Dhe round of 16 at the soccer World Cup has already taken on quite concrete forms. Most of the teams allowed to continue playing after the preliminary round in Qatar are almost standing. But not all. This Friday, the last two teams are still being sought to move into the round of the top 16. Daniel Memmert and Fabian Wunderlich’s World Cup prediction shows the facts and the probabilities for the possible outcomes of all games that conclude the group stage.
At the start of the match day, it is the turn of the teams in Group H. Portugal and Cristiano Ronaldo are through with two wins in two games from the start. Now (4:00 p.m. CET in the FAZ live ticker for the World Cup and on MagentaTV) it is against South Korea. The past speaks for Portugal (in 2018 they reached the quarter-finals, the opponent was eliminated after the group stage), as do the current facts. The Portuguese are ahead in the world rankings (9th place to 28) and in terms of average market values (36 to 6.3 million euros). In the end, based on the betting market, there is a 58.5 percent probability of winning.
In the parallel game of the group (4 p.m. CET in the FAZ live ticker for the soccer World Cup, on ZDF and on MagentaTV) between Ghana and Uruguay, the Africans have the better starting position with three points in the table. But the prognosis is in Uruguay’s favor, and not just in terms of their record at the tournament in Russia, where they progressed to the quarter-finals while Ghana failed to qualify. The world rankings (14th to 61st place) also speak for the South Americans as does the market value (17.3 to 7.9 million euros). This also applies to the probability of victory: Uruguay wins 56 percent.
Even in the late games (8 p.m. CET in the FAZ live ticker for the soccer World Cup and on MagentaTV) in Group G, there is already a team in Brazil that is sure to be in the round of 16. Now it’s off against Cameroon, who didn’t feature in 2018, while Brazil’s journey ended in the quarter-finals. Coach Tite’s selection is first in the world rankings (Cameroon in 43rd place) and also clearly excels in terms of market values (43.5 to 6 million euros). This also gives a clear picture of the probability of victory, which speaks for the Brazilians at 76.2 percent.
The parallel duel between Serbia and Switzerland is not only sporting but also politically explosive (8 p.m. CET in the FAZ live ticker for the World Cup, on ZDF and on MagentaTV). It’s all about getting ahead on the pitch. Only a team can do it. The dates promise a lot of excitement. Serbia failed in 2018 after the preliminary round, but Switzerland made it to the round of 16. In the world rankings, the Swiss are just ahead (rank 15 to 21), in terms of market values the Serbs (13.7 to 10.8). The forecast results in the following values: Serbia wins 37.8 percent, Switzerland 33.6 percent. 28.6 percent speak for a draw.
