The Essential World Cup Gamblers Guide - Knockout Round - Tuesday edition

Continuing through the knockout round teams and how each would make a deep run, here is my dissection of the Tuesday match teams.

SWEDEN & SWITZERLAND

I'm putting these two teams together because I truly think they are the wildcards of who remains. Switzerland has a better defense and a little more star power at striker with Shaqiri up top but Sweden has one of those "sum is greater than its individual parts" squads you can't help but root for. The Swedes did everything but put away the former champions and really showed a valiant effort that, save for a set piece or the earlier missed Golden chance they had, would've likely ended Germany's cup one match sooner. Despite the second half drubbing of Mexico, Sweden will not customarily want to play shootout games and that is what makes this matchup with Switzerland so interesting. The Swiss are customarily not that aggressive in their approach either so who is going to put the ball on the front foot and push for a result in this game? My guess would be the Swiss as the favorites but it would not surprise me to see Sweden come out with an early 10-15 minute game plan to surprise their opponents with an early goal and then park the bus behind Shaqiri if they can succeed. The reason I call these two teams wildcards is because no one that I've seen or heard in the analyst world is expecting much of them beyond this game. All attention in this bracket quadrant is going to England and Columbia and either of these teams can defeat either of those teams so watch out! With the favorite of this bracket side already out (Spain) every team smells opportunity and the Swedes and Swiss are no exception.

For Sweden, success comes most often with early scores and skilled defending leading to counter strike pressure that may expose opponents for additional goals. They play a traditional 4-4-2 and like to build attacks from their back line up through midfield. A deep run would include defeating two teams in the top fifteen FIFA world ranks entering the cup which is one more than Sweden has beaten in the past three years (the sole one being a 2-1 defeat of France in June 2017 during World Cup qualification).

For Switzerland, their physical style of play can wear down even the most skilled of opponent. Re-watch the Brazil game to open their group stage this cup for an example of that success. However, it can also get them in trouble if they happen to be a little too rough or run afoul of a whistle happy referee. Switzerland is my new dark horse to win the cup now that Portugal is out (so that could be the kiss of doom right there) but a Swiss run to the semis or even the final would not be shocking. They'll need to find more goals in their attack and counter plans if they are to do so; however, they've already shown the heart of a champion in the Serbia game, where despite being outplayed and often out muscled they found a way to prevail in a crucial group match. As any championship run will show, its not always pretty but the best teams find a way to win nonetheless. Also, Switzerland has already won a title: the title of being the funniest commercial by Volkswagen's World Cup "get on the wagen" campaign. If you haven’t seen it, its linked to the picture below, watch it now!

COLUMBIA

Did you know Columbia's nicknames are the Tricolors and The Coffee Growers? Well they are! The Coffee Growers are a confounding squad. They showed resilience to come back following their opening defeat to Japan with only 10 men after the third minute and chiefly had the better side for most of that game. A big point of concern seems to be the calf injury that is nagging James Rodriguez and caused him to come off the pitch in the just the 30th minute last match. If he is out or not at 100%, it hurts both the Colombian attack and their chance for a deep run as well. If Columbia can outscore the scary English strike force they may have to match skill against physicality if facing Switzerland. Beyond that, Croatia seem to be the likeliest semi-finals opponent and that would possibly be England's easiest test but they have to get there first. At full strength this team can play with anyone and I don't just mean top tier teams. They have a propensity to not put away lesser quality sides at times which is always dangerous. Thankfully, that will not be the case when facing England but they better make sure their back line clearly communicates and stay on the same page. If not, well, read below for what will happen.

ENGLAND

If Columbia's defense is not in alignment, Harry Kane has his golden boots on for net hunting and he's bagged five goals so far. Kane is so potent in the final third he even scores goals when he's not trying (back heel hat trick goal against Panama). Kane is not the only threat either, as every player on England's front and midfield lines are skilled scorers in their own right. Meanwhile, in his first global stage coaching effort, Gareth Southgate has seemingly found the secret formula to getting England's stars to gel together and play as a unit. Now they must find a way to kick it into high gear and play as a well oiled machine. Their back line and keeper have always been the point of concern for the Three Lions but if they can play ball control games and limit opponents' chances in their end, they should find success. After defeating Columbia, England would face a tough test against either the Swiss or the Swedes. They would then most likely face Croatia in the semis which would be two very similar sides facing off in mid-field with Croatia having the defensive advantage and England holding the attack edge. I think this is the exact match we will see in the semis but time will tell.

Did you watch the Switzerland clip? If not here's your second opportunity:

Picks for Knockout Round - Tuesday, July 3rd:

Switzerland 2-1 over Sweden (Swiss +165 ML) - Over 2 (+110)

England 3-2 over Columbia (Eng -.5 +110) - Over 2 (Even)

Current record in knockout round picks: 5-6-1 (3-3 match; 2-3-1 O/U)

Check back tomorrow for my preview on Tuesday's final round of 16 matches.

*Any and all odds shown above are from Bovada.lv