Three More Group F Points On Saturday for El Tri

South Korea v Mexico, Saturday 23rd June, 16:00

The contrast between the performances of Mexico and Korea Republic in the first round of FIFA World Cup Group F games was so stark that one cannot tip anything other than an El Tri win when they face the Taeguk Warriors on Saturday.

Mexico’s unorthodox FIFA World Cup preparations made global headlines – one will call it the prostitute scandal and say no more about the matter – but El Tri made news for all the right reasons as a result of their impressive 1-0 Group F defeat of defending champion Germany in which they were unfortunate not to inflict greater damage on the Germans. It was a remarkable turnaround from this time last year when Mexico lost 1-4 to Germany’s second-stringers during the FIFA Confederations Cup, also in Russia. Punters, myself included, who trusted the direct head-to-head form line found themselves on the wrong side of the ledger and deservedly so because Mexico played extremely well.

Korea Republic’s display versus Sweden was the opposite of Mexico’s against Germany and it made one question why the Taeguk Warriors went to the trouble of qualifying for the FIFA World Cup, which is a long and laborious process for sides in the geographically vast AFC region. In what was Korea Republic’s easiest FIFA World Cup Group F fixture versus a Sweden team that plays within its limitations and has zero chance of winning the tournament, the Taeguk Warriors did not throw caution to the wind and seemed to settle for a narrow 0-1 loss. Korea Republic lost a 2014 friendly match to Mexico by a 0-4 margin and, while such a wide margin may prove beyond El Tri in Saturday’s competitive clash, one cannot make a case for the Taeguk Warriors turning the tables. Korea Republic has failed to score in each of its last three games and, on the evidence of what the Taeguk Warriors served up against Sweden, they look incapable of hitting the back of the net more times than Mexico.

The neutral venue for Saturday’s FIFA World Cup Group F match between Mexico and Sweden means that El Tri are trading at attractive odds and, therefore, the best bet is to back the favourites to pick up another three points.

Back a Low-Scoring Game When Germany Meet Sweden

Germany v Sweden, Saturday 23rd June, 19:00

Each of the last two games between Germany and Sweden has had eight goals but one cannot see another goal-fest when they meet in FIFA World Cup Group F on Saturday.

Even though Germany’s defence did not convince during its FIFA World Cup Group F opener against Mexico and the big boys will be licking their lips at playing attack-minded football should they run into the Germans in the knockout stage, Sweden does not have the weapons to go toe to toe with the Germans. Sweden’s best chance of making the FIFA World Cup last 16 is to frustrate the Germans and either force a low-scoring draw or suffer a narrow loss.

One cannot advocate getting stuck into Germany at short odds – one would much rather back Mexico at several rolls of the board higher prices – but one does feel comfortable putting up under two and a half goals at close to even money. That makes more appeal than backing at least one of Germany and Sweden not to score, which is deep into odds-on territory.

If you are interested in backing under two and a half goals in the FIFA World Cup Group F match between Germany and Sweden, then seriously consider placing your wager before Mexico tackles Korea Republic. A Mexico win is likely to result in the odds about a low-scoring subsequent game crashing because of the FIFA World Cup Group F table.

About the author

Eric Roberts

Sports Journalist

Eric has been a sports journalist for over 20 years and has travelled the world covering top sporting events for a number of publications. He also has a passion for betting and uses his in-depth knowledge of the sports world to pinpoint outstanding odds and value betting opportunities.