Free FIFA World Cup Picks Today for Thursday, December 1st, 2022

Millions around the world will be glued to their TV screens when the action heats up at the World Cup. Each team now only has one more game to play in the Group Stage. So, who can dominate in their final game, to ensure they book a spot in the Round of 16? The action so far has been gripping, and we are certain to be in store for some more excitement today!

There is so much action to be had over the Group Stage, as 32 teams fight for the chance to make it to the Round of 16. There are eight groups in total with four teams in each group, and only the top two will make it through to the next round. Which teams will put their best foot forward and make it through to the next round?

Look below to find our free soccer picks for all the games on today’s FIFA World Cup schedule!

Croatia vs Belgium – 10AM ET

The stakes couldn’t be higher as whoever wins this clash between Croatia and Belgium will book their spot in the Round of 16. Croatia is currently in first place in Group F, with four points, and Belgium is in third place with three points. It is a must win for Belgium, as a draw or loss wouldn’t see them progress. 

Tony Battalio

Croatia is only four years removed from appearing in the Final of the 2018 World Cup. They are currently leading their group at this year’s edition of the FIFA World Cup. All they will need to play for in this game is a draw, as they are looking to get themselves into the Round of 16 as group winner and not a group runner up. This game will be their toughest test of the Group Stage to date as their previous two opponents, Morocco, are sitting in second but they would be officially eliminated with a loss, and Canada is already eliminated as well. 

Belgium has their work cut out for them in this game as they have to win if they want to move onto the knockout stages of the 2022 World Cup. Any other result would see this Belgium team going home for the rest of the tournament. They will be going all out in this one as they won’t want this experience to end early for them. However, I think that’ll be the exact situation as I have Croatia bagging the win in this game. 

Aleksandar Ricliev

Croatia comes into this match standing on top of the group with four points. With a draw against Belgium, Croatia would ensure their place in the Round of 16. This is a much different group of players than the one who finished second in the World Cup in Russia four years ago. However, Croatia is an experienced team that knows how to get positive results. The midfield consisting of Brozovic, Kovacic, and Modric has been the best in the competition. Croatia lacks quality in the final third of the field, so they will have to rely on free kicks or corners to score a goal. 

A storm is brewing in Belgium’s national team. In the past few days, there have been lots of dressing room leaks. There are rumors of people fighting and not talking to each other. I am not sure how exaggerated the rumors are, but something in the team isn’t working. Belgium is an experienced, old team, and this will probably be their final World Cup together. Can they come together and get through this obstacle? I expect Belgium’s manager to leave Real Madrid’s Eden Hazard out of the squad because they will need young players in midfield who can run and compete with Croatia’s trio. Croatia versus Belgium will be a close, tight game in which Kevin de Bruyne will produce a moment of magic, and Belgium will win the match.

Marko Nadin

This will probably be one of the best games in the third round of the Group Stage at the World Cup. Before the competition began, both teams expected to come into this game with no pressure but since Morocco is actually in a better position than them, now Croatia and Belgium will have to fight for that one spot in the Round of 16 phase. Belgium was considered one of the favorites in this competition but actually Croatia is the team that performed much better so far. Having a point advantage over Belgium puts the Croatians in a situation to advance even with a draw in this game. 

Of course, they will not settle for it from the beginning of the game but if they score first, locking in on defense may be an option. Belgium is the team that needs to attack and they didn’t prove to be very good at it in the first two games, scoring only one goal. They have Romelu Lukaku back, but it is so obvious that he is still recovering from an injury and has not played competitive football in months. In a situation like that, Croatia is in a much better position and they will be able to stay undefeated in this game and advance to the next stage. 

Canada vs Morocco – 10AM ET

Canada will be playing for pride in this game against Morocco, as they will not have enough points to make the Round of 16, even with a win. Morocco are currently sitting in second place in Group F, and they could still advance with a loss here, depending on other results, but they would obviously like to keep things in their own hands with a win.

Tony Battalio

Canada has had a poor showing at their first World Cup in nearly three decades. They haven’t really shown up, and heading into their third and final Group Stage game, they are already mathematically eliminated from advancing. They were hoping that this tournament would provide a solid opportunity to showcase their current and future talent, but it ended up being a disaster. Now they will look to get out of here and get home without a major problem in this third and final game. 

Morocco will still have an opportunity to go through to the knockout stages even if they lose to the Canadians in this game. They are currently in second place of the group and it would likely take a loss to Canada and a Belgium win over Croatia for Morocco to be sent home. With the way all of these teams have looked, that exact scenario seems unlikely at this point. Therefore,  I have Morocco getting the win over the Canadians. 

Aleksandar Ricliev

The national team of Canada is out of the competition already, no matter the outcome of this match. However, the debutants in the World Cup competition can be happy with their performances on the field. They played a great game against Belgium and more than deserved to win. In the end, the lack of experience was the key factor. Canada must learn from this experience and grow as a team. Alphonso Davies is one of the best left-backs in the world, and Jonathan David is one of the most exciting young attacking prospects as well. This squad will be a force to be reckoned with for years to come. 

With a great win against Belgium, Morocco is now in control of its destiny. Even a draw sends Morocco to the Round of 16. Morocco is a well-coached, experienced team and full of attacking talent. I fully expect the Canadians to come to the match and play for their pride. However, the soccer ability of Ziyech and Hakimi will prove to be the difference maker. Morocco versus Canada should be a tight, tactical match. Canada will learn a lot from this game, and Morocco will qualify for the Round of 16. The under total goals is my prediction, with the line currently set at 2.5.

Marko Nadin

Morocco put themselves in a great situation to have everything in their hands going into the game against Canada. Morocco stunned Belgium and now with a win against the opponent who has no chance to advance, they will definitely go through regardless of the outcome of the Croatia versus Belgium game. Moroccans proved their quality with Hakimi making the difference, but most of all this team is brave and determined to succeed. With that attitude, they can definitely beat Canada. 

