World Cup Group B Betting Preview | Canada, Qatar, Switzerland and Bosnia

World Cup Group B Preview

Did you know…In the early 2000s, GoldSheet had a sister publication named European Soccer Weekly?! Long before every European soccer (cough football) match was broadcast in the US on ESPN, Peacock and Paramount, Bruce Marshall and Co. were breaking down the action on the pitch. Bruce shares his thoughts on World Cup Group B, featuring one of the co-hosts and a darkhorse contender that is capable of making some noise.

World Cup Group B Odds

Team	Win the Group	Round of 16	Win the Tournament
Switzerland	-135	-165	+6500
Canada	+175	EV	+22500
Bosnia and Herzogovenia	+460	+270	+40000
Qatar	+4000	+1600	+250000

Odds above courtesy of FanDuel as of June 9.

Switzerland

Near-men at the Euros two years ago, looking like a team with a chance to sneak into the finals before a cruel exit on penalty kicks at the quarterfinal stage vs. England in a match the Swiss led deep into the second half.

Knocking on the door, however, is nothing new for this generation of the Nati, who have been making the knockout phase every two years for more than a decade in either the Euros or the World Cup. Though, for the latter, they still haven’t advanced as far as the quarterfinals since hosting the event in 1954. Yet the Swiss have long been able to trade punches with some of the big boys, picking up results vs. various heavyweights–France (twice), Spain, Brazil, Germany, Italy–since 2010 in South Africa.

With most of the star performers scattered about various top leagues in Europe, manager Murat Yakin has a cultured collection from which to select, and has proven adaptable to various situations, adjusting Swiss tactics as need be. Though some familiar faces from recent tourneys (think GK Yann Sommer and powderkeg midfielder Xherdan Shaqiri) announced international retirements after the 2024 Euros, plenty of quality remains, including in the engine room, where team captain Granit Xhaka runs the show from midfield as he did this past season when helping steer Sunderland to a shock European berth out of the Premier League after their promotion, following a decorated spell for a couple of crackling Xabi Alonso sides at Bayer Leverkusen.

A new livewire, 20-year old Freiburg midfielder Johan Manzambi, opened eyes in the Bundesliga and Europa League this term, while Nottingham Forest’s Dan Ndoye, who scored in the recent tune-up vs. the Aussies, is being tipped back home as a player to watch. Speaking of watching, most eyes will be on striker Breel Embolo, the target man in recent years and the scoring leader In the Swiss qualifying group and off of a big season at Rennes in Ligue Un. Borussia Dortmund keeper Gregor Kobel also appears no drop-off from Sommer in goal.

Worthy favorites in this competitive group, the tourney will be a disappointment in Zurich if the Swiss can;t make a deep run in the knockout phase; a potential Round of 16 matchup vs. Portugal might conjure up bad memories of a 6-1 loss to Cristiano Ronaldo & Co. at the first knockout hurdle in 2022, but also likely serves as a motivator. Watch these guys!

Canada

Interesting that among the tri-hosts, it’s Canada with the one American coach (Jessie Marsch). If there’s a slight regret among Canadians is that the current Mounties didn’t have a qualifying campaign to better test their upgraded roster, which has caused various informed observers to maintain that no country has progressed its football fortunes quite as much across the past decade.

Prior to 2022, Canada had only been to the World Cup once (1986), and four years ago, like that long-ago event in Mexico, the Canadians were winless in all three of their matches. Looks can deceive, however, as the performances suggested much more was in the tank, unfortunate to lose the opener to an established Belgium before a couple of hard-fought losses to eventual semi-finalists Croatia and Morocco.

As for Marsch, there’s a specific style (call it “Maplepressing”) that features a high press and intense work-rate that will be bound to unnerve some group foes, and present them with something tricky to solve, and all of whom having to play the Canadians on their home turf (the Bosnia match in Toronto, with the Qatar and Switzerland matches in Vancouver).

There is some injury concern involving Bayern Munich’s lively winger Alphonso Davies, who has scored 15 times while earning 58 caps for his country but in a race for fitness after straining a hamstring in the Champions League semis vs. PSG. Davies is key, though being named to the squad suggests Marsch believes he will be available, even if the Bosnia opener on June 12 could be a bit soon for anything otgher than a cameo.

