World Cup KnockOut Stages Bet Tips & Previews

16th day of the World Cup 2022 with bet tips and previews

After a memorable Group Stage with upsets and excitement aplenty, the World Cup plunges straight into the knockout phase.  

With no team gaining maximum points and all showing a degree of vulnerability, this is already looking like one of the most competitive World Cups ever, and with the one-and-done format of knockout football, that is only set to intensify.  

Here is a betting preview of the Round of 16 ties from the top half of the Round of 16 draw. 

England v Senegal 

Senegal came clutch when they needed to, holding their nerve to overcome Ecuador and progress to the Round of 16 for only the second time in their history. That they have managed to do this in the absence of talisman Sadio Mane is remarkable, and the achievement will no doubt forge a greater sense of unity within the squad.

For their trouble, they will face the significant challenge of getting past England. The Three Lions were comfortable in the end, but they looked less than fluent in the first half against Wales, and were unsettled by the midfield pressing from the USA. Nevertheless, advancement was achieved with minimal fuss, and considering England have never lost to an African side at a World Cup, Gareth Southgate will fancy his side to progress. 

The USA have offered the blueprint, so if Senegal are to have success, they will have to follow it. The good news is that it is the same strategy the Teranga Lions deployed against the Netherlands to some success in their opening match: what their midfield lacks in creativity, it makes up for with energy. Do that successfully, and they could make a proper fist of this. 

• Over 2.5 goals at 2.28 

France v Poland 

There was more than a hint of complacency to France’s approach to their final group match against Tunisia, especially considering they had not definitively qualified yet. As it happens, their healthy goal difference made that moot, but the defeat to Tunisia did raise some concerns over the quality of the French bench. 

With everyone available and healthy though, Les Bleus are a fearsome team. Kylian Mbappe and Antoine Griezmann have been two of the best players at this World Cup, and in tandem they pose the greatest threat to Poland. 

What is there to even say about the Poles? They showed against Saudi Arabia that they can play some football, but the other two group matches saw them completely uninterested in competing, and they scraped through here simply because the Saudis struck late on against Mexico. Robert Lewandowski aside, this is not a team that will worry Les Blues. 

They do have a pretty stubborn defence, but in truth a lot of that has been down to the heroics of goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny, who has saved two penalties already this tournament. Considering the speed France have upfront in Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele and how the Polish defenders could be forced into last-ditch tackles to keep up with the two French forwards, he may have to save more even, and that’s without considering the danger from open play. 

• Bet on a combo of Kylian Mbappe to score the first goal and France to win at 4.00  

From the evenly matched to the seemingly straightforward, the Round of 16 is set to throw up a lot of intrigue. Football as a sport is driven by emotion, so if you feel it, bet on it with BetKing today!