Germany v Ivory Coast Betting Markets
Are Germany genuine World Cup contenders? The 7-1 winning scoreline in their opener suggests that another return to the winners' enclosure could be on the cards. Die Mannschaft swatted aside Curacao, although there's an argument that the tournament debutants are the worst in the tournament.
Julian Nagelsmann will now look for his team to follow up that success with a win over Ivory Coast. He will persist with Kai Havertz in the central striking role, with Jamal Musiala, Florian Wirtz and Leroy Sane flanking the Arsenal man. Germany are a 1.53 chance to claim a victory and we think these odds are a touch on the short side.
These odds suggest that the Germans have a roughly 65% chance of landing a victory here. It has now been ten straight wins for Die Mannschaft since losing to Slovakia back in September, although the quality of the opposition has often been questionable. There was a 4-3 win over Switzerland in March and a slender 2-1 triumph against the US on the eve of the tournament.
Ivory Coast are no mugs. They themselves have enjoyed a five-game winning run coming into the game and that included a 2-1 win against France. The Elephants came from behind against Les Bleus to enjoy a morale-boosting success and it's noticeable that the team run a tight ship defensively.
Seko Fofana and captain Franck Kessie are midfield enforcers who will look to break up the play, with Adam Diallo potentially starting this clash after finding the scoring touch when it matters against the Ecuadorians. There's also Liverpool target Yan Diomande on the wide right and we think that a draw makes more betting sense than backing the Germans.
Goals Under/Over
The Overs are trading at 1.66 and Germany's eight-goal thriller against Curacao suggests that a high-scoring clash could be on the cards again. We're really convinced that the seven goals notched won't be replicated again in this tournament, although Die Mannschaft have now been involved in six consecutive Over 2.5 Goals games.
2-1 victories over Ghana and the United States sandwiched a 4-0 thumping of Finland, while there was a crazy 4-3 success away to Switzerland in March. Nagelsmann seems to have the attitude of outscoring his opponents and he's a proponent of playing attacking football.
Conversely, Ivory Coast are involved in lower-scoring affairs and there could be some merit going for the Unders. They've claimed 1-0 wins against Scotland and Ecuador, with a 4-0 success against South Korea also outlining their strong defensive ways.
BTTS
BTTS Yes is trading at a marginally shorter price than BTTS No. We do think there's been an overreaction to Germany's 7-1 win against Curacao and this is also a game where the favourites don't need to win. With an excellent goal difference having been established, the draw would keep them in pole position to go through as group winners.
However, the bottom line is that both sides have been scoring in every game they have recently been playing. The Ivory Coast left it late to strike against a defensively strong Ecuador team and are sure to play on the front foot against a German side who don't particularly specialise in clean sheets.
There's often been success in coupling a Germany win along with both teams scoring in their recent matches. This combination could prove effect considering that Nagelsmann's side like to commit players forward. This attack-led approach could see them land a 2-1 or 3-1 victory and those outcomes are worth considering on the correct score market.
There are plenty of attacking dangerous players on both sides which has led us to the BTTS Yes outcome and that could be added to a Germany v Ivory Coast Bet Builder.
First Goalscorer
Kai Havertz was at the double against Curacao and the Arsenal man might be the player to break the deadlock in this game. We know that the former Chelsea and Bayer Leverkusen man will be on spot kicks, although there were six different Germany players on the scoresheet in their Group G opener.
Felix Nmecha looks set to enjoy a breakthrough tournament and the Borussia Dortmund midfielder got his team off the mark a few days ago. Nico Schlotterbeck broke his international duck against Curacao although the Borussia Dortmund centre-back is capable of finding the net again from set pieces.
Perhaps Musiala and Wirtz are more likely candidates to find the net during this contest, with Nicolas Pepe a likely starter for the Ivory Coast. The former Arsenal man has a modest return of twelve goals across fifty-seven games and perhaps Amad Diallo is a better alternative. The Manchester United man has the quality to cause the Germans a few problems.
Is this the moment where Yan Diomande makes a major impact? The RB Leipzig man has notched three goals across eleven goals and we can see the winger causing a few problems for a German side who don't get too many players behind the ball.