2018 World Cup Odds and Prediction: Russia Team Betting Preview

The Russians won’t blow bettors away offensively, but do have some weapons up front and one of the tournament’s most experienced players in goal. Russia is a strong favourite to reach the Round of 16, but will be in tough to advance much further.

 2018 World Cup Russia Betting Odds

Odds to advance: -333

Odds to win World Cup: +3,900

World Cup wins: 2* (since dissolution of Soviet Union)

Best result: Group stage

FIFA World Ranking: 66

Manager: Stanislav Cherchesov

Captain: GK Igor Akinfeev

Players to Watch

Igor Akinfeev: The 32-year-old is a national hero in his sport – but he’ll reach a whole other level if he can do the improbable and lead the hosts to a berth in the semifinals. The marquee matchup in Group A will pit Akinfeev against Mohamed Salah, the talented but banged-up striker for Egypt – and if Akinfeev doesn’t prevail, Russia could be in for a humiliating group loss.

 Fyodor Smolov: The 28-year-old striker is Russia’s best bet for a goal, coming in at +125 to lead the club in scoring. Smolov has an incredible 52 goals in 73 career games with Krasnodar, but whether he can carry over his club success to the international stage will go a long way in determining how far Russia goes in the tournament.

Aleksandr Golovin: The 22-year-old is an intriguing name, especially because he has been linked in recent days to a transfer to English Premier League powerhouse Manchester United. Golovin would love nothing more than to show the Old Trafford faithful that he’s worth the emotional investment; he’s +1,400 to lead his team in goals.

World Cup Formation and Projected Starting 11

 Formation: 5-3-2

Projected Starting 11: Igor Akinfeev; Alexander Samedov, Vladimir Granat, Roman Neustadter, Fedor Kudryashov, Yuri Zhirkov; Denis Glushakov, Alan Dzagoev, Aleksandr Golovin; Aleksey Miranchuk, Fedor Smolov

Russia Strengths

It can be difficult to handicap, but Russia’s biggest strength lay in its home-field advantage. No host team has ever lost its World Cup opener, and the Russians aren’t likely to end that trend as they face Saudi Arabia in the tournament curtain-raiser. As for roster strengths, Akinfeev can steal a win himself, and Golovin is one of the top central midfielders in the tournament.

Russia Weaknesses

Few World Cup teams have played worse going into the tournament, with the Russians entering the final full week before the competition having dropped three consecutive friendlies for the first time since 1998. The back-line is an area of concern, particularly if Salah comes into the tourney at full health; he could make life miserable for the home side when the teams meet June 19.

Russia News

A right knee injury will keep one of Russia’s top strikers, Alexander Kokorin, out of the tournament – and makes the road to the Round of 16 even tougher. With Kokorin on the sidelines, the Russian side might have to press a little more – and that leaves them susceptible to counterattacks that their wonky defence will struggle to contain.

Russia Betting Prediction

Home-pitch advantage might carry the Russians to the elimination round, but they likely won’t go any further. The midfield outside of Golovin is stiff, the back-end is nothing special, and the forwards could find things difficult against even average defences. Add to that the pressure of playing in front of the home crowd – led by a demanding Vladimir Putin – and the Russian side could find itself fleeing the country after a dissatisfying group defeat. Their current World Cup betting odds for their first match have them as -277 favorites.

That said, the Russians do boast talent up front, and Akinfeev is a top-flight ‘keeper. If Salah is at half-strength or out of the Egyptian lineup, Russia will breeze into the Round of 16 – and once you get there, anything is possible. Still, the safest team bet you can make here – while still making a little money – is to take Russia as a Round of 16 elimination at +160. While that might not appease Putin, it would still represent the country’s best-ever World Cup showing.