In a Group F opener for both sides, Canada takes on Belgium Wedenesday. Kickoff from Ahmad bin Ali Stadium is at 2 p.m. ET (FOX). Below, we analyze Tipico Sportsbook’s lines around the Belgium vs. Canada odds, and make our best World Cup bets, picks and predictions.
Belgium comes into this World Cup strong winning 4 games from 9 matches this calendar year, 2 of which came against teams competing in the World Cup. Those triumphs came against Wales and Poland (twice). Its most dominant performance of the year was a 6-1 victory over Poland in June in the UEFA Nations Cup.
Belgium’s squad stands out to a lot of people in this World Cup. Manchester City M Kevin De Bruyne is undoubtedly its best playmaker. However, Inter Milan F Romelu Lukaku — Belgium’s most dominant attacker — has just 1 goal for his club this season.
Canada has won 7 of 12 games in 2022, 3 of which were against countries in the World Cup (USA, Japan, and Qatar). Bayern Munich F Alphonso Davies is its most dangerous player and has 34 caps for his country and M Atiba Hutchinson is nearing his 100th appearance for Canada.
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Belgium vs Canada odds
Provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Tuesday at noon ET.
- Moneyline: Belgium -190 (bet $190 to win $100) | Canada +520 (bet $100 to win $520) | Draw +350
- Over/Under: 2.5 (O: -130 | U: +110)
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Prediction
Belgium 2, Canada 0
Moneyline (ML)
LEAN BELGIUM (-190).
Belgium is ranked 2nd in the FIFA Men’s Rankings, making it one of the strongest teams on paper coming into this World Cup. F Eden Hazard is one of Belgium’s strongest wingers and has 123 caps. His experience alone says a lot about how strong of a team it’s assembled.
Canada is ranked 41st in the world but should be an exciting competitor after beating several teams in this tournament. However, its 16.13% implied win percentage is indicative of how strong of a team it faces Wednesday.
Canada is mostly comprised of players that compete on MLS teams, while Belgium draws more from the EPL, La Liga, and Bundesliga. Also, Davies, their key player, may not be at 100% right now due to a hamstring injury, although he recently returned to training in full.
The talent for Belgium (-190) will be too much, but at this value, it is just a partial-unit play.
Over/Under (O/U)
BET UNDER 2.5 (+110).
Both teams have the capability to put the ball in the back of the net, but overall, Belgium has played a much stronger schedule and has more players that they can trust to score.
Belgium GK Thibaut Courtois is among the best in the world, and Belgium has gone Under this total in 4 of their last 4 competitions against World Cup sides.
Canada, on the other hand, has scored 20 goals in all competitions in their 2022 season. Unfortunately, they will not be able to compete or continue to score goals at will because they have not played a team of Belgium’s caliber this year.
Although Canada looks impressive on the scoresheet, Belgium just has too many weapons defensively to allow Canada to create many opportunities. Belgium has allowed just 4 goals in their last 5 competitions against WC teams.
Back the UNDER 2.5 (+110).
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