Rio 2016 Men’s Soccer Semifinals Betting Picks

Posted by Joe Solari on Tuesday,August 16, 2016 4:31, EDT in

It’s Brazil vs. Honduras and Nigeria vs. Germany in the Rio 2016 Men’s Soccer Semifinals. Which two teams will make it to the finals and battle it out in the all-important Gold Medal match? Get the full low-down as we break it down for you in the online soccer betting preview and predictions below.

Take a Look at the Rio 2016 Men’s Soccer Semifinals Betting Picks

Brazil vs. Honduras Men’s Soccer Preview and Picks

Where: Maracanã Stadium, Rio De Janeiro
When: Wednesday, August 17, 12:00 pm ET
TV: NBC Sports Network / Telemundo
Live Stream: NBC
Game Odds: Brazil 1:2, Honduras 12:1

After starting the tournament with lackluster 0-0 performances in their first two opening games, the Olympic hosts Brazil have since picked up the pace, thrashing Denmark 4-0 in their final group game to earn a spot in the quarterfinals. The Brazilians then followed that with a 2-0 win over South American rivals Columbia, thanks to goals from Luan Vieia and team star Neymar. Honduras, meanwhile, continued their surprising run in their maiden Olympic Tournament by beating 2012 Bronze medalists South Korean 1-0 in the quarterfinals, courtesy of a solitary goal from Alberth Elis. With momentum on Brazil’s side and an unbeaten record to boast of so far in the tourney, it’s hard to see the hosts losing to a Honduras side that is deficiently-endowed with star power. That said, Honduras has a solid team-oriented style of play to go along with a good defense; a key reason they managed to draw against the likes of Argentina in Group D and qualify for the knockout stages with a one-goal differential. Bettors should thus be careful from writing off the Los Catrachos from continuing their run with another shock upset over the Brazilians.

Writer’s Pick: Brazil beats Honduras 2-1

Nigeria vs. Germany Men’s Soccer Preview and Picks

Where: Arena Corinthians, Sao Paulo
When: Wednesday, August 17, 3:00 pm ET
TV: NBC Sports Network / Telemundo
Live Stream: NBC
Game Odds: Germany 2:3, Nigeria 4:1

The Germans have been absolute class when it comes to finding the back of the net in the Olympics. This was clearly evidenced as they thrashed Portugal 4-0 in the quarterfinals, a result that came after they scored a whopping 15 goals in the group stage (2 goals vs. Mexico, 3 goals vs. South Korea and 10 goals vs. Fiji). With Arsenal youngster Serge Gnabry and sharpshooting forward Nils Peterson continuing to impress in the offense, you can be sure that Manager Horst Hrubesch’s boys will be causing all kinds of problems to Nigeria in the semifinal. That, however, isn’t to say that Nigeria, the tournament’s dangerous sleepers, will be taking the beating lying down. The Africans impressively finished top of their group after beating Sweden and Japan, before falling to Columbia in a meaningless final group meeting. And to prove that the Columbia loss was nothing but an acceptable blemish, the Super Eagles beat Denmark 2-0 in the quarterfinals, thanks to goals from Chelsea mainstay John Mikel Obi and Aminu Umar. Germany will obviously be the toughest team the Nigerians have faced so far, but with starters like Umar Sadiq, Mikel and Azubuike Okechukwa capable of manning up to the task at hand, Samson Siasia’s boys should be of putting up a strong fight, maybe even pulling an unlikely upset.

Writer’s Pick: Nigeria Upends Germany 3-2