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2022 World Cup: United States vs Wales Odds, Picks & Predictions (Group B)

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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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United States vs. Wales (Group B)

For the second match of Group B, we have a match with extremely high stakes for both countries involved. The United States takes on Wales at 2 p.m. EST. This match will take place at Ahmad bin Ali Stadium in Al Rayyan. One of these teams is expected to move on to the next round out of this group, and England will get the other spot. Currently, the US is -105 to advance, and Wales is +110. For comparison, England is -1100. The United States is favored in this match by just about the slightest margin that a team can be favored, so it is anyone’s guess as to what will happen, but let’s look at some logic and see what should happen.

The United States soccer brand has come a long way to be able to even be ranked against a very respectable European squad, but they aren’t anything near a top-tier in the world. Their star is Chelsea’s Christian Pulisic, and when he has been on the pitch, he shows flashes of being a great player among the world’s best competition. The chance for the US here comes with his boot. He has five goals in the team’s 10 World Cup qualifying matches, and the team allowed 0.9 goals per game.

On the side of Wales, their biggest name player is Gareth Bale, who, ironically enough, is now a member of LAFC of Major League Soccer. He had five goals in seven qualifying games, and Wales will be looking to come out strong after a performance in the UEFA Nations League that was nothing short of abysmal. One positive note from that was that they scored in all of those games but one, even though they went 0-4-1.

All in all, for this game, the urgency is tangible. If the feel of this game is not one of pure stress for the players, then the Iranians will be ready to burst on the scene and jump them both. They are desperate for World Cup points, and with FOUR YEARS to prepare, I never feel bad for a team who doesn’t understand what is at stake.

The last time that these teams faced was a 0-0 draw. Granted, it was a friendly, but did they give a potential blueprint for what to expect this time around? With the paces that these teams have been scoring goals and with the expected energy, I like for Both teams to Score @ +105. The Draw is very attractive at +195, but to get a draw play from a game that is essentially a pick ’em from me would be wrong.

Bet: Both teams to score (+105)

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