World Cup knockout picks & goalscorer bets – Round of 16

The knockout rounds of the 2022 FIFA World Cup are finally upon us. It promises to be an awesome round of 16, and this weekend is filled with fascinating matchups featuring teams from all over the globe. Here are our best bets for this weekend’s matches in Qatar.

Netherlands vs United States

According to the betting sites, this should be the closest game of the weekend. While Netherlands have the better team on paper, they haven’t played very well, and the United States have a chance to capitalize on that. This USA team tends to play to its opponent’s level, and that is evident by the draw against England in the group stage. Against Netherlands, the United States will have their toughest task yet, but they are built to win games through the midfield. This could go either way, so we are going to side with the underdog in this round-of-16 opener.

Argentina vs Australia

On paper, this should be an ugly game. The Australians have been playing at a high level, but this is Argentina. The South Americans have more talent on their bench than Australia have in their starting lineup. While Australia will likely sit back and play for penalties, Lionel Messi and the Argentinians will still create chances. We saw this in the group stage when Mexico sat back all game but Messi had one moment where he created a goal out of nothing. That could easily happen in this game, and Messi’s odds are not short enough for us to stay away from betting on one of the best players to ever step on a pitch.

France vs Poland

It’s another France game and it’s another good time to bet on Kylian Mbappe scoring. In the two group games Mbappe played in, he had three goals. Against Poland, he should have plenty of chances to score. This Polish team didn’t look good in the group stage and only qualified for the knockout rounds on the third tiebreaker — least yellow cards. Poland were lucky to qualify and France should take care of them in this spot. Take Mbappe to score as he should be flush with opportunities in a game France likely win with ease.

England vs Senegal

This is a very short line, but it still presents a lot of value. England have been pretty strong this World Cup, and even though they drew against the United States, they have been impressive in their other contests. Against Senegal, England should have an easy time. The Senegalese have impressed in this tournament, but in their only game against an established football nation, they lost 2-0 to Netherlands. This England side is better than that Dutch team, so we are backing the Three Lions to advance to the quarterfinals.

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