Saturday's World Cup slate has two great matches to get things started. Netherlands and Sweden meet at 1:00 p.m. ET in Houston, and Germany faces Ivory Coast at 4:00 p.m. ET in Toronto, Canada. At night, we'll have two more games: Ecuador vs. Curacao at 8:00 p.m. ET in Kansas City, and Tunisia vs. Japan at midnight ET in Monterrey, Mexico.
Soccer fans around the globe are enthralled by this tournament, but so are bettors immersed in the many available markets. So, we'll keep bringing you game and player prop picks for every matchday until the final on July 19th.
Let's get into our World Cup prop picks for Saturday, June 20.
World Cup Props for Saturday
Sweden vs Netherlands Prop Picks
Sweden had eight shots on target (out of 13) against Tunisia. You could say the Netherlands is way above that level as an opponent, and you'd be right, but this is a good matchup for the Nordics.
Sweden boasts a potent offense with Alexander Isak and Viktor Gyokeres, and their rivals are not as strong defensively as they once were.
Plus, Sweden's matches are usually high-scoring affairs — between friendlies and qualifiers, the team has had six of their past seven games feature four or more goals, including their past 5-1 victory against Tunisia.
This bet hit in Sweden's debut match, so we'll back Isak again here against the Netherlands.
Whether he scores or assists Gyokeres or any other teammate, we're getting great value.
You can parlay both picks (+379) at FanDuel.
Ivory Coast vs Germany Prop Picks
Germany won't be able to repeat their 7-1 thrashing of Curacao. However, Ivory Coast got away with a late-goal win against Ecuador, and probably an undeserved one at that.
They would be glad to draw Germany or even contain their offense. I don't think they will be much of a threat, and that includes going scoreless on Saturday.
I don't expect Ivory Coast to scare Manuel Neuer and the German defense frequently, given they only had four shots on target (out of 16) against Ecuador.
So, if you want to go with three saves, it will pay +115, but my preference would be to go with just two and use it as a parlay piece with the previous pick to get +266 at DraftKings.
Curacao vs Ecuador Prop Picks
Ecuador couldn't break through Ivory Coast's defense in their debut match, with only one of their 10 shots being on target. However, they managed to take five corner kicks, which should prove more productive against a much weaker opponent this time around.
Curacao not only conceded seven goals against Germany, but also allowed them to take eight corners. If the trend continues, Ecuador should be able to get around the same amount or more, given their urgency.
Japan vs Tunisia Prop Picks
Japan scored two goals against the Netherlands, and Tunisia got thrashed 5-1 by Sweden. However, it's more than the sum of these parts.
Tunisia can't do much worse, so they will need to take chances, and Japan has the opportunity to add three points, which will likely secure them a spot in the next round before facing the threat of Sweden in their third match. There's no time for caution or cowardice.
