DrO

Well, 2/2 in the finals for a nice wrap!

Marketa Vondrousova is a Wimbledon Champion 🏆

The exhaustion is more from the aggravation of blowing a match she should win. But next time you are aware of someone who chokes, please tell me before the match. At least I could save some money 😃

Obviosly Haddad Maia does have legs for the match,but she also have a courage and tennis iq..which Jabeur doesn't.

Alex De Minaur to beat Tomas Etcheverry at 1.80 with William Hill
De Minaur is no clay court specialist, and Etcheverry is, but the Aussie is competent on all the surfaces and I think he's still better, especially after playing himself into a decent enough form recently. There will be plenty of long rallies in this one, and I like De Minaur's condition a bit more honestly, so that's the edge that should hopefully carry him through.
Francisco Cerundolo to beat Yannick Hanfmann at 1.50 with William Hill
Hanfmann had an exhausting epic in the first round, and one that even had plenty of ups and downs, both mentally and physically. Cerundolo has been extremely solid recently, and I think he should just take this quite comfortably if he turns up in a fine enough form.
Jasmine Paolini to beat Olga Danilovic at 2.09 with Pinnacle
Once again, I'm going against Danilovic after successfully backing Watson to cover the handicap against her during the qualifiers. She's still holding up physically by all accounts, but Paolini is a nightmare match-up to test her stamina, and a very competent clay court player in all regards as well. She'll make Danilovic play plenty of extra shots, which is something that worked against her in the past, so everything above about 1.90 looks value to me here.

Alexander Zverev to beat Daniil Medvedev at 2.3 with bet365
Medvedev has said he's gonna try harder on clay this season and that's already true to an extent, but I think Sascha is much more devoted to this surface and should prevail today. 

This will probably be the best sports highlight of 2023. 
 

I have exactly same issue.

Unfortunately, we won't get any tips from Whelky75...that number in his nickname is a good approximation of how many accounts he's made here over the years.

Pity this didn't come in..so close.

He had elbow surgery

The famous outfit of Dominik Hrbaty, from 20 years ago, finally got a worthy successor

The famous outfit of Dominik Hrbaty, from 20 years ago, finally got a worthy successor

Could I have 50-50

Well, that couldn't have gone much better for my bets!  Congratulations to Argentina on becoming world champions and here's to Lionel Messi who must now surely have his status as the greatest player of all-time sealed! 

Yes, I certainly think backing this game to go into extra-time is worthwhile so maybe the draw after 90 minutes at 12/5 with Betfred is another sound pick.

Don't apologise. All about opinions. Croatia are favourites for a reason. I just feel that given Japan have already upset the odds twice this tournament they are worth the risk. What a story it would be!

The penultimate day of games in the last 16 is coming up on Monday and it's a couple of games that have contradicting vibes about them. Japan versus Croatia is a match that might've looked a given for Croatia going into the tournament but this is a Japanese team that has already beaten both Germany and Spain. The resolve shown by Hajime Moriyasu during that final game to seal top spot in their group was unreal and makes me feel they could be worth backing here. Zlatko Dalic's men looked very under-cooked in their group games against Morocco and Belgium but those impotent displays sandwiched a 4-1 demolition of Canada. I can see why Croatia are the favourites to progress but I think they'll need extra-time or even penalties to do it. Japan are certainly worth the value though and, as a football romantic, I can't resist that. I've been very impressed by them this tournament especially when they are written off. Unfortunately, my boy Takefusa Kubo is a doubt after missing training so I won't be able to place an anytime scorer bet on him! Kubo! Kubo! Kubo! 
It's Brazil taking on South Korea in the second game and you have to say it seems obvious to back Tite's side. They remain my favourites to win the competition and they are boosted by the news that Neymar is fit to return. Even without Neymar, I feel Brazil have a strong enough squad to get past this South Korean side who have been inconsistent at best. Paulo Bento's men are only at this stage thanks to Hwang Hee-chan's injury-time winner over an apathetic Portugal in their final group match that saw Uruguay eliminated. I think we'll see a similar outcome to the France and England victories here with Brazil getting the job done with minimal fuss.
Japan vs Croatia (Monday, 3pm GMT)
Japan to Qualify @ 17/10 with Sporting Index
BTTS @ Evens with Unibet
Brazil vs South Korea (Thursday, 7pm GMT)
Brazil HT/FT @ 10/11 with Bet365
Brazil -1 @ 10/13 with BetUK

