Soccer Betting Tips & Discussion

Andrej Kramarić is leading the national team in scoring @8,00

It seems pretty obvious to me that Kramarić is currently our most clinical striker, and if Zlatko Dalić has any sense at all, he’ll probably slot him ahead of Mario Mandžukić or Nikola Kalinić. I suspect he might actually be more efficient at converting chances than those two right now.

Bryan Adams6 As stated by:
Has anyone here actually stepped onto a pitch for an official match? I find myself wondering if any of you have ever experienced the reality of organized play. Typically, the captain wins the coin toss and chooses their side, and then the ball is played to the team that lost the toss—though we all know exactly what the mathematical probability of a coin flip entails. 😉

As if any camera would even catch that. They’ll probably just settle it in some dark tunnel with a coin toss before they even step out onto the field. 😉

They might as well start playing now, because there’s going to be a penalty today.
It seems like every time the FIFA board meets right before a major tournament, they come up with these absurd new directives. The inevitable result is that the referees get completely lost and lose all sense of direction. And let's face it, the whole world is watching. The opening matches of big tournaments have always been ripe for this kind of chaos.
If things aren't going well for the Russians, I suspect they'll just invent some excuse to ensure they walk away with a win.
On the other hand, if we end up seeing a massive goal fest, then the chances of at least one penalty popping up in that sea of goals become even higher.

graniteotter6 said:They should play aggressively because there’s going to be a penalty today.
Every single time right before a major tournament, the FIFA board meets and rolls out some absolutely insane new directives. The end result? Referees get completely lost and have zero clue what they're doing, which is a disaster when the entire world is watching. We've seen this pattern time and time again during the opening matches of huge tournaments.
If things aren't going the Russians' way, they'll just invent something to make sure they walk away with a win.
And if we end up seeing a massive shootout, then there's an even higher chance that amidst all those goals, at least one penalty will pop up.

Do you actually have the stats on how many times a penalty has been called in the opening match of the last few major tournaments, or am I just wasting my time digging through data for nothing?

Let me see if I can recall.
As far back as I can remember, we've basically only shown up for the World Cup.
2014, yeah.
2010, no.
2006, no—though they did manage six goals.🤦
2002, no.
1998, yes.
1994, no.
1990, no.
1986, yes.
1982, no.

I wouldn't exactly call that a strong tradition. This feels more like a gut feeling based on how much chaos VAR might cause during the tournament, combined with general Russian incompetence. They'll probably have to find any way possible to scrape by.

graniteotter6 said:I’ve got it all memorized.
As far back as I can remember following the game, we've only ever made it to the World Cup during these specific years.
2014, yeah.
2010, no.
2006, no, but they did score 6 goals.🤦
2002, no.
1998, yes.
1994, no.
1990, no.
1986, yes.
1982, no.

Tradition isn't exactly working in our favor here. This feels more like a gut feeling bet because VAR is going to cause absolute chaos throughout the tournament, especially given how helpless the Russians are being. They'll have to find any way possible to manufacture an advantage.

2014 World Cup – penalty for Brazil
2010 World Cup – nothing

Euro 2016 – penalty for Romania
Euro 2012 – nothing

Ali, what you're saying actually makes sense; it’s definitely worth a shot. 😉
Bet365 is offering odds of 7.00 that Russia will score a penalty.🤔

I set up an account with DraftKings, since that's the only place I have one active right now.
Per the 3.2. App.
I've decided to steer clear of long-term group bets this time around—I’m officially passing on them. You can't really be smart about those; you basically need a ridiculous stroke of luck for everything to actually line up. I think it's better to just wait until the tournament finds its rhythm after the first few games.

Bryan Adams6 said:Russia vs. Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia to score @ 2.25

I have absolutely zero faith in this Russian squad... But at those odds, it feels like a gamble worth taking.

Precisely my thoughts. It’s worth a shot.

Given how high the stakes are for this matchup, I actually find the "over 3.5 yellow cards" option quite tempting as well. We have a South American referee on duty, which usually tips the scales toward more cards, so that's an advantage. I don't see Russia walking away with the easy victory the bookmakers seem to be implying with these coefficients. This looks like it will be a tense, high-pressure affair, and such matches almost inevitably boil over into yellows.🙂

I was actually thinking about taking the handicap on Russ, but you guys have completely talked me out of it now.😁

cosmicheron21 said:I was actually considering taking a heavy handicap on Russ, but you all have managed to talk me out of it. 😁

What exactly are your reasons for wanting that handicap? Perhaps you can try to convince us instead. 🙂

Nothing groundbreaking here. Just sitting here thinking back to when the draw happened and seeing that first group stage match—I honestly think the US is going to steamroll them. I was a little thrown off by the roster selection at first, and let’s be real, the Saudi team isn't exactly some pushover either. But look, it's home turf, it's the opening match, the whole world is watching, even the big shots... they have to play with an insane level of intensity. Of course, that kind of pressure can backfire if you aren't careful, but I don't think Russ will crack under it.

Can you believe it? They didn't even see a single penalty kick until the fifteenth game between Spain and Ukraine!

Let some South American decide. Honestly, the only thing that could possibly be worse would be an African American referee. We're seeing penalties and cards being handed out left and right here.

Saudi Arabia played it straight from the kickoff 🙂

Look

I really don't want us getting into another massive blowout argument four years from now, okay? 😛

My very first bet on this World Cup already paid off 👍

I ended up placing a single bet on a Russian handicap, though I dialed back the stake a bit. It’s a shame, really, because this could have been a beautiful start to the tournament.

Today

I'm feeling a heavy pull to play 1 on Morocco (2.30 SS). They're essentially the Democratic Party's champions here—they've got plenty of talent playing over in Europe, and they haven't played in a SP 20 in two decades, so they're absolutely fired up...

Spain is dealing with a pretty toxic atmosphere right now because of their manager, and I honestly think Portugal might be able to capitalize on that mess...

I’m with you on Morocco, honestly I already called that one ten days ago

As for Portugal, I’m rooting for them to lose. My forecast has Spain and Morocco moving forward, so... 😁

Does any sportsbook actually offer ball possession percentages in their lines?

Maybe Psk’s got something small going on