Like the Swiss, Canada has several components featured in major Euro leagues; aside from Davies, there’s striker Jonathan David at Juventus after a highly-productive multi-year run at Lille in Ligue Un, while Villarreal’s Tajon Buchanan (Villarreal) and Nice’s Moises Bambito embrace the intense Marsch work rate. Quality depth, however, is an issue, which is why the availability of Davies at 100-percent is so vital.

Still, no matter the lack of World Cup pedigree, the folks north of the border will think merely qualifying for the knockout phase, for the first time ever, isn’t enough, and a second-place group finish would likely set up a winnable match vs. the Group A runner-up at the Round of 32. Clear that hurdle, and everything else is gravy.

Bosnia and Herzogovenia

Rugged and functional but lacking some of the flair we often see from various Balkan entries, the Bosnians made it to the World Cup the hard way, winning do-or-die playoffs vs. both Wales and favored Italy (on PKs) to finally make the cut on the last day of qualifiers.

A late goal by Ralf Rangnick’s Austria had denied qualification thru group play and instead necessitated the nervy playoff route, but having survived that, the Bosnians won’t be scared, especially as they seem to have responded to fiery coach Segej Barbarez, a longtime Bundesliga stalwart in his playing days.

The only time Bosnia has participated in Copa Mundial, in 2014, the talisman was…Edin Dzeko, the same Edin Dzeko who now has 148 international caps and will see on the pitch in a similar role as a 40-year-old for the opener vs. the Canadians in Toronto after a good campaign at Schalke in Bundesliga 2, with promotion earned comfortably back to the Bundesliga. Indeed, there’s real Bundesliga feel to the squad with frontliners Haris Tabakovic (Borussia Mönchengladbach) and Ermedin Demirovic (Stuttgart) both double-digit goal scorers this term.

Bosnia cannot be dismissed in this group, and the chance to advance to the knockout phase, even as a third-place side, looks good with longshot Qatar likely offering a great chance at three points. The grit shown in qualifying might make Bosnia the sort of side that a likely first-place group qualifier would rather not see at the top of the knockout round.

Qatar

Well, at least Qatar got to the World Cup the legitimate way (such as it is thru the expanded Asian qualifiers) after participating for the first time in 2022 because it was the host country.

Though Qatar’s presence, along with a handful of the other longest of the longshots, has a bit more impact on the knockout phase than it might seem, as outclassed sides that lose all three of their group matches open the door wide for whichever their group to send three to the knockout phase (and we know there will be eight of those third-place finishers overall).

Can Qatar cobble a result that it couldn’t as host in 2022? A triumph in the Asian Cup offers hope, but in the main qualifying round, note a -7 goal differential, which suggests some underlaying frailties. Not to mention now on a sixth manager since hosting the World Cup four years ago…Julen Lopetegui, who has bounced around various ports of call in Europe with some successes (including a Europa League title with Sevilla in 2020) along with some notorious flame-outs, such as short spells at Real Madrid and West Ham and an odd dismissal by Spain on the eve (literally) of the 2018 World Cup after Lopetegui agreed to become Real Madrid’s coach following the tourney.

Veteran striker Akram Akif has had spells at the club level in Spain and Belgium and is one of the few Qatar players who have featured abroad, but this is mainly a home-based unit, and butting heads with players from the EPL, Bundesliga, and La Liga looks a bit much to ask. Leaking 24 goals in ten third-round fixtures in the qualifying phase should sound the alarms, too.

World Cup Group B Predictions

Switzerland: Best Bet – To win group at -135 and the reach the Round of 16. Bigger Price Watch – Finish 1-2 group in front of Canada at +200, Switzerland top scorer (must win) Breel Embolo at +220, finish exactly on 7 points +240 and to reach quarterfinals at +300.

Canada: Best Bet – Canada top scorer (must win) Jonathan David at +120 and to reach the Round of 16. Bigger Price Watch – Finish 1-2 in group behind Switzerland at +200, eliminated in the Round of 16 at +225, top CONCACAF finisher at +333.

Bosnia and Herzogovenia: Best Bet – Eliminated Round of 32 at +110. Bigger Price Watch – Bosnia top scorer (must win) Edin Dzeko at +187.

Qatar: Best Bet – Finish with 0 points at +162. Bigger Price Watch – Lowest scoring World Cup team at +1000.

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