2018 World Cup Betting & Pick: Mexico vs. Sweden

Even though Mexico is the only team in Group F with two wins in this World Cup, the Mexicans aren’t guaranteed a spot in the knockout round. They will advance, however, with simply a draw Wednesday against Sweden. MyBookie Sportsbook oddsmakers favor Mexico to win and claim Group F. If you want to keep up with everything around the 2018 FIFA World Cup, be sure to check our soccer news page on a daily basis, which includes previews, reviews, predictions, and more.

Mexico vs. Sweden 2018 World Cup Betting Preview & Pick

Vote Chicharito: “I prefer seeing people that dream of amazing things and work to achieve them; to see the country believing in us … I choose #mex. I will leave and other players will come in, the important thing is that we are proud of the country. #eltrieng #worldcup

— Tom Marshall (@mexicoworldcup) 26 de junio de 2018

• When: Wednesday, 10 AM ET
• Where: Ekaterinburg Arena, Ekaterinburg, Russia
• TV / Stream: Fox / Fox Sports Go
• 2018 World Cup Betting Odds: Mexico +144 / Sweden +189 / Draw +220 (Total of 3.5)

Why Bet on Mexico?

• Confederation: CONCACAF
• Head coach: Juan Carlos Osorio
• Captain: Andrés Guardado
• FIFA Ranking: 15
• World Cup Appearances: 16

Mexico needs only a point against Sweden to qualify and win Group F. They will go through, irrespective of their own result if Germany fails to beat South Korea with that match taking place simultaneously. If they can defeat the Swedes in Ekaterinburg, Mexico will finish the group stage with a perfect record — something they have never achieved in their long FIFA World Cup history, although they have finished with two wins and a draw on no fewer than four occasions. Mexico opened the tournament with a stunning 1-0 win over Germany and then beat South Korea 2-1 last time out. Carlos Vela put Mexico up 1-0 on South Korea on a 26th-minute penalty and West Ham forward Javier Hernandez sealed a second successive victory for Mexico in the 66th minute, reaching 50 international goals in the process. Manager Juan Carlos Orosio made one Mexico change, with Edson Alvarez replacing Hugo Ayala in defense. Hernandez is only the third player to score at three different World Cups for Mexico (2010, 2014 and 2018) after Cuauhtémoc Blanco (1998, 2002 and 2010) and Rafael Marquez (2006, 2010 and 2014). Vela’s penalty was the 14th taken at this year’s World Cup – one more than was taken in the entirety of the 2014 World Cup (13). Mexico has won back to back matches at the World Cup for the first time since winning their first two matches at the 2002 World Cup. Osorio has had no intention of resting players ahead of final group match as they look to make history in Russia. He wants to win the group. Supporters who had been calling for the 56-year-old to be axed following a 1-0 friendly win over Scotland earlier this month appear to have made their peace with the Colombian. Goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa said Mexico have what it takes to beat the Scandinavians. “We knew it was going to go down to the last match, and that is what happened,” said Ochoa, who has made more saves (14) after two games than any other keeper in the tournament. “We are prepared to win all three matches. … That’s what we want to do.”

Projected Line-Up

• 13-G. Ochoa
• 15-H. Moreno
• 7-M. Layún
• 3-C. Salcedo
• 21-E. Álvarez
• 18-A. Guardado
• 16-H. Herrera
• 23-J. Gallardo
• 11-C. Vela
• 14-J. Hernández
• 22-H. Lozano

Why Bet on Sweden?

• Confederation: UEFA
• Head coach: Janne Andersson
• Captain: Andreas Granqvist
• FIFA Ranking: 24
• World Cup Appearances: 12

Sweden is guaranteed to qualify for the knockout round if they better Germany’s result. They will top the group if they beat Mexico and better Germany’s result. Germany and Sweden are currently tied with 3 points and a zero goal differential. If Sweden beats Mexico and Germany beats South Korea, three teams would be tied atop Group F with six points, sending it to tiebreakers that start with the best goal differential. Sweden hasn’t made it to the second round since 2006. And like Mexico, six points wouldn’t necessarily be enough to advance. The Swedes might end up needing to win by two goals, depending on what Germany does. A two-goal victory by Sweden would guarantee it a spot in the next round. But that’s easier said than done. Sweden has just two goals for the tournament, by Andreas Granqvist and Ola Toivonen. The Swedes opened the tournament with a 1-0 win over South Korea and then lost in devastating fashion to Germany 2-1 during injury time. Sweden goalkeeper Robin Olsen conceded his first goal in 548 minutes of action – before the Germany match, the last conceded against the Netherlands in October 2017 and had kept five consecutive clean sheets. It was Sweden’s first loss in a group stage match since June 1990, when they lost to Costa Rica – this defeat ends a run of 10 group games unbeaten. Sweden registered just 24% possession in their 2-1 defeat to Germany, their lowest figure in a World Cup match since 1966. Sweden welcomed back Manchester United center-back Victor Lindelof after he missed the 1-0 victory over the Koreans due to illness. He replaced Pontus Jansson. Mexico and Sweden have faced each other on nine occasions but only once at a World Cup, Sweden winning 3-0 in their opening group stage match in 1958. Mexico has only lost one of their last five matches against the Swedes (W2 D2), however,  they’ve all been friendlies. Although Sweden began their record against CONCACAF opposition at the FIFA World Cup with a bang, romping home 8-0 against Cuba in the quarter-final of the 1938 tournament, they have not won against North and Central American opposition since their home World Cup of 1958.

Projected Line-Up

• 1-R. Olsen
• 4-A. Granqvist
• 2-M. Lustig
• 3-V. Lindelöf
• 6-L. Augustinsson
• 7-S. Larsson
• 8-A. Ekdal
• 10-E. Forsberg
• 17-V. Claesson
• 9-M. Berg
• 20-O. Toivonen

Expert Final Score Prediction

Mexico 1 – Sweden 1

Keeping up with the 2018 World Cup

MyBookie Sportsbook has all the information you need to keep up-to-date on all things World Cup. So far has been a lucrative period thanks to a ton of World Cup prop bets, moneyline wagers and point spreads, there’s plenty of ways to keep it exciting. Also, make work more entertaining by starting your own FIFA World Cup Pool using the MyBookie World Cup printable bracket and keep your mind on the tournament at all times. Keep track of the World Cup betting lines to make sure your set to make the most from this tournament. Get the latest World Cup news, betting predictions, tips, and previews, by bookmarking our FIFA World Cup News page, updated constantly throughout the tournament. Tune into the FIFA World Cup special edition episodes on Sports Gambling Podcast to get the FIFA preview you’ve been waiting to hear.