STEVEOCN Football Tips

The Swiss topped a group with Sweden and Slovenia to qualify for these finals, and they are always a tough team to beat. Qatar lost all three games in the last World Cup, and with the mix of experience and quality that Switzerland have, I fancy they will be far too good for Qatar and will open with a win in Group B.

Four defeats and two draws in the last six for Qatar, and they didn’t score in either friendly against Ireland and El Salvador leading up to these finals. Switzerland have steel in the middle and quality going forward. I fancy they win this by a couple of goals to nil tonight.

Marquinhos, Casemiro, Raphinha and Thiago have all had excellent seasons at club level. I fancy this Brazilian side with Vinícius and some midfield steel will have a good World Cup. Brazil beat Morocco in the 1998 World Cup, and I am siding with the Samba Boys to get off the mark with a win.

Eight wins in ten for Morocco, and they are unbeaten in twenty-nine games. They beat Brazil 2-1 in a friendly in 2023, but it was the Samba Boys who won the only tournament meeting 1-0 in the 1998 World Cup. Brazil under Carlo Ancelotti will hit differently, and after beating Egypt 2-1, I fancy the South Americans to win this by the odd goal in three against Morocco.

The Scots scored four against Curaçao and Bolivia in warm-up friendlies, and they qualified from a group that had Greece and Denmark. With Brazil and Morocco to come, I fancy this is a must-win for the Tartan Army. They will get the result by beating Haiti in this group opener.

Haiti have beaten New Zealand and Costa Rica in their last six games, and I fancy they will give Scotland a game. Iceland and Tunisia only scored one against this Haiti side. I am siding with just the one goal in a Scotland win by a goal to nil.

Germany have won all four of their warm-up games and I fancy they will have a big World Cup stateside. The Germans finished the qualifying campaign with five wins, so with nine straight wins I am siding with Germany to beat Curaçao in this Group opener.

Australia beat Curaçao 5-1 and Scotland saw them off 4-1 in recent friendlies. I fancy the Germans will have their scoring boots on this evening in Houston. Germany have won nine in a row and beaten the likes of Finland and Luxembourg 4-0. I am siding with the four-time winners keeping a clean sheet in another 4-0 win.

The Dutch failed to impress in their two warm-up friendlies against Algeria and Uzbekistan, and I fancy Japan will cause them problems tonight. Six straight wins for the Japanese, and with the last head-to-head with the Netherlands ending 2-2, I am siding with another score draw.

The Netherlands last faced Japan back in 2013, and it ended in a 2-2 draw. As we have seen with South Korea on the opening night, this is going to be a tough group opener for Holland, and I fancy Japan will get something. Six straight wins for Japan, and with the Netherlands stuttering through their warm-up friendlies, I am siding with a 1-1 in Texas.

With Germany to come in this group, neither Ivory Coast nor Ecuador will want to lose this opening fixture. Both are expected to beat Curaçao, and I fancy this will be a cagey affair. It ends in an under 2.5-goal draw.

Both Ivory Coast and Ecuador won their two warm-up internationals, and I fancy there won't be much between them in this group opener. Ecuador have drawn two of their last four 1-1, and I am siding with this ending in another under 2.5 score draw in Philadelphia.

Sweden have serious firepower up top with two Premier League strikers in Gyökeres and Isak, and I fancy they will get out of this group. Tunisia haven't scored in their last three internationals over the last two months, and I am siding with Sweden to get the result tonight in Monterrey.

Ecuador, Ivory Coast, and Curaçao is a really nice group for the Germans. I fancy them to win all three matches and score plenty of goals. I am siding with Germany to win Group E with nine points on the board.

Spain are in with Uruguay, Saudi Arabia and Cape Verde, and I fancy the current European champions will top this group. Uruguay aren’t as strong as they were when they had Suárez and Cavani, and I am siding with Spain winning all three games to qualify as group winners.

Nobody has won more World Cup tournaments than Brazil, who have five. The last time the United States hosted the finals, it was the Brazilians who beat Italy in the final. Carlo Ancelotti is the coach leading the South Americans now, and with Vinicius Jr and Raphinha on the wings, I fancy Brazil will peak at this World Cup to reach an eighth final and win it for a sixth time.