The Canadians lost both of the games but they didn’t disappoint with the style of play and will not hand Morocco the victory. Knowing that they are at the World Cup for the second time in history, they will try to play the best way possible. Now without any pressure, Canada may be even more dangerous and they will not defend in a game in which they have nothing to lose. However, Morocco is the better team and that quality and motivation will make all the difference, so they will win with probably at least two goals in Canada’s net.

Japan vs Spain – 2PM ET

Japan and Spain are currently occupying the top two spots in Group E, which means whoever can win this clash will successfully make it through to the knockout stage of the 2022 FIFA World Cup. If Spain does lose to Japan in this game, they still may make the Round of 16, mainly thanks to their amazing goal differential, but they would need other results to fall their way. 

Tony Battalio

The Japanese started the 2022 FIFA World Cup off with a bang with their win over the heavily favored Germans, but they regressed in their second World Cup Group Stage game. They now come into this basically having to secure a result against a solid Spanish side or they will be in danger of being jumped in the group table by Germany or even Costa Rica. A victory would ensure that they top the group over Spain and be locked into a Round of 16 spot. 

This Spanish team has to win this one to be safely in the Round of 16. They can still afford to lose but it is never fun when you have to rely on the outcome of others’ games to determine your fate. They come into this game sitting on top of the group with four points, but their opponents in this game and Costa Rica are both sitting on three points and breathing down their necks. I look for the Spanish to handle their business in this game and advance. 

Aleksandar Ricliev

Japan gave us the upset of the tournament, beating Germany in the first round. However, they gave all of their advantages away, losing against Costa Rica in their second game. They are in a difficult situation and will have to win against this scary team of Spain, who has been one of the best teams in the World Cup. Can they perform another miracle? Spain started the World Cup on fire. They announced themselves as one of the favorites to win it all, by putting seven goals past Costa Rica. 

Barcelona’s midfield trio – Busquets, Gavi, and Pedri look unstoppable and unplayable at times. Manchester City’s Rodri and Laporte behind them are just as good on the ball. In the match against Costa Rica, Spain had 588 passes only in the first half, so this will be a long night for Japan’s defense. Barring a miracle result, Spain has already qualified for the Round of 16 and could look to rest some key players, but that might work against Japan in this game. The substitutes of Spain are desperate for playing time and will try their best to prove their manager wrong. There should be goals in this game, so I am taking the over 2.5 goals bet. 

Marko Nadin

Japan did the impossible defeating Germany in the opening game but after the loss to Costa Rica, they are now facing a difficult challenge in the game against Spain. There is no question which of these two teams is the better one, but so was the case in the Japan versus Germany game and we all saw what happened. Japan is a die-hard team and they will do absolutely anything to at least stay undefeated in this game. 

The question is how tough Spain will play since they are in a much better situation, but that doesn’t guarantee anything to Japan. Spain is playing really well with great ball movement and creating scoring opportunities at will. Knowing that Japan will have to attack, there will be even more space for Spain, which they will use to score on a couple of occasions and will eventually lead them to win this game. 

Costa Rica vs Germany – 2PM ET

Costa Rica and Germany occupy the bottom two spots in Group E, which means this game is a must win, and even then that might not be enough for Germany. If Costa Rica wins, they will be through to the knockout stage, even with their -6 goal differential. Germany needs to win and hope other results go their way. 

Tony Battalio

Costa Rica still has an opportunity to advance even after they were absolutely thrashed by Spain in their opening Group Stage game of the 2022 World Cup. They will either need to grab the win and hope for Spain to lose or draw with Japan, or hope for Spain to beat Japan and for themselves to draw or win against this tough German side. Either way it certainly won’t be easy and it all starts with them taking care of business themselves against a German team that is a serious dark horse contender. 

Germany will have to win and get some help if they want to advance out of the Group Stage of the 2022 FIFA World Cup. They haven’t been playing well at all, and they started off their Group Stage campaign with a loss to Japan in a game that led late in. On the bright side they were able to manufacture a draw with Spain to keep themselves alive. Now they will absolutely need a result to get through, and I think they will get it. 

Aleksandar Ricliev

After getting smashed in the first round, Costa Rica raised their level of performance and managed to snatch a win against Japan. The Costa Ricans are coming to this match with three points on their tally, two more than Germany. In this match, Costa Rica will try to sit deep, stay compact, and hope not to concede an early goal. They will try to put pressure on the German defense by playing counter-attacks.

Germany put up a stinker against Japan, losing 2-1. In the match against Spain, Germany played much better and was unlucky to end up with only a draw. The national team of Germany finds himself at the bottom of the group, in desperate need of a result. If Japan somehow manages to win the match against Spain, the German players will most likely find themselves out of the competition. Germany will need a win by a massive goal differential to move to the Round of 16. Because of that, I expect Germany to be on the front foot from the first minute. This will be a long night for Costa Rica’s defense, and I believe Germany will score at least 5 or 6 goals.

Marko Nadin

Germany goes into the final game of the Group Stage with only one point and they have to defeat Costa Rica to advance to the next round. It was known that Hansi Flick’s roster is not as good as the previous ones when Germany was always one of the favorites to win the World Cup. Germany will be the team to have possession in this game, but Costa Rica will also try to win their way to the next phase, which will not be anything new for them since they made it to the top eight back in 2014. 

However, Germany is the better team even though their confidence is not on the expected level. We have already seen many upsets in the World Cup, including Germany losing to Japan, but that will not be the case in this one, as the four-time World Cup champions have learned their lesson and will find a way to score early, and finish this game with a victory.

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*Odds and spreads correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.