2018 World Cup: Brazil vs. Belgium odds, lines, expert picks, insider predictions
It's the must-see 2018 World Cup quarterfinal as Neymar-led Brazil faces explosive Belgium at 2 p.m. ET Friday at Kazan Arena. All eyes will be on Neymar as Brazil makes its seventh straight World Cup quarterfinal appearance. The 26-year-old PSG striker scored Brazil's first goal and set up the other in Monday's 2-0 win over Mexico. He also was accused of diving and acting hurt. The Red Devils trailed Japan 2-0 in the 69th minute and then pulled off a stunning rally that began with a lucky header and ended with substitute Nacer Chadli's last-minute winner.
Sportsbooks list Brazil as a -180 favorite (risk $180 to win $100) to advance, with Belgium at +150 (risk $100 to win $150). In three-way betting on regulation only, Brazil is +105, Belgium is +270 and the draw is +240. The over-under for total goals scored in this 2018 World Cup match is 2.5.
Before placing any bet, you need to see who European football expert David Sumpter is picking. Sumpter is an applied mathematician and author of Soccermatics, the book that explains how math works inside the sport. Along with other experienced analysts, Sumpter developed the powerful Soccerbot model.
The Soccerbot reads current odds and all team performance data, calculates key metrics and predicts upcoming matches. In nearly three seasons since its inception, the Soccerbot is up an incredible 1,800 percent on bookmakers' closing odds.
The Soccerbot has been rolling through the 2018 World Cup knockout stage. It correctly predicted draws in regulation for Spain-Russia (+280), Croatia-Denmark (+225) and England-Colombia (+215) and was all over Brazil and Belgium winning in regulation. Earlier, the model nailed draws for Argentina-Iceland (+385) and Brazil-Switzerland (+360) and predicted Iran upsetting Morocco at +275, just to name a few of its big calls. Anyone who has followed it is way, way up.
Now, the Soccerbot has digested the film, crunched the numbers and broken down every single player on Brazil and Belgium. We can tell you the model is leaning under 2.5 goals, but its much stronger pick is on the money line, which it's only sharing over at SportsLine.
The model knows Neymar leads the 2018 World Cup in chances created (16) and shots on target (12). He sparks a loaded Brazil side featuring eight starters who played in the Champions League knockout round this year. In four 2018 World Cup matches, Brazil has conceded one goal -- an illegal tally by Switzerland.
But Brazil will be without key midfielder Casemiro (suspended due to yellow cards), and that could be pivotal for its chances in Russia. Romelu Lukaku, Eden Hazard and Kevin De Bruyne lead a dangerous Belgian attack that has netted a World Cup-high 12 goals.
Belgium has not lost a competitive international match since manager Roberto Martinez took over in August 2016 and is eyeing its second World Cup semifinal berth.
So which hungry nation wins Friday? Visit SportsLine now to see the strong Brazil-Belgium money-line pick, all from a European football expert whose powerful model is up 1,800 percent in less than three years.