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The World Cup is finally here. A few months later than normal but here nonetheless. The team at RotoBaller has you covered for all your World Cup needs. We'll be bringing you DFS articles, game previews, and betting picks throughout the competition.
To get things going, we're previewing a different group every day until the big kick-off on Sunday, November 20. We'll be predicting how each group will pan out, what to expect from each nation, and offering our favorite picks for every country involved. We'll be using units for each betting pick to track them, with 10 units being the maximum play for any pick and a total of 25 units played for each group.
Group D will see current World Cup holders France come up against fellow Europeans Denmark, Australia (representing the Asian Confederation) and former African Cup of Nations champions Tunisia. The reigning champions won’t have an easy path out of the group but they should be able to see off the competition and leave the remaining three nations to fight it out for second place.
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Australia Preview, Odds, Best Bet, and Predictions
Preview
Australia will be appearing in their fifth straight World Cup. They’ve failed to progress out of the first round in their last three tournaments and went winless in their previous two. Their qualification for the 2022 World Cup was far from easy. After winning all eight games in their first group phase, they finished third in the final stage and had to beat the United Arab Emirates and then Peru in playoffs to reach the World Cup, the latter tie being decided on penalties.
They are the fourth-ranked team from the Asian confederation and 38th overall according to FIFA but will be coming into the tournament without much preparation, with just two games played in the last five months (both against New Zealand). They also haven’t played against a team outside of the Asian or Oceanic confederations since June 2018 so they certainly don’t seem as well prepared as other nations.
Prediction
This is an Australian squad that looks weaker than previous tournaments and they scraped through qualifying so it's hard to see anything other than an early exit for the Aussies.
Favorite play: To finish bottom of Group D (+116) 7 units
Their lack of match preparation against any top teams could pose a problem and they haven’t been banging in the goals against the opposition they have faced. The two European sides in the group should have too much for Australia to contend with and the game against Tunisia could be what decides the wooden spoon in Group D. I’ll take my chances that Tunisia comes out on top.
Today's World Cup Sportsbook Odds - Group D
- DraftKings Sportsbook World Cup Odds - Bet Now on DraftKings!
- France to win the World Cup +700
- FanDuel Sportsbook World Cup Odds - Bet Now on FanDuel!
- France to win Group D -195
- Tunisia to win Group D +3200
- Australia to win Group D +3200
- Australia to win the World Cup +55000
- BetMGM Sportsbook World Cup Odds - Bet Now on BetMGM!
- Denmark to win Group D +275
- PointsBet Sportsbook World Cup Odds - Bet Now on PointsBet!
- Denmark to win the World Cup +3000
- Tunisia to win the World Cup +100000
- Caesars Sportsbook World Cup Odds - Bet Now on Caesars
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Denmark Preview, Odds, Best Bet, and Predictions
Preview
Denmark is ranked tenth in FIFA’s rankings and actually finished above France in their UEFA Nations League group, beating the World Champions back in June. Their qualification for the World Cup was as comprehensive as it comes, winning their first nine games and only losing the dead rubber tenth match against Scotland.
Last year, Denmark reached the semi-finals in the European Championships, an incredible achievement after Christian Eriksen collapsed and nearly died on the field after suffering a cardiac arrest during the group stages. Eriksen’s story will be a notable one in the World Cup but it shouldn’t detract from how good a side Denmark is and I wouldn’t be at all surprised if they pipped France to win the group.
Prediction
Denmark is a sleeper to go far in the tournament and could cause one or two upsets on the way. I fully expect them to get through the group stage and wouldn't be surprised if they made it to the final eight but that's dependent on if they avoid Argentina in the second round.
Favorite play: Total points in the group stage – Over 5.5 (-108) 8 units
Denmark has a recent win over France and is odds on favorite to beat Australia and Tunisia so they should be able to pick up two wins and get at least six points to cover this pick. I’d be looking to have a little play on them topping the group if I was looking for an upset among the eight groups and Denmark has as good a chance as any of upsetting a favorite.
France Preview, Odds, Best Bet, and Predictions
Preview
The defending Champions will want to avoid the recent trend of the World Cup holders being eliminated in the group stage, something that has been seen in the last three tournaments and something France experienced in 2002. You would think that France has far too much talent in their squad for history to repeat itself but we’ve seen stranger things and no one would have predicted the previous times it happened either.
They have an abundance of riches in attacking positions and with Karim Benzema and Kylian Mbappe, they boast two of the top forwards in the world. It’ll probably come as no surprise that they went unbeaten in their World Cup qualifying group, conceding just three goals in their eight games but they came unstuck in the UEFA Nations League more recently, finishing third of four teams, behind Croatia and Denmark.
Prediction
The reigning World Champions won't be repeating their 2018 achievement but they should still have a deep run in Qatar. If they slip up in the group stage and fail to top Group D, don't be shocked if they fail to reach the quarter-finals though.
Favorite play: To reach the semi-final (+160) 4 units
France’s recent World Cups have been feast or famine. In their last six tournaments, they’ve made the final three times (winning twice) and been eliminated in the group stages without winning a game twice. If that trend continues, France reaching the final four shouldn’t be ignored and between their stingy defense and forward talent, a repeat of four years ago shouldn’t be discounted either.
Tunisia Preview, Odds, Best Bet, and Predictions
Preview
Tunisia will be appearing in their sixth World Cup after qualifying by beating Mali 1-0 over two legs in their playoff. They won their group, conceding just two goals in the six games and they’ll be keen to show what they’re capable of on the international stage after causing controversy in African football. Despite qualifying for the 2020 African Cup of Nations (delayed until January 2021), they withdrew from the tournament citing ‘a congested schedule’.
That withdrawal doesn’t help their FIFA ranking, which currently sees them 30th in the world. They’ve never reached the second round of a World Cup and only have two wins in their previous five tournaments. They were minutes away from drawing against England four years ago and other than their 5-2 loss against Belgium in the 2018 edition, have never been embarrassed at a World Cup.
Prediction
Tunisia always seems to underachieve and as much as I'd like to see them finally get passed the first round stage, I'm struggling to see it happening this year. Another first-round exit beckons.
Favorite play: Total goals scored – Over 2.5 (+100) 6 units
One thing Tunisia has been able to do is score goals. They scored in all three group games at the 2018 World Cup (totaling five goals) and scored 11 goals in their last six international matches. Assuming they are able to beat Australia and score a couple against them, even if they don’t cause an upset, they will likely score a goal against Denmark or France and hit the over.
Good luck with those World Cup bets and remember to bet responsibly!
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