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2022 World Cup: Senegal vs Netherlands Odds, Picks & Predictions (Group A)

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With the World Cup right around the corner, we’re looking at the matchups to find our best bets for each.

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Senegal vs. The Netherlands (Group A)

The Netherlands and Senegal meet here for the second match of Group A. The opening whistle will be at 11 AM EST at Al-Thumama Stadium in Doha. These teams have never faced each other in any competition, so it will be amazing to see how their styles clash on the biggest stage that the game has to offer in the entire world!

The Netherlands allowed 0.8 goals per match in World Cup qualifying and scored 33 goals. Twelve of those goals came from Barcelona Striker Memphis Depay. There was a lot of doubt around Depay’s status for this match, so the fact that he made the roster shows that he will be a part of this team at some point. I think that with him potentially as a substitute option for The Netherlands for game 1, that absolutely is a factor for looking at the outcome for this specific matchup.

When you think about soccer in Senegal, there is no doubt that the name that comes to mind is Bayern Munich forward, Sadio Mane. However, there will be no Mane at this World Cup, so the world will learn about the defensive presence that the Senegalese provide to some of the best clubs in Europe. Also, one of the best goalkeepers in the world is on this squad, Chelsea’s Edouard Mendy. This team is very inexperienced and will not have their leader, so they may not have enough time to get it all together in time to get out of the group stage.

The Dutch are considered to be the strongest team in this group, and for good reason. They have not been defeated in their last 10 matches in all competitions. They won seven of those matches and had three draws. They face a decent challenge, as the Senegal back wall is no joke. They have many players playing all across Europe in the biggest leagues in the world.

As mentioned before, the big weakness for this Senegal squad is that they don’t have experienced goal scorers here for the tournament. Their talent allows them to hang with anyone if they don’t bring their “A” game, but I do not think it is their time to be seriously considered as a sleeper. That time is not far away, though.

The Netherlands is currently a -180 favorite, meaning that the books think that Senegal will have a tough time keeping up. With that being said, if both teams are missing significant pieces on offense, it is safe to say that betting that neither team scores is of really good value. Sure, many people will be on the Netherlands to win, and I project that they will too, but the Senegal team can establish control defensively and park the bus for a whole game if they truly get their way.

Pick: Both teams NOT to score (-150)

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