The final match of the second day of action at the FIFA World Cup comes from Group B and will see Wales competing in the tournament for the first time in 64 years when they go up against USA in Al Rayyan.
These two sides will know that England await them down the line so it is important for them to get something out of this match to get themselves into a position where they can qualify. Whoever loses here will be up against it.
Where to watch
The match will be live and in full on the ITV 1 channel in the UK. The build-up in Al Rayyan begins at 6.05pm and kick off comes at 7pm.
USA
America have qualified for the tournament for the first time in eight years and now they are here they will be looking to at least emulate the squads of 2010 and 2014 and make it out of the group stage. If that is to happen then this is a key game in their campaign. I think it is fair to say that this USA team arrive at the tournament without too much in the way of expectation because their form going into the competition has been indifferent at best.
Goals have been a bit of an issue for USA heading into this tournament. That has always been the case but with the likes of Christian Pulisic in their ranks much more is expected of them. USA are competitive in the middle of the park and generally tight at the back although probably not to the level that previous teams have been. They do have a core of Premier League players though so they don’t look the worst team in the competition on paper.
Wales
This will be a historic evening for Wales as they compete in the World Cup for the first time in 64 years. They have been to the last two European Championships so it isn’t like they are devoid of tournament experience but this one means a little more you feel. Wales have to make sure they play the match rather than the occasion though because they need to get something from this game but they won two knockout matches to make it here so they have positive experiences of pressurised situations.
We know that Wales have individual quality to open up any side and they are generally a tough nut to crack under Robert Page. The question over them over the course of this tournament is whether they can get enough out of their two world class stars to be competitive or whether the competition has come a little late in their careers. The other slight doubt comes in goal where you get the feeling nobody has truly owned that spot.
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Team News
USA have a couple of fitness concerns heading into this match with Weston McKennie and Sergino Dest, two of their squad at huge European clubs, both having to pass fitness tests if they are to play. It looks like Arsenal keeper Matt Turner will be between the sticks.
Wales will be without midfielder Joe Allen as he hasn’t been passed fit for the opening game. Gareth Bale is fit to skipper the side however while Aaron Ramsey is also expected to start. Danny Ward looks set to be the goalkeeper.
Betting
I’m expecting a pretty tight game here. Wales aren’t really a free scoring side and have made it pretty clear that this is a match they can’t afford to lose and that is their overriding concern rather than winning it. I do think they’ll find USA are perfect opponents for them to come out on top though if they are brave enough to go after the win. I don’t really like the vibes of either side here so I’ll head to the side market for a bet on this match.
That comes in the form of the shots from Daniel James. We can be fairly confident that Wales are going to sit deep and look to play on the counter and James will be crucial in that. He should be confident after his goal against Manchester United last weekend and is generally a threat for Wales. Gareth Bale can’t get about the pitch as much but he can still create things for the likes of James. I don’t really want to trust James to hit the target but the 10/11 on him to have more than 1.5 shots of any kind looks decent enough to me.
Tips
Back D.James – Over 1.5 shots for a 3/10 stake at 1.91 with Bet365
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