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World Cup Best Bets - June 16
11 Jun 2026
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World Cup Best Bets - June 17
- Best bets for the FIFA World Cup matches scheduled for June 17
- Featured games include France vs Senegal and Argentina vs Algeria
- Preview, stats & head to head
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Lionel Messi of Argentina (Getty Images)
France vs Senegal
France bounced back from a shock 2-1 loss to the Ivory Coast earlier in June with a battling 3-1 win over Northern Ireland. Ahead of appearing in a tough group alongside Senegal, Norway and Iraq, France will target a win in their opener to give themselves some breathing room. Against Northern Ireland, Michael Olise starred as he scored a hat-trick to carry his side to the win. He is our pick to continue to score goals as France look to start strongly.
Senegal have struggled of late, with their last two matches ending in a 3-2 defeat to the USA and a 0-0 draw with Saudi Arabia. Their loss to the USA was one they will look to take the positives of scoring twice from, but their 0-0 draw with Saudi Arabia saw them fail to breach a stubborn opponent as they went goalless. Against a strong team like France they will see less of the ball, with most of their focus placed on defending. While Senegal will want to start well, I predict they will struggle to contain a side crammed full of match-winners.
Argentina vs Algeria
Argentina begin the defence of their World Cup crown with a tricky game against Algeria this week. Despite boasting seven consecutive wins across their last nine months of football, the world champions will be under no illusion about what awaits them. Algeria will look to stay compact and frustrate their opponents, but this will likely play into the hands of a player like Lionel Messi, who needs little space to work with. Argentina's last three wins have been to nil, while six of their last seven victories have come with clean sheets in an impressive run.
Algeria have been impressive across their last four matches, keeping four clean sheets and winning three times. Wins over Guatemala (7-0), Netherlands (1-0) and Bolivia (4-0) have come alongside a battling 0-0 draw with Uruguay, Clearly. Algeria have been very tough to beat, but they arrive for this one as big underdogs. The desire to protect a clean sheet against one of the top teams in the world will likely work against them as they give their opponents too much of the ball.
Portugal vs DR Congo
Portugal arrive on the back of three consecutive wins, with victories over the USA (2-0), Chile (2-1) and Nigeria (2-1) seeing them build a solid run. Each of their last two wins have come by a single-goal margin, with the Portuguese showing they do not need to hammer a team to secure victory. I predict that DR Congo will give Portugal some issues as the European side battle to a third consecutive one-goal win.
DR Congo come into their opening World Cup match on the back of two matches without a win. A draw with Denmark and a defeat to Chile brought an end to a two-match winning run over Bermuda and Jamaica. While you have to beat the side in front of you, DR Congo have seen the level of quality in opposition climb across their last two, and they have failed to win either. While I predict that they will keep things tight in the hope of still being in the game as the match winds down, I do not see them winning this one.
Verdict
I am backing Michael Olise to open his account for France while Argentina beat Algeria to nil and Portugal secure a win by a single-goal margin against DR Congo.
Michael Olise
France vs Senegal Anytime Scorer
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Argentina
Argentina vs Algeria To Win To Nil
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Portugal By 1 Goal
Portugal vs DR Congo Winning Margin
@275.00 - 1 Unit
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