Andrew McDermott
Netherlands have never won the World Cup but will be starting to dream of ending their long wait if they get past the United States to reach the quarter-finals. The Dutch have not been the most exciting team to watch but progressed as group winners, while the Americans made it out of Group B despite only scoring two goals.
England will put their unbeaten record against African opposition on the line when they face Senegal in the round of 16 at the World Cup. Gareth Southgate’s men eased through to the knockout stage as group winners for the first time since 2006 and with the best goal difference they have enjoyed at a major tournament.
With the new season over a month old, we’re continuing our NBA predictions with a 5.81/1 treble from the games being played overnight in America. Bwin offers a range of betting markets on every match, but we’re sticking to the spread and money line NBA odds for our top tips.
Saudi Arabia pulled off one of the biggest World Cup upsets with their victory over Argentina and are dreaming of a place in the last 16 ahead of their clash with Poland. The stunning 2-1 victory over Lionel Messi’s men has thrown Group C wide open while Poland are seeking their first triumph after drawing 0-0 with Mexico.
Tunisia and Australia meet in the second round of matches and both will fancy their chances of taking a step towards a longer stay at Qatar 2022. The Tunisians have a point on the board after drawing with Denmark, hours before the Socceroos got their hardest match out of the way, going down 4-1 to France.
Wales ended their first World Cup game in 64 years with a late equaliser and will hope to take that momentum into a final match against Iran. England look set to dominate the group as expected after beating Iran 6-2 but second place is up for grabs and all three teams have reasons to believe they can progress.
Qatar have already made unwanted World Cup history and must improve quickly if they are to make a mark on the tournament they are hosting. The minnows became the first host nation to lose the opening match of a World Cup tournament in what was supposed to be their easiest game as they slumped to a 2-0 defeat against Ecuador.
England will aim to build on an encouraging start to Group B when they seek a first World Cup win against the United States at the third attempt. The Three Lions hit Iran for six in their opening game and should have the firepower to secure another routine victory.
Netherlands made a solid start on their return to the World Cup stage and can take a big step towards winning Group A by beating Ecuador. Both teams were 2-0 winners in their opening game but the Dutch had a much tougher test against Senegal than Ecuador had in the tournament opener against Qatar.
France will be hoping it is third time lucky against Denmark as they aim to make it two wins out of two in Group D at the World Cup. The Danes did the Nations League double over the world champions in their two meetings earlier this year but France were more impressive in the first round of group games in Qatar.
Argentina must bounce back from a stunning defeat in their opening game or face early elimination from a World Cup which they were widely tipped to win. The 2-1 loss to Saudi Arabia means the South American champions cannot afford to slip up against Mexico.
Group H at Qatar 2022 looks intriguing and Uruguay will look to make a positive start as they bid to reach the knockout stages for a fourth successive World Cup. La Celeste were best of the rest in South American qualifying behind heavyweights Brazil and Argentina.
Mexico and Poland could face their most decisive group game at the World Cup in the opening round of Qatar 2022 fixtures. These two teams will likely battle it out for second spot behind favourites Argentina in Group C, which also features outsiders Saudi Arabia.
Ahead of the upcoming tournament in Qatar, we have created a World Cup quiz for fans to test their knowledge of the greatest show on earth. There are 10 questions in total, ranging from the relatively straightforward to the downright difficult. How much do you know about the World Cup?