Published Jul 6, 4:44am ET by
Alex Dudley - Betting Preview Analyst and Sports Writer
Last updated Jul 6, 4:44am ET
Credit: Shutterstock
Updated Jul 6, 4:44am ET
The reigning holders of the FIFA World Cup will be in round of 16 action on July 7, as Argentina will be heavily favored to overcome Egypt.
The reigning champions overcame a huge test in the round of 32, and their performance levels will need to improve against one of the best African nations.
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|
|---|---|
| Argentina | -253 |
| DRAW | +380 |
| Egypt | +850 |
It has been a dominant World Cup campaign to this point for Argentina, as they have won all four of their fixtures.
However, defensive vulnerability was evident in their latest outing, as they narrowly avoided one of the greatest soccer shocks in a 3-2 win against Cape Verde.
Lionel Messi once again showcased his quality, scoring the opening goal of the game. That effort means that the legendary star has now scored seven goals in four appearances this summer.
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Hossam Hassan's Egypt have matched their best-ever showing at the World Cup, reaching the round of 16 for the first time since 1934.
After finishing second in Group G, Egypt were handed a seemingly straightforward assignment in the previous round, but they required penalties to edge out Australia.
In truth, the African nation rode their luck at points in the second half of that clash. Defensive weakness has been a trait of their game this summer, allowing at least one goal in all four of their fixtures.
This should be a straightforward evening for the reigning world champions. Argentina's character was on display in the recent win, but we could foresee them winning by at least a two-goal margin in this round of 16 clash against Egypt.
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Pick
Argentina (-253)
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