Chris 'The Bear' Fallica's 'Bear Bets' are genuine wagers he is placing, and when it comes to the World Cup, disappointment is an inherent part of the experience. This was evident on Tuesday when Norway secured a late goal and a narrow win over the Ivory Coast.
Fallica is now focusing on Match Day 21, and here are his top picks.
World Cup Top Picks for Wednesday, July 1
The England vs. DR Congo match is under scrutiny, with Fallica stating, 'I don’t think DR Congo is going to score, but it's hard to lay -200 on that. England to win to nil is a little better at -150, but I’m also not sure England pours in goals here. I’ll go exact score with these two options and try and create a little plus-money alternative. But if you’re comfortable laying -150, then that’s a pretty good alternative.'
The Belgium vs. Senegal match has Fallica uncertain, as he notes, 'I really don’t know what to do with this match. There’s a part of me that wants to play Senegal to advance, but there’s also a part of me that thinks Belgium found a little something in the second half of its match against a far inferior New Zealand. Senegal will certainly offer a much stiffer test. But at the same time, Senegal didn’t really look great until the final group-stage match, when it got the must-have 5-0 win over Iraq. Belgium also has a keeper in Thibault Courtois who can single-handedly steal a match. I’m not going to get too invested here, but will land on Belgium to win in 90.'
In the United States vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina match, Fallica believes the U.S. should advance but notes that the price is steep. He states, 'Bosnia will offer some challenges, though, as that squad has great height, structure and will be tough on set piece opportunities. But Bosnia is also lacking pace and that's an area the U.S. can exploit. This has potential to be a very ugly match, which would kind of favor Bosnia, but I still am not sure that side is capable of scoring. Italy probably would have said the same thing. In the end, the U.S. should get through, but I don’t think it will be comfortable.'
