2018 FIFA World Cup Day 2 Betting Preview – June 15th

The 2018 FIFA World Cup is officially underway, as host nation Russia dealt Saudi Arabia a 5-0 rout in the opening match of Group A play today. Day Two will feature three group matches, one from Group A and two from Group B, as Egypt will take on Uruguay at 8am Eastern time from the first group. The two Group B matches follow, as Morocco and Iran square off at 10am Eastern time, and then Portugal meets Span three hours later. We have posted detailed betting previews for each of these matchups, but this online betting article gives you the basics — television broadcast and live streaming, as well as the World Cup odds and a quick look at each team’s chances.

2018 FIFA World Cup Day 2 Betting Preview – June 15th

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Group A: Egypt vs Uruguay (5:00pm local time / 7:00am Eastern time, FS1/fuboTV)

Odds: Uruguay -139 / Draw +307 / Egypt +406

Egypt won Group E of African qualifying with a 4-1-1 record in their matches, but they enter ranked just #45 in the international standings. The goalkeeper for Egypt is the ageless Essam El Hadary, also the team’s captain, who takes the pitch at the age of 45 and has 158 international appearances. Seven members of the Egyptian roster play in the English Premier League, but the real star is Mohamed Salah, who scored 32 goals for Liverpool in league play. The status of Salah’s shoulder, which he injured in the Champions League final, has been updated to state that he has an almost 100% chance of playing against Uruguay. If he takes the pitch, Egypt has a chance to score — without him, they would likely have to pack it in and hope for a 0-0 draw. Uruguay made it to the round of 16 in the 2014 World Cup and took fourth place in 2010 in South Africa, so this is a team that has some World Cup success. The majority of Uruguay’s players have contracts with UEFA clubs, but the three stars are captain Diego Godin (Atletico Madrid), Luis Suarez (Barcelona) and Edinson Cavain (Paris St-Germain). Suarez and Cavani have scored 93 combined goals in 199 international appearances. The depth that Uruguay brings makes them the clear favorite — and the Egyptian reliance on Salah makes me stay away from the value in their moneyline.

Group B: Morocco vs Iran (6:00pm local time / 10:00am Eastern time, FOX/fuboTV)

Odds: Iran +292 / Draw +203 / Morocco +131

The hope that either of these two teams has to advance to the knockout stage begins with a win in this game, as the two group favorites, Portugal and Spain, play next. A draw would basically allow the two favorites to advance with wins over Morocco and Iran, so these two teams will be playing hard to avoid the tie. Morocco has a 10-game unbeaten streak and routed Estonia, 3-1, in their last friendly heading into the tournament. They have not permitted more than one goal in any match in that streak. Manager Herve Renard led Ivory Coast on a thrilling run in 2014 and could well do the same here, as young contributors Hakim Ziyech and Ayoub El Kaabi look to expand on promising beginnings to their international careers. Iran won’t have the jet lag that some of the other teams heading to Russia will have, because they stuck around after a friendly against Lithuania. They have posted clean sheets in two of their last three matches, and they also have the offensive talent to surprise some teams, led by Sardar Azmoun, Alireza Jahanbakhsh and striker Mehdi Taremi. Iran hasn’t played many top teams internationally, so it’s hard to say how they will do on the game’s biggest stage. I’m taking Morocco to take the three points.

Group B: Portugal vs Spain (9:00pm local time / 1:00pm Eastern time, FOX/fuboTV)

Odds: Spain -112 / Draw +251 / Portugal +361

Portugal enters this match ranked fourth in the international standings, and they dominated Group B in the UEFA qualification pool, winning nine matches and dropping just one. They are led by Cristiano Ronaldo, who has 81 goals in 150 international appearances. Their big star in the midfield is Joao Moutinho, and their defense is led by Pepe. Rui Patricio is the bedrock behind it all in goal. They face a Spanish side that enters ranked tenth in the international standings, and who won Group G in UEFA qualifying, winning nine matches and drawing one. They have a side that is basically all employed by UEFA-allied clubs, and David De Gea is a wall in goal. Diego Costa, David Silva, and Marco Asensio key the offense, with Jordi Alba, Sergio Ramos and Gerard Pique comprise the defense. The teams have split their three meetings 1-1-1 in this decade. The Spanish depth — combined with their rout over Argentina in a recent friendly — makes me give them the nod here.