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The first game in Group G features Switzerland and Cameroon going head-to-head on Thursday. Those teams join group favorites Brazil, and Serbia in Group G of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. Group G and Group H are the last two to play their first matches, and all the teams in those two groups play on Thursday.

These teams have never met in a competitive match. The group opener kicks off at Al Janoub Stadium in Al Wakrah, Qatar, at 5:00 am ET on Thursday. The game will be shown on FS1, and Switzerland is a -130 favorite, with Cameroon at +400 and a draw at +230. Let’s have a closer look at the upcoming game between Switzerland and Cameroon, along with their FIFA World Cup Odds.

2022 FIFA World Cup Betting Analysis: Switzerland vs Cameroon Group G Matchup

Switzerland Preview

Switzerland came into the World Cup as the No. 13 ranked team in the FIFA World Rankings. They qualified for the World Cup by winning their UEFA Qualification group, which included Italy, and they didn’t lose any of the eight qualifiers. They have the second-best odds to win Group G, behind Brazil, as the tournament begins.

This will be the fifth straight World Cup for the Swiss, and they have made it out of the group stage in three of their last four tournaments. At Euro 2020 last summer, they made it to the quarterfinals before losing on penalty kicks to Spain. That run included a round of 16 wins via penalty kicks over 2018 World Cup champions France.

Switzerland scored 15 goals in their eight qualifiers, then went 3-3 in the 2022 Nations League, splitting games with Spain, Portugal, and Czech Republic. Except for a 4-0 loss in Portugal, the other five games were decided by one goal.

The Swiss are led by Haris Seferovic, Xherdan Shaqiri, Breel Embolo, and Granit Xhaka on offense. Seferovic has 25 goals in 89 international games and is +220 to score on Thursday, while Embolo is +240 and Shaqiri is +275. Embolo was born in Cameroon and plays for Ligue 1 side Monaco where he has seven goals this season, and he scored in two of their three Nations League wins this summer. Xhaka is the Swiss captain, and the Arsenal man has 19 goals in 107 games, while Shaqiri has 26 goals in 109 Swiss games. Yann Summer, who plays for German side Borussia Monchengladbach is a veteran goalkeeper with 77 caps and appearances in multiple international competitions.

Cameroon Preview

Cameroon enters the tournament ranked No. 43 in the world, and they have the longest odds to win Group G. They were one of the final teams to qualify for the World Cup, scoring in the 124th minute to beat Algeria on away goals in the second leg of a playoff on March 29. Karl Toko Ekambi scored that winner, just moments after Algeria scored to take the lead on aggregate.

The Indomitable Lions haven’t been to the World Cup since 2014, and they have been eliminated in the group stage in their last five appearances. They are now 32 years removed from the Cinderella run to the Italia ‘90 quarterfinals and a 3-2 extra-time loss to England.

Cameroon are led by captain Vincent Aboubakar who has 33 goals in 92 games, including eight at the 2021 African Cup of Nations. He is +330 to score against Switzerland, with Bayern Munich striker Eric-Maxim Choupo-Moting at +400. Toko Ekambi, who plays for Lyon, has 12 international goals, while Choupo-Moting has 20.

Since qualification ended, the Lions are 1-2-2 in friendlies leading up to the World Cup. Choupo-Moting and Toko Ekambi both scored in those friendlies and are playing well for their clubs leading into the tournament. Andre Onana will be in goal for Cameroon, and the Internazionale keeper was the starter at AFCON this year when the Eagles took third place.

Betting Preview

Switzerland are the favorites to win on Thursday at -150 with a draw at +235. Cameroon is +400 to start the group stage with a win and all three points. Over 2.5 goals in the game is +130, while under 2.5 goals is -160.

The game is massive for the Swiss to start with a positive result as they play Group G favorites Brazil in their second game. Getting all three points against Cameroon sets them up with some margin of error. On the flip side, the Eagles must get points against the two European sides in this group to return to the knockout round for the first time since 1990.

Pick: Switzerland 2-0 (-150) | Under 2.5 goals (-160)

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