s men so far, with pre-tournament concerns about the age of the squad coming to pass.
Belgium still have individuals capable of producing moments of quality, though, and that could be enough for them to find the back of the net on Thursday. Croatia should be able to do so too.
Niclas Fullkrug was Germany’s hero against Spain on Sunday. Entering the fray as a second-half substitute, the striker powered home the goal that earned Hansi Flick’s side a potentially pivotal point on matchday two. A victory over Costa Rica would now be enough to send the Nationalelf through, provided Japan do not beat Spain.
Fullkrug, who only earned his first Germany cap on the eve of the World Cup, looks set to start this match. With Costa Rica set to defend deep, his penalty-box presence and aerial power make him a more natural selection up top than either Kai Havertz or Thomas Muller.
Even if he does not feature from the first whistle, Fullkrug will probably come off the bench again. Back him to find the net for a third time in a Germany shirt.
Japan may rue their defeat by Costa Rica at the weekend for years. Having come from behind to beat Germany on matchday one, Japan would have taken a giant step towards the knockout phase by overcoming los Ticos in their second fixture. Instead, the Samurai Blue went down 1-0 to the CONCACAF nation and now face an uphill battle to qualify for the round of 16.
Japan need to beat Spain to guarantee their continued participation in this tournament. That will be really tough. La Roja have been excellent so far and one of their major strengths is their defensive solidity.
Japan’s confidence will have taken a hit after that loss to Costa Rica, which harms their chances even further. Back Spain to keep a clean sheet in this one.
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Greg Lea is a freelance soccer journalist from London. He is the former editor of The Set Pieces, and has contributed to the Guardian, FourFourTwo, and ESPN. A Crystal Palace fan, he is a long-time subscriber to the belief that it's the taking part that counts. Email: [email protected]
More info on Greg Lea
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