We’re nearly at the end of the first round of group matches already. It’s certainly been a memorable week to date, with plenty of goals and two huge shocks, as Saudi Arabia stunned Argentina on day three and Japan upset Germany on day four.
Day five promises to be another intriguing round of matches, as teams from Group G and Group H do battle for the first time at the 2022 World Cup.
With more than 160 markets for each match, as well as Specials, Combo and Player markets, we’ve got you covered this World Cup at Bet9ja.
Group G: Brazil vs Serbia
Lusail Iconic Stadium
Thursday 24th November, 20:00
The favourites for the World Cup are finally in action as Brazil get their 2022 campaign underway. Currently the highest-ranked nation in the world, the Brazilians will be aiming for World Cup trophy number six, and this is probably their best chance since last winning it in 2002. Since then, a fourth-place finish in their home World Cup back in 2014 is the best Brazil have fared, with their last campaign in Russia four years ago ending in a quarter-final defeat to Belgium.
Tite’s men arguably possess the strongest squad in the tournament, and one with a good mix of youth and experience. In Alisson and Ederson, Tite has two of the best goalkeepers in the world to choose from, with Liverpool man Alisson most likely to get the nod. Thiago Silva captains a very experienced defence, which includes Paris Saint-Germain stalwart Marquinhos and 39-year-old veteran Dani Alves. The likes of Rodrygo, Raphinha, Gabriel Jesus, Vinicius Junior, Richarlison and Neymar make up a mouth-watering list of forward options for Brazil; the latter three would be favourites to start. Brazil are on the back of a seven-game winning streak and are unbeaten in their last 15, making them strong favourites for this one.
Opponents Serbia recently earned promotion to the top tier of the UEFA Nations League and managed to top a World Cup qualification group which included Portugal. But their recent World Cup record doesn’t make for great reading, having failed to get out of the Group Stage in three tournaments since 1998 (the first was as Serbia and Montenegro in 2006). Players like Dušan Tadi?, Filip Kosti? and Dušan Vlahovi? will be key. So too will the on-fire Aleksandar Mitrovi?. Currently nursing an injury that puts his starting XI spot in doubt, Mitrovic has been in an incredible scoring run in recent times, netting eight times during Serbia’s qualifying campaign and 52 times in his past 56 league appearances for Premier League outfit Fulham.
Goals could be the order of the day for this one, which makes a Brazil win and over 2.5 goals at 2.17 a tempting offer at Bet9ja. In terms of player markets, Neymar is 5.10 to be first goalscorer, but Mitrovic at 4.50 to score anytime can’t be ruled out.
Bet9ja odds (at time of writing): Brazil win: 1.52, Draw: 4.30, Serbia win: 6.40
Group G: Switzerland vs Cameroon
Al Janoub Stadium
Thursday 24th November, 11:00
Switzerland have pedigree when it comes to recent World Cup outings. They reached the Last 16 in three of the last four editions, including the last time out in 2018. In qualification, the Swiss finished above Italy to stun the Euro 2020 champions and qualify ahead of them. Granit Xhaka leads a team full of plenty of experience, which includes the likes of Xherdan Shaqiri, Ricardo Rodriguez, Breel Embolo and Haris Seferovic.
Cameroon needed extratime to defeat Algeria on away goals in the third round of African qualifying. In AFCON 2021 (played in 2022), Rigobert Song’s men made the semi-finals, only to be defeated by Egypt on penalties. Vincent Aboubakar was top scorer in AFCON and is 10.00 to be first goalscorer, or 4.65 to net at any time, with Bet9ja. Switzerland are comfortable favourites at 1.80 for this one.
Bet9ja odds (at time of writing): Switzerland win: 1.80, Draw: 3.45, Cameroon win: 5.10
Group H: Uruguay vs South Korea
Education City Stadium
Thursday 24th November, 14:00
Quarter-finalists in 2018, Uruguay come into this tournament after a solid display in qualification, finishing third in the South American section, winning their last four competitive matches. Legends and old heads Luis Suárez, and Edison Cavani are still going strong at 35-years-old each. Both are still viable options to lead the line, with Liverpool’s Darwin Núñez likely to partner one of them. Rodrigo Bentancur has been in fine form for Tottenham this season and will be key for his country too.
The big news for South Korea is Son Heung-min has made the trip to Qatar. However, his participation for this opener is in doubt. A world-class star with 35 goals in 104 caps for his country, his absence will prove a loss possibly too big to overcome for South Korea.
A narrow Uruguay win with under 1.5 goals at 5.30 could be a good bet at Bet9ja.
Bet9ja odds (at time of writing): Uruguay win: 1.74, Draw: 3.55, South Korea win: 5.40
Group H: Portugal vs Ghana
Stadium 974
Thursday 24th November, 17:00
Often considered the dark horses, Portugal could well be one to watch for this World Cup. They would want to progress past the Last 16, which is where they fell in 2018. Fernando Santos’ men only managed to finish second in qualifying and in their Nations League group, showing signs of inconsistency. But with a squad including Rúben Dias, João Cancelo, Bruno Fernandes, Bernardo Silva, João Felix and of course Cristiano Ronaldo, you’d expect Portugal to go far.
Of course it was Ghana who defeated Nigeria on away goals to qualify for this World Cup. The Ayew brothers continue to be the key outlets for Ghana, with Thomas Partey arguably their standout player.
With several draws and shocks already at Qatar 2022, could a stalemate at 4.50 tempt you at Bet9ja?
Bet9ja odds (at time of writing): Portugal win: 1.43, Draw: 4.50, Ghana win: 8.30
