Free FIFA World Cup Picks Today for Quarter Finals, 2022

Well, haven’t there been a few surprises so far at the World Cup! Just eight teams remain to fight for the chance to progress to the Semi Finals. The games will be filled with so much action as we see each country give it their all. The eight teams that remain in contention for the World Cup include Croatia, Brazil, Netherlands, Argentina, Morocco, Portugal, England and France.

There is so much action to be had over the Quarter Finals, as eight teams fight for the chance to make it to the Semi Finals. 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 during the Quarter Finals at the FIFA World Cup!

Friday, December 9th

Croatia vs Brazil – 10AM ET

The first Quarter Final for the 2022 World Cup will see Croatia up against Brazil. Croatia defeated Japan in a penalty shootout in the Round of 16 to book their spot in the Quarters. Brazil put on a clinic in the Round of 16, defeating South Korea, 4-1.

Tony Battalio

Croatia comes into this game looking to pull off the upset against one of the favorites to win the World Cup. They are playing against a Brazilian side that has been somewhat depleted by injury over the course of the last few weeks. Croatia took out Japan in the Round of 16 to pick up the win in what was an epic penalty shootout for both sides. They will have to play their best game if they want a chance to knock out this favorite Brazilian squad. Luka Modric will be looking to go out on top with a World Cup victory. 

The Brazilians are still the favorites to win this World Cup despite the crazy amount of injury issues they have dealt with during the Group Stage and Round of 16 of the 2022 World Cup. Brazil absolutely crushed South Korea in the Round of 16 as they rolled to a 4-1 victory to get to the Quarter Finals. As long as they come out looking like they did in the last round, they should easily grab the win in this one. However, I expect this one to be a lot closer, but still ending with a Brazil win. 

Aleksandar Ricliev

Croatia is coming into the game against Brazil exhausted from the previous matchup. Japan took them to overtime and penalties. This Croatian team is one of the oldest in the World Cup, and I am not sure they will have the time to recover and play another physically and emotionally draining game. Their best player, Luka Modric, is 37 years old and will struggle to get up for this match. His midfield partners, Kovacic and Brozovic, have had an injury-plagued season, and their fitness is not at 100%. Can they repeat the success of the last World Cup in 2018 and get to the Final once again?

Brazil looked spectacular against South Korea. If you watched the match, you witnessed soccer magic on display and some impressive dancing skill celebrations. Neymar’s ankle injury seems to be a thing of the past, and his connection with Paquetá in the midfield is a real pleasure to watch. The Brazilians have one thing on their mind, to win the golden trophy. I expect this game to be a contest in the first 60 minutes. After that, the legs of the Croatian players will grow tired, and Brazil will overrun them. Brazil wins and advances to the Semi Finals.

Marko Nadin

Both teams have shown their class on their way to the final eight in Qatar. Brazil is the best team in the tournament and the loss against Cameroon was just a day off for their best players. In all their other games, Brazil was very dominant and had absolute control of the game. Croatia is the next team that will get out on the pitch against Brazil. The runner ups from the last World Cup have experienced players who have been there and are excellent leaders for the youngsters, who are also playing on top level. 

Luka Modric is the kind of player who can be constantly dangerous for Brazil’s goal and he will literally leave everything on the pitch since this may be his last game for the national team. However, Brazil has that extra quality over Croatia and even though it may take time for them to score, Brazil will do it and once again have control over the game. It will definitely not be as easy as it was against South Korea, but Brazil will take care of business in 90 minutes.

Netherlands vs Argentina – 2PM ET

The Netherlands will be up against Argentina, with a spot in the Semi Final up for grabs. The Netherlands proved too good for the USA in the previous round, beating them 3-1. It was a closer game than many thought, but Argentina successfully navigated past Australia in the Round of 16, winning 2-1.

Tony Battalio

The Netherlands looked absolutely dominant against the United States in their Round of 16 matchup last weekend. They wasted no time getting on the board as they knifed their way through the United States defense with absolute ease multiple times. Now they will face a much tougher test against Argentina in this Quarter Finals matchup. The only reason the United States scored in that Round of 16 matchup was due to a lucky bounce off of the foot of Haji Wright. If not for that lucky bounce then the Netherlands would’ve held a clean sheet in the Round of 16. 

Argentina is looking to keep the international career of Lionel Messi going in this Quarter Finals game of the 2022 World Cup. They looked solid in their game against Australia and they ended up grabbing the win 2-1 after a solid tactical performance. Now they will be looking to set up a potential World Cup Semi Finals matchup with South American rivals Brazil. I have them getting the win in this game. 

Aleksandar Ricliev

The Netherlands has had an easy road so far in the tournament. They finished top in the Group Stage, and the match against the USA wasn’t much of a challenge for the Dutch. USA’s inexperience showed as the Netherlands team cut through their defense and scored three goals. The Netherlands is a team full of experienced players who know how to win. However, the match against Argentina will be the first real test of their strength and abilities. 

