FIFA World Cup Betting Parlay Picks for July 2: Spain Vies for a Fourth Straight Clean Sheet
Round of 32 action continues Thursday with three key matches, dominated by European powerhouses.
The action begins mid-afternoon at Los Angeles Stadium, where Spain vies to record a fourth straight clean sheet in their date with Austria. The scene shifts to Toronto on Thursday evening, as Croatia hopes to continue their march towards a third straight World Cup semi-final bid in their date with Portugal. Thursday’s World Cup betting action wraps up in Vancouver, where Switzerland will be aiming to advance to the Round of 16 for the fourth time in as many World Cup appearances, as they take on Algeria.
Here’s a look at the best betting picks for these key Thursday matchups.
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Spain vs. Austria
Location: Los Angeles Stadium (SoFi Stadium)
Time: 3 p.m. ET
How to watch in Canada: TSN, TSN+
Eyebrows were raised by Spain’s inability to find the mark in a tournament-opening scoreless draw with Cape Verde that lifted the Blue Sharks to the rank of tournament darlings. However, La Roja have since rediscovered their offensive touch while maintaining stingy form, rolling to a 4-0 rout of Saudi Arabia before eking out a 1-0 win over Uruguay to claim the top of the Group H table.
With Real Sociedad veteran Mikel Oyarzabal leading the attack with two goals and an assist, Spain have now scored eight total goals while winning four straight across all competitions. La Roja have also historically dominated Austria, outscoring The Boys by a massive 22-9 margin while going 4-1-0 in their past five meetings across all competitions. But, it has been a generation since these sides met, and Austria have demonstrated their ability to score with six total markets during the group stage.
Spain vs. Austria betting pick: UNDER 2.5 (+110)
Parlay pick: Spain to win and Austria not to score (-105)
You can see our full Spain vs. Austria game preview and score prediction here.
Portugal vs. Croatia
Location: Toronto Stadium (BMO Field)
Time: 7 p.m. ET
How to watch in Canada: TSN, TSN+
Toronto will be abuzz ahead of Thursday evening’s matchup between Portugal and Croatia, with the city’s sizeable Portuguese and Croatian communities expect to turn out in big numbers for this intriguing Round of 32 matchup. Croatia have advanced as far as the semis in each of their past two World Cup appearances including a heartbreaking 4-2 loss in the final eight years ago. The Blazers have also rebounded from a tough 4-2 loss to England to open the tournament with hard-fought victories over Ghana and Panama, but have enjoyed little success against Portugal, posting just one win in 10 meetings since 1996.
But opportunity could be knocking for Croatia, which takes on a Portuguese squad that were lucky to escape with a scoreless draw against Colombia, and who were unable to slam the door on a pesky DR Congo side in a 1-1 draw. Energized by the support they received playing in front of Toronto fans in their 1-0 group stage win over Panama, Croatia could be poised to flip the script.
Portugal vs. Croatia betting pick: OVER 2.5(-130)
Parlay pick: Croatia to win and both teams to score (+675)
You can see our full Portugal vs. Croatia game preview and score prediction here.
Switzerland vs. Algeria
Location: Vancouver Stadium (BC Place)
Time: 11p.m. ET
How to watch in Canada: TSN, TSN+
Algeria aim to maintain their recent torrid scoring pace when they take on Switzerland in Thursday’s World Cup betting finale at Vancouver Stadium. The Desert Warriors shook off a 3-0 beating at the hands of the defending champions Argentina with a 2-1 win over Jordan before seeing Austria score in the dying second of added time in a 3-3 draw.
Algeria remain big underdogs to advance to the Round of 16 in their first tourney appearance in 12 years, and with good reason. They face a seasoned Swiss squad that has reached the Round of 16 in three straight World Cup appearances, and filled the net during a relatively easy run to the top of the Group B table. However, this matchup has the making of a high-scoring affair.
Switzerland vs. Algeria betting pick: OVER 2.5 (+115)
Parlay pick: Switzerland to score first; BTTS (+225)
You can see our full Switzerland vs. Algeria game preview and score prediction here.