The 2022 FIFA World Cup’s group stage has come to a close, and there have been some surprises along the way. If the group stage predictions were difficult, the World Cup Round of 16 predictions is a different animal with one mistake capable of knocking a side out. Belgium and Germany are out, and other nations with great reputations have had a humbling as well. With so much going on, it can be hard to make World Cup Round of 16 predictions, but this FIFA World Cup Round of 16 stage betting preview should help.
The online sports betting and virtual sports betting scenes will be in full flow when the Round of 16 stage begins, and as ever, make sure to look for value on your bets – sometimes, the favorites aren’t as sure-shot as they appear. Also make sure to look at our Betway review before picking your wagers based on our FIFA World Cup Round of 16 stage betting preview.
With the fixtures all falling into place after the group stage finished on Friday, there are only two teams that look like a shoo-in for the quarterfinals: Brazil (vs South Korea) and France (vs Poland). By some distance, these two teams have looked the most impressive ones in the tournament so far, and key to that is the attacking prowess they possess.
They both possess tactical solidity within their systems, with the extremely important positions in transition occupied by reliable players at the top of their game. This alone makes it so that they’re not susceptible to upsets, apart from the fact that teams who want to upset them must score a lot of goals to counter their attacking talent in the first place.
Pre-tournament favorites Argentina can rest easy now with Australia coming up, and England have been solid, if not spectacular. Spain should get the better of the Moroccans with a full squad. The Dutch have looked a bit shaky, and face a physical USMNT side but have the most lethal finisher in the tournament so far in Cody Gakpo. We expect these teams to do justice to their favorites tag.
It’s at the bottom of the draw where we think upsets are most likely – Japan play Croatia, and their exploits in this tournament need no introduction, while Portugal face Switzerland, having been rocked in their final group stage game against South Korea. These two games are by far the toughest ones to call in the World Cup Round of 16 predictions.
