Dark Horses Offer Bettors More Enticing Opportunity to Cash Goalscorer Prop
On Thursday’s betting card, Colombia promises to continue its dominance in attack while other teams promise to deliver additional prop betting opportunities.
Thursday World Cup Prop Bets
Japan - Poland (10 a.m.)
Japan and Poland are in polar opposite positions. Japan needs a point to advance, but will go for the three points in order to maintain positive momentum. Japan is confident with its tactics and its lineup.
Conversely, Poland, though it had been favored to advance, has been eliminated, failing to achieve a point in two games. After falling behind 2-0 and losing 2-1 to Senegal in its opener, the Poles lost enough certainty in themselves that they switched tactics and were consequently demolished by Colombia in the second game, 3-0. They never looked like they were in the game, repeatedly getting embarrassed by Colombia’s individual quality.
Individual quality is an important betting criterion because a team is more worth betting on if its best players are in strong form. Polish striker Robert Lewandowski led his team, and all of Europe, with 16 goals scored during Qualifiers. But he’s failed to show any quality so far, scoring zero goals. But there are Japanese players worth investing in. Takashi Inui has shown strong form, achieving a goal and an assist in two games. You can bet on him to score at +450. Shinji Kagawa is continuing his strong form from qualifiers, when he scored six goals in 14 Qualifiers, and you can bet on him to score at +275.
Poland’s defense has allowed five goals in two games, showing no better form than when they allowed four goals in three friendlies in June, despite shutting out Lithuania. Japan, likewise, struggles to keep a clean sheet, failing to do so in its last nine matches, dating to 2017. Bet365 offers -125 for both teams to score. In expectation of Japan to win, you can bet on Japan to score over 1.5 goals at +150 and Japan to win at +162.
Colombia - Senegal (10 a.m.)
Senegal needs a draw to advance. Colombia needs a draw and a win from Poland or Colombia can advance by winning. I don’t want to rush to bet on Colombia after last week’s dismantling of an embarrassed and uncertain Polish squad. One aspect of Colombia on which I am sold, however, is its offensive attack. Colombia should have no problem scoring against a Senegalese defense that has looked very undisciplined, particularly in its last game, in which it conceded two goals against Japan. A friend of mine said that Senegal looked to him as though it were playing a game of pickup soccer.
Senegal would need a miracle to stabilize and organize its defense in time to deal with the likes of James and Falcao, especially considering that Senegal had, in Africa, an easy route to the World Cup and has yet to deal with an attack of Colombia’s caliber. James achieved six goals and four assists during Qualifiers and has two assists so far, event though Colombia played with 10 men in its opener against Japan. You can bet on James to score at +187. Falcao scored 18 goals in Ligue 1 for the French club Monaco and has a goal so far. You can bet on him to score at +120. You can bet on Colombia to score over 1.5 goals at -110.
Belgium - England (2 p.m.)
This is the Group G match-up that everybody has been waiting for, with the two biggest names squaring off. But be sure to wait for the lineups to be published before you bet on the usual goal scorers. Unfortunately, both teams have already advanced and will use this opportunity to rest some players. For Belgium, bettors can expect not to see Kevin De Bruyne, Thomas Meunier, and Jan Vertonghen, each of whom already has a yellow card and doesn’t want to get another one, which would mean that they’d have to sit out a match that actually counts for something. Also, Eden Hazard is still recovering from a calf injury and prolific goal scorer Romelu Lukaku sat out training on Tuesday. For England, John Henderson likely needs some rest because he’s had a relatively long season with Liverpool, which made it to the Champions League finals.
The unique situation of starters being sat out presents the opportunity to bet on lesser-known goal scorers with a higher payout. My favorite dark horse will continue to be England’s Marcus Rashford, who hopefully will start. Rashford is always a threat with his speed—he showed this from the very second that he stepped onto the pitch as a substitute against Iceland in the 2016 Euros. He achieved a stunning goal against Costa Rica in a June friendly and continues to show strong form. You can bet on him to score at +225. For Belgium, the top option is striker Michy Batshuayi, who scored seven goals in 10 matches while on loan at German club Dortmund and a goal against Tunisia. He created numerous chances for himself and battled some bad luck to finally get his goal. I expect him to be just as determined to utilize his time on the pitch to get his goal against England and you can bet on him to score at +240.
Tunisia - Panama (2 p.m.)
Both teams are eliminated and have yet to achieve a single point. But the difference between an eliminated club like Poland and the likes of Tunisia and Panama is that Poland had expectations for themselves. They were favored to advance. They won’t salvage much pride, no matter how well they play against Japan. With Tunisia and Panama it’s completely different. One saw, for example, how much it meant to Panama to score against England, even though they were already down several goals. I expect this match to be (almost) as worth watching as Belgium versus England. We should see a wide-open affair in which neither team parks the bus as it had against the likes of Belgium and England, but instead goes for it.
Both teams have had to face a superior backline and goalkeeper, so it’s impossible to speak highly of either team’s offense. With the eye-test, Panama has impressed me most with its pace and aggressiveness in attack. But Tunisia has managed a few goals as well. Wahbi Khazri scored and achieved an assist against Belgium and you can bet on him to score at +162. In this scenario, the „over“ seems like the best bet, although a lot of attractive options require you to lay chalk. You can bet on Panama to score over 1.5 goals at +225. The „both teams to score“ prop is available at -143 and you can stick that in a parlay.
