RACHACE

Holland get their World Cup started with a tricky game against an in-form Japan, and this looks a very tough game to call. Japan have only lost one of their last 13 games and come into this having won all of their last six games. There are some notable results in that six-game winning run too, as Japan have beaten both Brazil and England. Holland have only lost one of their last 12 themselves, so despite the impressive results for Japan, I still fancy Holland to be good enough to avoid defeat. I think a draw would be a decent result for both nations, with games against easier opposition to come.

Morocco and Brazil will both feel that they're the best team in this group and will be confident of progressing to the knockout stages. Avoiding defeat here might be the plan with games against Scotland and Haiti to come. That might make for a cagey game, and under 2.5 goals scored looks worth a bet.

Canada are one of the host nations but are probably the least recognised of the three host nations from a football perspective, both on home soil and abroad. I'm struggling to get excited by their chances, to be honest. They're favourites to win this game but they look a very risky bet, in my opinion. Their most recognisable player will most likely be Jonathan David, who scored just six goals in 35 appearances in Serie A last season. Canada have also drawn three of their last four international games against Ireland, Tunisia, and Iceland. Bosnia-Herzegovina aren't fancied much either and have a 40-year-old Edin Džeko leading the line. He's still a capable player, to be fair, and Bosnia-Herzegovina are unbeaten in their last eight games. The last five for Bosnia-Herzegovina have finished as draws, so I'm going to back the European outfit to frustrate Canada on home soil and hold them to a draw.

Nine of the last ten games for Canada have finished with under 2.5 goals scored. The same is true for all of the last five games for Bosnia-Herzegovina. Under 2.5 goals looks like a solid bet here.

World Cup 2026 gets under way, and one of the hosting nations, Mexico, gets us started with a game against the 2010 hosts, South Africa. The game is being played at the famous Estadio Azteca, which is 2,200 ft above sea level. Mexico are in excellent form coming into this game, having gone eight unbeaten and winning six of those eight matches. Mexico also kept six clean sheets in those eight matches. South Africa are coming into this after having only won once from their last seven games, with that solitary victory coming against Zimbabwe. South Africa are ranked 60th in the FIFA World Rankings, and host nation Mexico should kick off their World Cup with a win here, in my opinion.

Four of the last five games for Mexico finished with under 2.5 goals scored, while the last two games for South Africa also finished with under 2.5 goals.

France are one of the favourites to win this World Cup and they've reached the final in the last two tournaments. They, however, lost their last warm-up match to Ivory Coast last week, which may have raised a few eyebrows. The truth is that you can't take anything from these warm-up games regarding who a team is likely to play, as there's just so much experimentation going on. France are a squad littered with fantastic attacking talent, and they look highly likely to beat Northern Ireland here. However, Northern Ireland have seen all of their last seven games finish with under 2.5 goals scored, so they might be competitive enough to keep the score respectable. A solid win for France seems likely.

Ghana come into this after having lost all of their last five games, scoring only twice in those five games. An experimental Wales team is expected here, and this game will likely be played at a training-ground pace. Under 2.5 goals looks a decent bet here, in my opinion.

Fluminense are 3rd in the Brasileiro Série A, 7 points ahead of their opponents Cruzeiro, who are in 9th. Fluminense are in decent form too, having won four of their last five games in all competitions. However, Cruzeiro are also in decent form and are seven games unbeaten in all competitions. This looks a difficult game to call, and there's a decent chance that the points will be shared in my opinion. All of the last six head-to-head meetings between the two sides have finished with under 2.5 goals scored, so I'll go for a low-scoring draw. 1-1 is my prediction for this game.

All of the last six head-to-head meetings between these two sides have finished with under 2.5 goals scored. Unders looks a decent bet here.

Arsenal can take one step closer to winning the Premier League with a win at the Emirates Stadium tonight against relegated Burnley, who've not won any of their last 10 games and have lost 6 of their last 7. The last five head-to-head meetings between the sides show four victories for Arsenal and a draw, with Burnley having scored only once in those five matches. Burnley did show some spirit in their latest Premier League game, a 2-2 draw against Aston Villa, so they could prove stubborn. However, I can't see anything other than a win for Arsenal here.

All of the last nine FA Cup finals have featured either Manchester City or Chelsea. You could argue that both have underachieved in those finals too, with City winning two of their four finals and Chelsea only winning one of their five appearances. Chelsea come into this game in absolutely shocking form. They've lost eight of their last 11 games in all competitions, while City come into this in excellent form ??" unbeaten in nine, winning eight of those nine games. The head-to-head record between the two sides is ridiculously one-sided, as City are unbeaten against Chelsea in 13 meetings, winning 10 of those 13. Based on form and head-to-head domination, City have to be the pick here.

A very controversial penalty deep into stoppage time in Celtic's game against Motherwell has given the Scottish champions the opportunity to retain their title and deny Hearts a first Scottish league title since 1960. Celtic are in excellent form, having won all of their last seven games on the bounce. A win for Celtic seems likely in my opinion.

All three head-to-head meetings between Bolton Wanderers and Bradford City this season have finished with under 2.5 goals. Unders looks like a solid bet here.

Manchester City have lost just 1 of their last 19 games at the Etihad Stadium and have won the last 4 in a row. Crystal Palace have lost 3 of their last 4 away games. City look a solid bet here.

Five of the last six games for Celtic have finished with both teams scoring. Both teams to score looks a decent bet here.