Big-Money Bets Pouring in on Friday’s Spain-Portugal World Cup Match
Portugal
Day two of the World Cup gives us three interesting matches to bet on:
- Uruguay vs. Egypt (8 a.m. ET)
- Morocco vs. Iran (11 a.m. ET)
- Portugal vs. Spain (2 p.m. ET)
Below I will examine the market for each game.
Uruguay vs. Egypt (8 a.m. ET), Group A
Uruguay opened -140 at Pinnacle for this match but shot up to -180 as soon as Egypt's Mo Salah was injured in the Champions League Final on May 26. Since that time, the odds have slipped back down to -170/-175, but Uruguay is still attracting nearly 80% of betting tickets.
Here's a look at the betting breakdown at Pinnacle since lines opened:
Salah (shoulder) is expected to play, but it's hard to know how healthy he'll be. A win here is crucial for both teams after seeing Russia throttle Saudi Arabia 5-0 in the Group A opener.
The over/under is set at just two goals (over -145), and the over is the most lopsided total on the board so far, attracting 84% of tickets.
Morocco vs. Iran (11 a.m. ET), Group B
Morocco opened as slight +137 favorites in a pivotal Group B matchup and have moved to +128. Both teams will want to win and get all three points, knowing it'll be tough to get anything from Spain and Portugal. Morocco reached as high as +150 over the last few months but never dropped below +122. Based on the odds, this will be one of the most competitive matches of the group stage.
Public bettors have liked the over in this game as well, moving the juice on two goals from over +135 to over -105.
Portugal vs. Spain (2 p.m. ET), Group B
The majority of bettors are on Spain, but their odds have moved from -110 to +112. They just fired their head coach Julen Lopetegui two days ago and replaced him with Fernando Hierro, so the line movement is likely a combination of two things: sportsbooks reacting, and money quickly pouncing on Portugal. This will easily be the most-bet game of the day, and you'll want to keep an eye on the lines and percentages up until kickoff.
More World Cup Betting Coverage
How would you rate this article?
Follow Us On Social
