Cape Verde and Saudi Arabia face off this Saturday in their final group stage game.
Cape Verde is having a fantastic World Cup debut and could reach the final 32.
Cape Verde is in third place on the table but could move up for automatic progression.
Cape Verde and Saudi Arabia will play each other this Saturday in both sides’ final group match. Cape Verde, the World Cup debutantes, are enjoying a fairytale run after holding Spain to a 0-0 draw and coming from behind to level Uruguay at 2-2. They have a real chance of progressing to the knockout stages here but must overcome Saudi Arabia to retain second place.
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We don’t know about you, but we’ve loved the expanded format of this World Cup. There’s been more soccer, of course, and World Cup newbies have shown true passion and grit. That’s exemplified perfectly by Cape Verde, the archipelago nation making its first appearance in a World Cup.
Currently, Cape Verde is third on the Group H table. They’re tied on two points with Uruguay, but are just below on goals for and against. This could be significant for the next round opponent — as things stand right now, Cape Verde would face England in their first round of 32 match.
Cape Verde has a resilient and organized setup that prioritizes discipline rather than attacking mobility. They’re unbeaten so far in their Group H run, and that includes a goalless draw against tournament favorites Spain and a 2-2 tie with Uruguay, where they were forced to come from behind. A big part of Cape Verde’s strength comes from their keeper Vozinha, who saved seven shots from Spain (and became an Instagram hit at the same time).
Saudi Arabia, in contrast, has only managed one goal in their two matches, not counting an unlucky own goal by Hassan Al Tambakti in the match against Spain. That outing ended in a 4-0 defeat, but the Green Falcons were close to winning against a higher-rated Uruguay before dropping to a 1-1 draw.
This game is a must-win for Saudi Arabia, so we can expect a hard push into open play. However, we just can’t ignore the momentum of the Blue Sails, who seem to be having the time of their lives and will fancy their chances against the slightly higher-ranked team.
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A quick look at Cape Verde’s previous five matches shows fewer than two goals each time. Saudi Arabia has also only scored one goal across two matches. While both sides may be forced into attacking more than they’d wish, this match still looks set to be a low-scoring affair, favouring the under total pick.
BetMGM, one of the top World Cup betting sites, has odds of -130 on this pick, so it isn’t the highest value of all options. However, you could consider tying it to another option. Plus, newcomers can grab a welcome bonus, which differs according to their home state. The majority can access a safety net first bet up to $1,500, but this shifts in Colorado, Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia to $150 in bonus bets with a qualifying deposit and wager of at least $10.
As far as we know, there are no injury concerns or reported suspensions, so both managers will have full squads to choose from. So we’ve zoomed in on a few possible goal-scoring possibilities.
Al-Buraikan has scored 15 international goals in 69 appearances for Saudi Arabia and is still only 26. He’s the leading goal scorer of recent matches and will be pushing hard to give Saudi Arabia a much-needed goal.
Ryan Mendes, Cape Verde’s 36-year-old veteran, has 22 goals from 98 international appearances. He is the most experienced attacking member of the squad and may be able to expose weaknesses in the Saudi Arabian defense early on.
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