World Cup 2018: Quarter-finals set to start this weekend with favourites Brazil playing on Friday

[PHOTO: COURTESY]

France take on Uruguay while hosts Russia meet Croatia

And then there were eight. The 2018 FIFA World Cup is now down to the quarter-final stage, with teams just two games away from a place in the final.

Getting the ball rolling

First things first, swing by the Oddsshark website, find your favourite betting agency and get your account sorted with your credit card. As a new customer and now the business end of the World Cup approaching, there should be several offers and promotions for you to enjoy.

Where should I be investing my money?

This coming Friday, Uruguay meet France at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium. France came through a thrilling 4-3 second round clash with Argentina, while Uruguay edged past Portugal 2-1 thanks to a stunning double from PSG forward Edinson Cavani.

The two sides have met on six previous occasions, but France are yet to get one over the South American nation. However, they come into this game as the favourites to reach the final four.

Looking at a simple bet on who will proceed, Uruguay are at 2.75 to go forward, while France are at a shorter 1.44 You can double your money if you think France will win inside 90 minutes, with them at 2.00, with the South Americans are at 4.60 to win by the full-time whistle, according to Oddsshark.

Quite possibly the most entertaining game in the quarters will be Brazil v Belgium. Both sides like to play attacking, open football and there could well be goals in this one.

You can double your money again by backing over 2.5 goals in this tie at 2.00. If you think there will be under 2.5 goals in the tie then you can back your hunch at the slightly lower price of 1.80.

Not for nothing, however, are Brazil the favourites to lift their sixth World Cup crown. The South American giants are at just 3.75 to win the tournament, ahead of both France and England, both priced at 5.00 to win a second World Cup crown.

And the South American giants are the clear favourites to get the better of Belgium in this tie. Tite’s side are at 2.10 to get a positive result inside 90 minutes, with Belgium out at 3.75.

Brazil have now won three games in a row by a 2-0 score line, and have conceded just one goal so far. Their defensive record has been stellar since Tite took over, and you can back Brazil to win by that same 2-0 result at a competitive price of 11.00.

On the Saturday (7 July), England take on Sweden after a nerve-wracking penalty shoot-out win over Colombia in the round of 16. If you think this one will also go to spot kicks you can then back either side to progress to the semi-finals at 11.00, offering over a ten-fold return on any investment.

But nevertheless, it is England who come in as the favourites to get the better of their opponents. Sweden, who beat a talented Swiss outfit 1-0 in the round of 16, are at 5.00 to get the better of Gareth Southgate’s side, while England are at just 1.83 to win.

But knock-out World Cup ties can be nervy, cagey affairs. If you prefer, you can go for the “Double Chance” option, thus allowing you to select two possible outcomes rather than just one.

Do you think that, after 90 minutes, that it will be wither a Sweden win or a draw? Then you can double your money on those outcomes at 2.00. An England win or a draw is at the shorter price of 1.18, while you can back either side to be ahead at the full-time whistle at 1.35.

The final quarter-final tie sees hosts Russia take on Croatia. The host nation have been impressive all tournament, none more so than when they eliminated one of the favourites for the title, Spain, in the round of 16.

Convincing victories over Saudi Arabia and Egypt during the group stages also showed that there are goals in this Russian outfit, and with Croatia boasting some of the most creative players in the world in their midfield, this clash has the potential to be entertaining. Croatia made the semi-finals of the World Cup in 1994 but could potentially go further here.

The Croatians are at a price of just 2.87 to reach the final and 1.53 to get to the final four at the expense of Russia. The hosts, meanwhile find themselves at 6.00 to make it all the way to the final.

World Cup quarter-final odds (after 90 minutes):

Friday, 6 July

5.00pm - (4.60) Uruguay x France (2.00); draw (3.20)

9.00pm – (2.10) Brazil x Belgium (3.75); draw (3.50)

Saturday, 7 July

5.00pm – (5.00) Sweden x England (1.83); draw (3.25)

9.00pm – (3.90) Russia x Croatia (2.25); draw (3.10)

 

World Cup finalists:

England (2.50)
Brazil (2.62)
Croatia (2.87)
France (3.00)

 

World Cup winners:

Brazil (3.75)
France (5.00)
England (5.00)
Croatia (7.00)
Belgium (7.00)