Cape Verde vs. Saudi Arabia Prediction, Odds, Best Prop Bet for World Cup Group Stage

Cape Verde had some of the longest odds of the entire tournament heading into the World Cup, but are now on the cusp of making it to the knockout stage after shocking draws against Spain and Uruguay.

A win against Saudi Arabia today will secure their spot in the Round of 32, and a draw would put them in a favorable position as well. Can they pull it off? Let's dive into the odds and my best bets.

Cape Verde vs. Saudi Arabia Odds and Total

Odds via FanDuel Sportsbook

Moneyline

Cape Verde +160
Saudi Arabia +175
Draw +230

Total

OVER 2.5 (+110)
UNDER 2.5 (-134)

Cape Verde vs. Saudi Arabia How to Watch

Date: Friday, June 26
Time: 8:00 p.m. ET
Venue: Houston Stadium
How to Watch (TV): FS1/Universo/FOX One
Cape Verde record: 0-2-0
Saudi Arabia record: 0-1-1

Cape Verde vs. Saudi Arabia History and Tournament Results

These two teams have never faced each other on the international stage.

Cape Verde

Cape Verde pulled off the most surprising result of the tournament, playing pretournament favorites, Spain, to a 0-0 draw. They followed that up with another surprising 2-2 draw against Uruguay.

Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia played Uruguay to a 1-1 draw, but were then steamrolled by Spain, losing by a score of 4-0.

Cape Verde vs. Saudi Arabia Best Prop Bet

Ryan Mendes Anytime Goal (+320) via FanDuel

Ryan Mendes had 0.09 expected goals in Cape Verde's game against Uruguay, tying the team's lead in shots with two. He also led all forwards in touches with 30. This should be the match in which Cape Verde gets the most offensive chances, so I expect Mendes to play an increased role. He's a great bet to score at north of 3-1 odds.

Cape Verde vs. Saudi Arabia Prediction and Best Bet

From an advanced analytics perspective, Saudi Arabia has been the second-worst team in the World Cup, sporting an expected goal differential of -2.12. Cape Verde ranks above them in that metric at -1.66.

That tells me that Cape Verde's results against Spain and Uruguay may have had some luck involved, but they still played both teams much tougher than Saudi Arabia did.

I'll bet on Cape Verde to win and punch its ticket to the knockout stage.

Pick: Cape Verde +160 via FanDuel

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