Qatar 2022: USA vs. Wales Preview, Odds, Prediction

The United States and Wales square off in maybe the most important game for either of these teams at this World Cup. They are direct rivals for the second place in this assembly and the spot in the knockout stage, meaning that a win here is worth double. The USA has a young team that is preparing for the upcoming World Cup in four year, while Wales is already a formed unit with lots of players who have been together for the previous several years.

Preview

USA (+165) didn’t amaze anyone lately, and they advanced from the group stage of the qualifiers without the usual confidence. For the moment, Gregg Berhalter was under heavy pressure, and some even called for his departure from the head coaching position.

Pulisic, McKennie, Reyna, Pepi, etc, the Americans have one of the youngest teams in the entire tournament. The midfield is very creative, sometimes more than it’s needed, but that is something the players have to realize and grow up.

In the last two friendly games, the USA didn’t score, playing 0-0 against Saudi Arabia and losing to Japan 2-0. This was a warning for the entire crew that it needed to focus much better and for Berhalter to tighten up certain things on the field.

Wales (+200) didn’t have a single win in the UEFA Nations League, posting five losses and one draw, but to be honest, they weren’t interested in this competition too much. The reason? Well, they played the World Cup playoffs back then, beating Ukraine 1-0, and secured the ticket to Qatar.

Before that event, they opened the UNL at home to the Netherlands, losing, and after that, posted four more defeats and one draw. But as said, the Dragons didn’t have too much motive to play these contests because of the previous success in the playoffs.

Wales mostly plays games with scores on both ends, and eight of the past 10 across all the competitions ended with such an outcome. Also, seven of those events were with moderate efficiency, meaning 2 or 3 goals.

Latest News

Pulisic, Reyna and the guys are ready for this battle. All the players are fit, and it is up to Gregg Berhalter to determine the starting lineup.

On the other side, Bale and Ramsey are fit, and that’s the most important news for the Welsh fans.

Head to Head Games

Some two years ago, on November 12, 2020, Wales and the USA played in Swansea, a friendly international which ended without winners and without goals as well.

Prediction

The Welsh team is better than the USA in terms of efficiency and chemistry. Don’t forget, the Americans have a very talented squad, but they are pretty young. Also, they didn’t have as many tough challenges as Wales, who played at the previous two EURO tournaments and had various qualifications and the UEFA Nations League editions. That’s why we go with the Dragons, even though the bookies don’t see them as the favorites in this affair. The odds are quite lovely, +200, and in our opinion, the value of the pick is high; that is, the potential profits outmatch the risk.

Pick: Wales +200