On Thursday’s betting card, Colombia promises to continue its dominance in attack while other teams promise to deliver additional prop betting opportunities.
Thursday World Cup Prop Bets
Japan - Poland (10 a.m.)
Japan and Poland are in polar opposite positions. Japan needs a point to advance, but will go for the three points in order to maintain positive momentum. Japan is confident with its tactics and its lineup.
Conversely, Poland, though it had been favored to advance, has been eliminated, failing to achieve a point in two games. After falling behind 2-0 and losing 2-1 to Senegal in its opener, the Poles lost enough certainty in themselves that they switched tactics and were consequently demolished by Colombia in the second game, 3-0. They never looked like they were in the game, repeatedly getting embarrassed by Colombia’s individual quality.
Individual quality is an important betting criterion because a team is more worth betting on if its best players are in strong form. Polish striker Robert Lewandowski led his team, and all of Europe, with 16 goals scored during Qualifiers. But he’s failed to show any quality so far, scoring zero goals. But there are Japanese players worth investing in. Takashi Inui has shown strong form, achieving a goal and an assist in two games. You can bet on him to score at +450. Shinji Kagawa is continuing his strong form from qualifiers, when he scored six goals in 14 Qualifiers, and you can bet on him to score at +275.
Poland’s defense has allowed five goals in two games, showing no better form than when they allowed four goals in three friendlies in June, despite shutting out Lithuania. Japan, likewise, struggles to keep a clean sheet, failing to do so in its last nine matches, dating to 2017. Bet365 offers -125 for both teams to score. In expectation of Japan to win, you can bet on Japan to score over 1.5 goals at +150 and Japan to win at +162.
Colombia - Senegal (10 a.m.)
Senegal needs a draw to advance. Colombia needs a draw and a win from Poland or Colombia can advance by winning. I don’t want to rush to bet on Colombia after last week’s dismantling of an embarrassed and uncertain Polish squad. One aspect of Colombia on which I am sold, however, is its offensive attack. Colombia should have no problem scoring against a Senegalese defense that has looked very undisciplined, particularly in its last game, in which it conceded two goals against Japan. A friend of mine said that Senegal looked to him as though it were playing a game of pickup soccer.
Senegal would need a miracle to stabilize and organize its defense in time to deal with the likes of James and Falcao, especially considering that Senegal had, in Africa, an easy route to the World Cup and has yet to deal with an attack of Colombia’s caliber. James achieved six goals and four assists during Qualifiers and has two assists so far, event though Colombia played with 10 men in its opener against Japan. You can bet on James to score at +187. Falcao scored 18 goals in Ligue 1 for the French club Monaco and has a goal so far. You can bet on him to score at +120. You can bet on Colombia to score over 1.5 goals at -110.
Belgium - England (2 p.m.)
This is the Group G match-up that everybody has been waiting for, with the two biggest names squaring off. But be sure to wait for the lineups to be published before you bet on the usual goal scorers. Unfortunately, both teams have already advanced and will use this opportunity to rest some players. For Belgium, bettors can expect not to see Kevin De Bruyne, Thomas Meunier, and Jan Vertonghen, each of whom already has a yellow card and doesn’t want to get another one, which would mean that they’d have to sit out a match that actually counts for something. Also, Eden Hazard is still recovering from a calf injury and prolific goal scorer Romelu Lukaku sat out training on Tuesday. For England, John Henderson likely needs some rest because he’s had a relatively long season with Liverpool, which made it to the Champions League finals.
The unique situation of starters being sat out presents the opportunity to bet on lesser-known goal scorers with a higher payout. My favorite dark horse will continue to be England’s Marcus Rashford, who hopefully will start. Rashford is always a threat with his speed—he showed this from the very second that he stepped onto the pitch as a substitute against Iceland in the 2016 Euros. He achieved a stunning goal against Costa Rica in a June friendly and continues to show strong form. You can bet on him to score at +225. For Belgium, the top option is striker Michy Batshuayi, who scored seven goals in 10 matches while on loan at German club Dortmund and a goal against Tunisia. He created numerous chances for himself and battled some bad luck to finally get his goal. I expect him to be just as determined to utilize his time on the pitch to get his goal against England and you can bet on him to score at +240.
Tunisia - Panama (2 p.m.)
Both teams are eliminated and have yet to achieve a single point. But the difference between an eliminated club like Poland and the likes of Tunisia and Panama is that Poland had expectations for themselves. They were favored to advance. They won’t salvage much pride, no matter how well they play against Japan. With Tunisia and Panama it’s completely different. One saw, for example, how much it meant to Panama to score against England, even though they were already down several goals. I expect this match to be (almost) as worth watching as Belgium versus England. We should see a wide-open affair in which neither team parks the bus as it had against the likes of Belgium and England, but instead goes for it.
Both teams have had to face a superior backline and goalkeeper, so it’s impossible to speak highly of either team’s offense. With the eye-test, Panama has impressed me most with its pace and aggressiveness in attack. But Tunisia has managed a few goals as well. Wahbi Khazri scored and achieved an assist against Belgium and you can bet on him to score at +162. In this scenario, the „over“ seems like the best bet, although a lot of attractive options require you to lay chalk. You can bet on Panama to score over 1.5 goals at +225. The „both teams to score“ prop is available at -143 and you can stick that in a parlay.
