Published Jun 17, 4:01pm ET by
Keith McCarthy - Betting Preview Analyst and Sports Writer
Last updated Jun 17, 4:01pm ET
Credit: Shutterstock
Updated Jun 17, 4:01pm ET
Curacao and Ivory Coast meet in a key Group E matchup. Looking to avoid that 4th-place elimination spot, Curacao will seek to do the improbable. Ivory Coast enters as a wide favorite in this matchup.
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|
|---|---|
| Ivory Coast | -700 |
| DRAW | +800 |
| Curacao | +1800 |
Curacao had the most lopsided loss of any team in the Group Stage's first set of games, falling 7-1 to Germany. They competed well for much of the first half, leveling things 1-1 about 20 minutes in. Unfortunately, their deficit ballooned in the second half, as Curacao was unable to stop Germany's relentless offensive attack. It's a lot of uphill sledding from here, but Curacao can still salvage things with a win in this game.
Ivory Coast earned a key win in their first game, shutting out Ecuador 1-0. A fortuitous matchup in the second game against Curacao gives them an excellent chance of claiming their spot in the 32-team knockout stage before they even have to play their third game. Defensively, Ivory Coast should have a huge advantage, but coming into this game expecting an easy win could also create a pitfall for a surprise upset.
Curacao had among the lowest ranking and longest odds of any team entering the World Cup, and has so far had results that fit those numbers. It's an astounding accomplishment for an island of just 150k people to make it the World Cup stage, and Curacao should be beyond proud of that, regardless of how the next two games go. As far as betting goes, you're best off picking them to lose those games as well.
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Pick
Ivory Coast to win (-700)
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