Published Jun 10, 11:33pm ET by
Keith McCarthy - Betting Preview Analyst and Sports Writer
Last updated Jun 10, 11:33pm ET
Credit: Shutterstock
Updated Jun 10, 11:43pm ET
New Zealand and Egypt face off in an intriguing Group G Matchup. Both teams are capable of making the knockout round, but need to take advantage of their games against similar opponents like this.
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| Egypt | -130 |
| DRAW | +285 |
| New Zealand | +370 |
New Zealand makes their return to the World Cup for the first time in 16 years, hoping to make a splash and advance into the elimination stage of the tournament. They will be underdogs in virtually all of their games, but possess enough talent and athleticism to surprise a few teams. They'll need to find an offensive rhythm to earn a win in this game against an Egypt team that shut them out in a practice match two years ago.
Egypt was unable to earn any wins the last time they were in the World Cup, but enters this game as the favorite. They rank 29th in the world currently, well above #85 New Zealand. In order to avoid a disappointing result, Egypt needs to jump out fast and early in this one, pressuring New Zealand's defenses. They will look to improve on a narrow 1-0 victory from their last head-to-head matchup.
New Zealand and Egypt are both intriguing teams in this tournament. They aren't expected to go far, but have the athletic upside to make some noise if they're playing their best. Egypt has a notable advantage in this game as far as matchups go, but I see them having some trouble breaking apart New Zealand's system. Expect a low-scoring matchup like the last time they faced off, something similar to a 1-1 tie.
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Pick
Draw (+285)
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