After four years of waiting – in which time Arsenal managed to win a trophy, believe it or not – the World Cup is well and truly here once more and we’ve got three great accas for our second batch of matches. So, whether you’re looking for a nice banker, something to pay for the beers or something to get you enough to get out to Brazil for the final(!), we’ve got the odds and acca to suit: and here they are…
Easy Winner – 2/1 (Sky Bet)
- Switzerland v Ecuador under 2.5 goals (4/9) – Switzerland have proved extremely difficult to score against in recent major tournaments and with most first games being tight, backing under 2.5 goals here looks like a very solid bet indeed.
- France to beat Honduras (4/11) – France are decent dark horses in Brazil, even without Franck Ribery, whilst Honduras are physical but not a lot else. Olivier Giroud and Karim Benzema will get chances and they’ll take at least one as France win here.
- Russia v South Korea under 2.5 goals (1/2) – Russia were exceptionally tight in qualifying and Fabio Capello’s side will continue that here against a South Korea side that lacks the tools to break them down. 1-1 is a possibility but under 2.5 goals looks almost certain here.
Medium Risk – 6/1 (Bet365)
- Argentina to beat Bosnia and Herzegovina (4/9) – Argentina will be tested by a decent Bosnia side who scored a lot of goals in qualification but overall Lionel Messi and co will prove too good and this is a nice easy start to our acca.
- Germany to beat Portugal (5/4) – Germany are better than Portugal in every conceivable way and area, bar the magic of Cristiano Ronaldo. Their team effort and the comfort they have with their style of play will trump his magic every time and Germany look very good here.
- Belgium/Belgium (ht/ft) to beat Algeria (5/4) – Belgium are well-fancied at this World Cup and they have the class to beat Algeria relatively easily here. Courtois, Kompany, Defour and Lukaku form a strong spine and backing them to be ahead at half and full time looks good.
Long Shot – 24/1 (Sky Bet)
- Switzerland v Ecuador draw (21/10) – These sides are very well matched and whilst Switzerland are favourites and slightly stronger on paper, familiarity with the conditions should give Ecuador just enough to snatch a draw here.
- Ghana v USA draw (11/5) – Again, two evenly matched sides do battle, both with hopes of stealing through to the second round. A win would give them a great chance but we feel they will have to settle for a draw in a close but entertaining game.
- Russia v South Korea under 1.5 goals (6/4) – As stated above, we feel this game is set to be a low scoring affair given Russia only concede five goals in qualification. They will look to keep the ball, aware the opposition will handle the heat better and in what could be a dour game, 1-0 either way, or even 0-0, look very possible.
- See also: World Cup Football Accumulator Tips (17th, 18th, 19th & 20th June 2014)