Russia v Saudi Arabia Betting Tips, Odds - 2018 FIFA World Cup
Gambling911.com has your Russia v Saudi Arabia betting tips and latest odds for the first matchup of the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
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RUSSIA BEST PLAYER
Igor Akinfeev - A six-time Russian title winner, Akinfeev has over 100 caps for his country. He is also the national team’s captain and will be an influential figure as they attempt to impress on home soil. Source: FIFA.com
Russian failed to impress in either of the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup or 2016 European championships.
The Russia coach Stanislav Cherchesov has had the worst win percentage (26.3%) compared to any other coach of the Russian team.
They are winless in all games this year so far.
Russia has never moved beyond the group stage of any FIFA World Cup.
SAUDI ARABIA BEST PLAYER
Striker Mohamed Al-Sahlawi of Al-Nassr. He's a prolific scorer who can put the ball away in a variety of ways. Now, he isn't a world beater by any imagination, but he's a hard-working player who doesn't need much space to make an impact. Source: CBS Sports
They have lost four of their last five games overall.
RUSSIA VS SAUDI ARABIA
Russia comes into this matchup as a 2/5 favorite. Saudi Arabia was at 9/1. The draw was at 3/1 odds.
Russia, having an advantage as the host country, hopes to escape the group stage but lacks competitive match practice for the past two years.
“Sbornaya” has won just four games in the 15 international friendlies played ever since, losing six of them.
From SportsKeeda:
Preparations for Saudi Arabia haven't been better off than Russia. Having sacked two coaches coming into the World Cup finals, Juan Antonio Pizzi has taken charge of the side only seven months ago.
The Green Falcons, however, will be a good match for the hosts in the opening game. Saudi Arabia have had slightly better form coming into the opening game with four losses and two wins, coming against Greece and Algeria. The Green Falcons played their last friendly, a spirited game against Germany narrowly losing 2-1, giving the defending champions a mighty scare.
RUSSIA VS SAUDI ARABIA BETTING TIPS
Since 1966 only 3 opening games have seen over 2.5 goals. Two of those OVERs occurred in the last three World Cups it should be noted.
7 of the 10 games since Saudi Arabia advanced beyond the group stage in 1994 have ended with over 2.5 goals due to their inability to defend.
Russia and Saudi Arabia, on average, have been scoring a goal a game.
You can get the OVER 1.5 at most books and that seems like a relatively safe play at acceptable 2/5 odds.
- Alistair Prescott, Gambling911.com
