Brazil still tinkering with attacking options
You can’t win a World Cup if you can’t score goals
Relentless pressure earned Japan two famous wins. Will Croatia be No. 3?Germany and Spain in the same World Cup until Japan did so in the group stage. Can they re-create the magic against Croatia?
Your best bets (odds via Caesars Sportsbook) If you’re looking to bet on the World Cup, ESPN contributors Paul Carr, Dan Thomas and Dalen Cuff are here to give you key tips on odds, options and futures . Here’s what we have for Monday’s matches.
Japan (+275) vs. Croatia (+107), Draw (+220)Paul Carr: The underlying numbers for Japan and Croatia are very similar so far, and no team has made better second-half adjustments than Japan, who came from behind to beat both Germany and Spain . I’m banking on that again, and the fact that Croatia’s lack of a reliable striker will continue to be an issue. I like Japan to advance at +150.
Dan Thomas: This is a really tricky one to call. As I result, I’ll sit on the fence and go for a draw after 90 minutes.
Dalen Cuff: Japan has two of the most impressive wins in the tourney, coming from behind to beat both Germany and Spain. I think this will be a good, entertaining game but I’m not willing to play a side. I like both teams to score (+105).
Carr: Obviously this is a long shot, but given all of Brazil’s injuries, I don’t mind South Korea to advance at +550. I also like the first-half draw at +130.
Thomas: Neymar being back in the starting 11 will bring Brazil back to full strength. I think this will be comfortable for the favorites. I’ll back a 3-0 win.
Cuff: I’m on Brazil to win it all, and I’m not backing off that. However, they have not been as dynamic in the attack as I expected, even excluding that last group game where they played what was essentially a B-team. Coupled with the injuries, I think that while they win this game, there is value in South Korea +1.5 goals (+105).
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Mark Ogden gives his analysis on the best players in Qatar so far.
News and notes Jadon Sancho has been left out of Manchester United ‘s team for their training camp in Spain and will train individually, the club have confirmed . Erik ten Hag and squad will travel to southern Spain for games against LaLiga sides Cadiz and Real Betis . However Sancho, who has spent the World Cup break working with coaches in the Netherlands recommended by Ten Hag, is not going. United will resume their domestic season with a Carabao Cup match against Burnley at Old Trafford on Dec. 21, just three days after the World Cup final, and return to Premier League action against Nottingham Forest on Dec. 27.
Arsene Wenger insinuated that teams which made political statements early in the World Cup saw their on-field performance suffer as a result. Wenger, FIFA’s Chief of Global Football Development, spoke at a media briefing for FIFA’s Technical Study Group, in which he and Jurgen Klinsmann shared the group’s findings from the group stage. It was a clear reference to Germany, who Wenger did not mention by name and who lost their opening game to Japan, before which the players placed their hands over their mouths during the pregame on-field photo.
Wenger also mentioned that FIFA’s final decision has not yet been made on the format for the 2026 World Cup, which is being hosted by the United States , Mexico and Canada . in 2017, the FIFA council voted to increase the size of the World Cup and approved a format which would see the 48 teams divided into 16 groups of three teams — with the top two going through to a round of 32. But this would mean the two teams in the final group fixture could play out a specific result to send both teams through at the expense of the team not playing, and this has led to a rethink. “This is not decided,” Wenger said. “but it will be 16 groups of three, 12 groups of four, or two sides of six groups of four — like you organise two 24 teams.”