Leo Messi to score and Argentina to win @2.80 local bookie Mozzartbet

Qatar
The host nation come into this as the underdogs and with a cloud of controversy over their preparations. The team had faced criticism for their attempts to "naturalise" players by taking foreign-born players and claiming they were eligible to play for Qatar. However, that was dealt with a few years ago and the Qatar national team now has a more "Qatar-based look" to it. It's just 2 defeats from the last 18 matches for the team as they have prepared for this World Cup. Given the sordid manner in which this World Cup host selection was achieved it has understandably led to some big talking points. Spanish football coach Felix Sanchez has been at the helm since 2017 and has helped guide the team to the AFC Asia Cup title in 2019. This is now an experienced Qatar team with the likes of Almoez Ali, Hassan Al-Haydos, and Abdelkarim Hassan standing out. It just feels like it could take a minor miracle for this squad to get past the group stage.
Odds to Win World Cup: 250/1
Odds to Qualify from Group A: 10/3
My Prediction: Group Stage
 
Ecuador
One team that has slipped under the radar is this South American side. Head coach Gustavo Alfaro leads an all-Argentine backroom staff that has helped turn Ecuador into a really tight-knit unit during qualification for the 2022 World Cup. La Tri breezed through qualification finishing in 4th in the CONMEBOL league standings and that was even without winning any of their last 4 games. The team have gone undefeated in their last 7 matches and that includes not even conceding a goal in their previous 6 games. The fact that Ecuador have managed to pick up results against the likes of Brazil, Argentina, and Mexico over the last 12 months shows they are a nation that should not be taken lightly. The only issue that could let them down is scoring goals because they've failed to register a goal in 4 of their last 5 matches. Brighton fans (looking at you @Tiffy!) will be interested to see how their trio of stars perform with Pervis Estupinan, Jeremy Sarmiento, and Moises Caicedo all selected in the Ecuador squad for this tournament.
Odds to Win World Cup: 150/1
Odds to Qualify from Group A: Evens
My Prediction: Group Stage
 
Senegal
The African contingent at this year's World Cup are something of a wild card. If you look at their squads they are very impressive. Senegal are a classic example with their squad boasting the likes of Sadio Mane, Kalidou Koulibaly, and Idrissa Gueye all included in their squad. The news that Mane is expected to miss the majority of group stage games is a blow but the Lions of Teranga have enough depth that his absence should be covered. Head coach Aliou Cisse was a part of that famous 2002 squad that reached the Quarter-Finals of that tournament. He has already guided the team to their first ever Africa Cup of Nations success last year when they beat Egypt in the final before beating the same opponents in the African qualification section for this tournament. It's a shame their route to the final is likely to be tricky because this is a nation that could cause some shockwaves at this tournament if they hit the ground running.
Odds to Win World Cup: 125/1
Odds to Qualify from Group A: 10/11
My Prediction: Last 16
 
Netherlands
It's great to have the Dutch back at the World Cup after they failed to qualify for the 2018 edition. The Oranje had reached the 2014 semi-finals and the 2010 final before that. Louis Van Gaal is the man leading his nation into this tournament and they are already being handed the "dark horses" tag. The team are unbeaten in their last 15 matches and have cruised into the UEFA Nations League Semi-Finals. They also topped a potentially tricky qualification group to reach this stage of the World Cup finishing ahead of Turkey and Norway. The team have scored 19 goals in 8 matches so far this year and could provide the most entertaining games with 7 of their last 11 games producing over 2.5 goals scored. If you look at this Netherlands squad then it makes for some frightening reading. A defence that includes Virgil Van Dijk, Matthijs de Ligt, and Jurrien Timber with a midfield consisting of players such as Teun Koopmeiners and Frenkie de Jong, and an attack boasting Memphis Depay and Noa Lang. The exciting times are back again for the Dutch. They might not go all the way this time around but nobody will look forward to playing them.
Odds to Win World Cup: 14/1
Odds to Qualify from Group A: 1/8
My Predictions: Quarter-Finals