2018 FIFA World Cup Day 9 Preview & Expert Picks

The 2018 World Cup heads into its second weekend with a trio of games on the schedule on Friday. We will have one game from Group D and 2 more in Group E, which features tournament favorites Brazil. Day 7 did not produce a lot of goals, and I have a feeling that Day 9 might give us more of the same, which is good news for those of you who like to play the UNDER in the goal total. We have a bunch of teams that have not exactly lit things up offensively just yet, so expect the defense to be the order of the day. Let’s take a closer look at the three games set to go on Day 9 at the World Cup. Be sure to check the latest betting lines at MyBookie Sportsbook before placing your ticket.

2018 FIFA World Cup Day 9 Preview & Expert Picks

Brazil vs. Costa Rica

• Time (Local): 3:00 p.m.
• Where: Saint Petersburg Stadium, St. Petersburg
• 2018 World Cup Betting Odds: Brazil -475 / Costa Rica +1519 / Draw +520

It’s never easy to head into the World Cup as a favorite, especially when you are the team that has won it more than any other. Brazil arrives at every world cup with huge expectations laid upon them, and it looked as though the pressure got to them a little in their opening game, a 1-1 tie with Switzerland. Things started well enough, but frustration began to set in as they found it increasingly difficult to break down the stubborn Swiss defense. Neymar was essentially invisible, and when he did get some space, he was unceremoniously dumped. Brazil will need to be a whole lot better against Costa Rica, who are coming into this one in need of a win after losing 1-0 to Serbia in their opener. I expect Brazil to come out fast, and I like them to win comfortably.

Possible Line-Ups

Brazil

• 1-Alisson
• 3-João Miranda
• 2-Thiago Silva
• 12-Marcelo
• 14-Danilo
• 15-Paulinho
• 11-Philippe Coutinho
• 5-Casemiro
• 19-Willian
• 10-Neymar
• 9-Gabriel Jesus

Costa Rica

• 1-K. Navas
• 6-Ó. Duarte
• 16-C. Gamboa
• 3-G. González
• 2-J. Acosta
• 8-B. Oviedo
• 5-C. Borges
• 20-D. Guzmán
• 11-J. Venegas
• 10-B. Ruiz
• 21-M. Ureña

Score Prediction: Brazil 1 – Costa Rica 0

Nigeria vs. Iceland

• Time (Local): 6:00 p.m.
• Where: Volgograd Arena, Volgograd
• 2018 World Cup Betting Odds: Iceland +176 / Nigeria +178 / Draw +208

Iceland got their tournament off to a fantastic start, picking up a 1-1 tie in a game against Argentina that everyone expected them to lose. It was a typical hard-working effort from Iceland, and we should perhaps not be surprised at how organized they were given how well they played at the European Championships a couple of years ago. Nigeria is in need of a win here, as they went down 2-0 to Croatia in their opening game. It was a disappointing performance from Nigeria who did not look particularly effective in the attacking third of the field. It can be argued that Iceland is going to be tougher to break down than the Croatians were, so we can perhaps expect a rather dour affair here.

Possible Line-Ups

Iceland

• 1-H. Halldórsson
• 6-R. Sigurðsson
• 2-B. Sævarsson
• 18-H. Magnússon
• 8-B. Bjarnason
• 14-K. Árnason
• 20-E. Hallfreðsson
• 17-A. Gunnarsson
• 7-J. Guðmunds­son
• 10-G. Sigurðsson
• 11-A. Finnbogason

Nigeria

• 23-F. Uzoho
• 6-L. Balogun
• 5-W. Troost-Ekong
• 2-B. Idowu
• 12-A. Shehu
• 10-J. Obi Mikel
• 11-V. Moses
• 18-A. Iwobi
• 4-W. Ndidi
• 8-O. Etebo
• 9-O. Ighalo

Score Prediction: Nigeria 0 – Iceland 0

Serbia vs. Switzerland

• Time (Local): 8:00 p.m.
• Where: Kaliningrad Stadium, Kaliningrad
• 2018 World Cup Betting Odds: Serbia +165 / Switzerland +194 / Draw +203

Coming into this tournament, the questions being asked of these two teams were essentially the same. We knew that both teams were solid defensively, but we wondered where the goals were going to come from. Switzerland didn’t offer up much against Brazil. But did take their only real chance when scoring off a set piece. It was the exact same story for Serbia, as their lone goal, an absolute beauty, came directly from a free kick. I don’t think we are going o see a lot of chances created in open play in this game, and it will likely be set pieces that both teams will look to capitalize on. This looks to me like being a game that will be similar to the one we see between Iceland and Nigeria.

Possible Line-Ups

Serbia

• 1-V. Stojković
• 3-D. Tošić
• 6-B. Ivanović
• 11-A. Kolarov
• 15-N. Milenković
• 21-N. Matić
• 10-D. Tadić
• 4-L. Milivojević
• 20-S. Milinković-Savić
• 22-A. Ljajić
• 9-A. Mitrović

Switzerland

• 1-Y. Sommer
• 2-S. Lichtsteiner
• 13-R. Rodríguez
• 22-F. Schär
• 5-M. Akanji
• 11-V. Behrami
• 15-B. Džemaili
• 14-S. Zuber
• 23-X. Shaqiri
• 10-G. Xhaka
• 9-H. Seferović

Score Prediction: Serbia 0 – Switzerland 0