The World Cup always kicks off with the hosts, and on June 14th, Russia will get the tournament going with the first game against Saudi Arabia. These two teams would love to get three points to start their Group A campaign.
What To Know About Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia is back at the World Cup after missing out in 2010 and 2014, and they got here by finishing second in AFC’s Group B. They got five goals from Nawaf Al-Abid in qualification, but the main man up front is Mohammad Al-Sahlawi, who has 28 goals in 35 goals for his country. However, keep an eye on Fahad Al-Muwallad, a 23-year-old winger who has been called the “Messi or Ronaldo of Saudi Arabia”. That is obviously over-exaggeration, but Al-Muwallad is an exciting prospect and he’ll be given license by Saudi Arabia to go forward and he scored the goal that sent Saudi Arabia to Russia. He also scored during a recent 1-1 draw against Ukraine in a friendly. It’ll be interesting to see what the defense, marshalled by Osama and Omar Hawsawi (they’re not related), looks like by the time the World Cup rolls around.
What To Know About Russia
The Russians didn’t have to qualify to get here due to being the hosts, and they were eliminated the group stage of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. They were also eliminated in the group stage of the 2016 European Championships, and they have been up and down in this run-up to the World Cup. They played Argentina close in a 1-0 loss in November, then battled Spain to a 3-3 draw three days later. However, Russia got thumped 3-0 by Brazil recently in a game that was probably closer to what Russia actually is. Alan Dzagoev never really panned out to be the great player that many expected him to be, but he is probably the best bet to supply Fyodor Smolov, who scored twice against Spain. At the back, Russia has a problem with depth in the middle of the defense. That could mean trouble for captain Igor Akinfeev, who has 104 appearances for his country.
Outlook
Russia are the home favorites at 1.30, while Saudi Arabia are listed at 12.00 and a draw comes in at 4.75. This will be the first meeting for these countries, so there could be a feeling-out period. Russia should have a better start as they can feed off a crowd that is eager for the World Cup to begin. However, Saudi Arabia has a defense that can keep Russia at bay or, more importantly, Russia might not have the players to take advantage of Saudi Arabia, who can hit them on the counterattack. A draw would be excellent for Saudi Arabi and it could send the hosts into panic mode. In a Group A where Uruguay are favored to go through, Saudi Arabia and Russia, along with Egypt, need to get points wherever they can. It could be a tight game in Russia to open up the World Cup Cup.
World Cup Betting Pick: Russia
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