The last two quarter-final places are up for grabs tonight - starting with Argentina versus Egypt in Atlanta at 5pm.
ARGENTINA 3/10 EGYPT 9/1 DRAW 7/2 (5pm ITV)
Argentina (Ranked 2) form:
(xG 2.26) Argentina 3-2 Cape Verde (Ranked 64)
(xG 2.13) Argentina 3-1 Jordan (Ranked 73)
(xG 2.36) Argentina 2-0 Austria (Ranked 23)
(xG 1.26) Argentina 3-0 Algeria (Ranked 29)
Shots: 55 Shots on target: 24 HT/FT goals: 5-4 Corners: 17 Cards: 3
Egypt (Ranked 24) form:
(xG 1.33) Egypt 1-1 Australia (Ranked 28)
(xG 0.84) Egypt 1-1 Iran (Ranked 22)
(xG 1.87) Egypt 3-1 New Zealand (Ranked 86)
(xG 1.08) Egypt 1-1 Belgium (Ranked 8)
Shots: 61 Shots on target: 18 HT/FT goals: 3-3 Corners: 25 Cards: 8
Argentina’s narrow victory over Cape Verde kept their winning run going - against much lower-ranked teams - along with a string of solid xG’s, but the jury remains out as to whether they’ll be lifting the trophy on July 19.
Egypt don’t seem to be in the kind of form to take advantage, though, and the stats above not only confirm the gulf in FIFA rankings, but Argentina also boss the xG’s and shots on targets - even Lionel Messi leads Mo Salah 7-1 in goals.
With Argentina’s winning margins narrowing with each round, and the fact Egypt settled for three draws from four games at the tournament - making it seven from their last 13 outings - another draw at 7/2 makes some appeal, especially as Egypt netted in all four games so far.
This will only be the pair’s second-ever meeting after Argentina won 2-0 in 2008, and while I can’t see it being as comfortable for Argentina, they could nick this 2-1 at 8/1, the same odds for Egypt taking it to extra-time following another 1-1.
The bets: ARGENTINA TO WIN 2-1 & DRAW 1-1 at 8/1 and 8/1.
Vancouver hosts the final Round of 16 game between Colombia and Switzerland at 9pm.
COLOMBIA 6/5 SWITZERLAND 12/5 DRAW 2/1 (9pm ITV)
Colombia (Ranked 11) form:
(xG 2.04) Colombia 1-0 Ghana (Ranked 65)
(xG 1.70) Colombia 0-0 Portugal (Ranked 7)
(xG 0.98) Colombia 1-0 DR Congo (Ranked 134)
(xG 1.61) Colombia 3-1 Uzbekistan (Ranked 60)
Shots: 81 Shots on target: 29 HT/FT goals: 2-3 Corners: 17 Cards: 6
Switzerland (Ranked 15) form:
(xG 2.45) Switzerland 2-0 Algeria (Ranked 29)
(xG 1.12) Switzerland 2-1 Canada (Ranked 30)
(xG 2.06) Switzerland 4-1 Bosnia-HZ (Ranked 61)
(xG 3.20) Switzerland 1-1 Qatar (Ranked 59)
Shots: 56 Shots on target: 27 HT/FT goals: 2-7 Corners: 23 Cards: 3
Colombia have to pack their suitcases and travel the furthest north in the tournament so far having played in Mexico, Miami and Kansas - unlike Switzerland, who will be very familiar in their surroundings having beaten Canada 2-1 and Algeria 2-0 here at BC Place the last twice.
That edge has to count for something in Switzerland’s favour, along with the Swiss also boasting much higher XG’s coming into this fascinating encounter.
Neither side are fast-starters, however, with Colombia’s goals coming in minutes: 14, 40, 65, 76, 90, while Switzerland struck on minutes: 10, 17, 46, 46, 57, 74, 84, 90, 90 - there could be late drama if that pattern continues.
This is a tough one to call, and my overall feeling is that a 1-1 draw could be the best option at 5/1.
The bet: 1-1 DRAW at 5/1.
Join us for more World Cup bets and big-match analysis on Thursday morning when France and Morocco clash in the first quarter-final match.
Read David’s ante-post selections here.
DAVID MYERS'S WORLD CUP DAILY BETS (scale 1-5 points):
ROUND OF 16:
ARGENTINA VS EGYPT
1pt ARGENTINA TO WIN 2-1 (8/1 BoyleSports)
1pt DRAW 1-1 (8/1 BoyleSports)
COLOMBIA VS SWITZERLAND
1pt 1-1 DRAW (5/1 BoyleSports)
