This article is part of our World Cup series.
England and France may be the most intriguing match of the World Cup quarter-finals and while people will be glued to that one, Saturday's early contest should be just as fun. Can Morocco score another upset against a Portugal side coming off a six-goal high?
World Cup Best Bets for Morocco versus Portugal
No goals in the first half between Portugal and Morocco +150
World Cup first-half no goal bets can be found at the DraftKings Sportsbook. If you need to sign up, click through our DraftKings promo code page for a deposit bonus.
While I didn't suggest the best bets from the Round of 16 for Morocco and Portugal, I read those games perfectly and think this one isn't too hard to read, either. Morocco will likely play this similar to the Croatia and Spain contests in which they sat back a bunch and attacked on the counter. The difference is that Portugal aren't as possession heavy as Spain and through four World Cup matches, they haven't had trouble scoring.
Morocco's main task is to not allow a first-half goal because that's what happened to Switzerland and things quickly got out of hand once they got out of their defensive formation. Morocco have played well, but the likely absence of center-back Nayef Aguerd is a massive issue as replacement Jawad El Yamiq isn't even a regular starter for Valladolid.
But because of their full-backs, I think Morocco will have enough to keep this scoreless in the first half. It wasn't long ago that Portugal didn't score in the first half against Ghana or Uruguay and it's not like they were scoring freely prior to the World Cup. I believe in Morocco's defense enough to take no goals in the first half at +150. Along with that, I'm leaning toward the under but under 2.5 goals is -150, so that inevitably leads me to Portugal to win in a shutout at +145. Since I got screwed on that bet against Switzerland, I won't fully suggest it again.
World Cup Best Bets for England versus France
England to advance over France +105
It's a bit surprising that England aren't favored, but that may have something to do with the english-speaking media hating on Gareth Southgate every hour of the day. Kylian Mbappe has arguably been the best player in the tournament, yet I'm not sure there's another takeaway for this French team. Neither France nor England have had the most difficult of schedules and that could come into play for this matchup.
France have yet to face an opponent that likes to possess the ball or that has a legitimate attack. The same goes for England in terms of not facing a team with a real, elite striker. So what does that mean? We'll find out, but I think England are built a little better and don't rely on one player to do the extraordinary.
Instead of getting into the weeds with a corner bet, I'll grab England to advance at +105. I'm close to taking them +205 in regular time, but I don't feel overly safe with them if they get a 1-0 lead and have to sit back against Mbappe.
World Cup Quarter-Finals Betting Picks Saturday, Dec. 10
- No goals in the first half between Portugal and Morocco +150
- England to advance over France +105
Visit RotoWire all season for exclusive sports betting picks and our weekly Kits & Wagers betting show. Remember that betting apps vary in terms of odds, so we have an easy-to-use odds page that allows you to shop for the best lines at DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM and PointsBet. You can also use the WynnBET promo code for $100 in free bets.