Argentina had to fight and claw for every point and every win in the World Cup. Argentina started the competition badly and suffered a loss against Saudi Arabia in the first round. That result put them in a must-win situation to advance through the Round of 16. The Argentinians put their fighting boots on, won three games in a row, and are coming in this matchup as the favorites. The Dutch side likes to control the midfield with smart and cute passing. The Argentinian’s midfield is not as technical, but everything they lack in quality, they more than make up with their fighting spirit. We will see the clash of two styles. The technical ability and elegance of the Dutch versus the pure aggression of the Argentinians. Only one team can say they have one of the greatest players of all time on their roster. Lionel Messi will once again prove to be the difference maker, and Argentina will go through.  

Marko Nadin

The Netherlands and Argentina have met five times before at the World Cup and every game was an unforgettable classic. That guarantees that we will witness another spectacular night at the World Cup which may be the last one for Lionel Messi. Argentina still feels the bitterness of the opening loss to Saudi Arabia and even though that game showed their vulnerability, it also lifted the team spirit and now Argentina plays with a chip on their shoulder. Messi is on top of his form as he scored a couple of times and even though he missed a penalty, his confidence is as usual, sky high. 

The Netherlands is a much younger team with no leader on the pitch. They still haven’t faced a real challenge at the World Cup since they had an easy job in the Group Stage and the USA was not a real competitor. Louis Van Gaal’s team has a unique opportunity to get to the final four teams in the competition even with this roster, but the lack of experience and leadership will cost them in this game. Argentina will prevail simply because of the brilliance of Lionel Messi and a couple of players who have already performed well under pressure. Argentina may need extra time to get through but they are the team that will advance to the semifinals.

Saturday, December 10th

Morocco vs Portugal – 10AM ET

The third Quarter Final game will see Morocco go up against Portugal. Morocco outed Spain in the Round of 16, thanks to a penalty shootout. Portugal put on an absolute clinic in their previous game, thrashing Switzerland 6-1.

Tony Battalio

Morocco comes into this game after a shocking win over Spain in the Round of 16 and now they will look to grab another upset win. This time it’ll be against Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal on Saturday morning. They certainly have the talent on the roster to pull out the win but they will have to play just like they played the other day against Spain and hopefully get some luck as well, if it were to go to penalties again. 

Portugal cruised in their Round of 16 matchup against Switzerland and did most of their work without their legendary superstar Cristiano Ronaldo. Now they will be looking to grab the win in this game against Morocco to advance to the Semi Finals and set up a potential showdown with either England or the defending World Cup champions, France. However, I have to pick the upset in this one, as I am going with Morocco to get the win. 

Aleksandar Ricliev

Morocco is coming to this match after a massive upset, beating one of the favorites to win the World Cup, the team of Spain. Morocco’s goalkeeper, Bounou, was the hero with three saved penalties! However, they paid a massive price in the process, losing their two central defenders due to injuries. This is the first time in Morocco’s history they have ever advanced to the Quarter Finals of a World Cup, and Portugal will be happy to have drawn them as their opponents. 

Portugal showed their full soccer power in the match against Switzerland. Portugal scored six goals and looked unstoppable. The linkup between Bernardo Silva, Bruno Fernandes, and Joao Felix looks unplayable for the opponents, and they create an opportunity to score anytime they touch the ball. I don’t mean to count Morocco out. Morocco is an extremely proud nation, and there is no doubt in my mind the players will leave it all on the field. However, after running as much as they did against Spain, I don’t think they will have the time to recover physically and emotionally. This seems to be the easiest bet to make in the Quarter Finals. Portugal wins.

Marko Nadin

Portugal is coming into the Quarter Finals after a brutal performance against Switzerland, clearly stating they are here to win the World Cup. Even with Cristiano Ronaldo coming off the bench, Portugal scored 6 goals in one of their best performances ever at the World Cup. They couldn’t dream of a better opponent this far in the tournament but no one will underestimate Morocco again. The African nation showed that heart and discipline can win games at the biggest competition and they have already made a historic achievement in Qatar. 

The game against Spain boosted their morale to an even higher level and there is no team that Morocco can’t compete against. They will go into the game the same way they did against Spain. Defending their own goal will be the focus for the Moroccans, but that will be much more difficult against Portugal. The Portuguese side is the best when they play offensively and they have no reason to change their approach for this game. Maybe it will take time before Portugal scores but once they do, they will know how to keep the lead and advance to the Semi Finals.

England vs France – 2PM ET

The fourth and final Quarter Final match will see England take on the defending champions, France. England got a clean sheet win over Senegal, winning 3-0 in the Round of 16. France also put up a great performance in the Round of 16, defeating Poland 3-1.

Tony Battalio

Football might actually be coming home this time around but they will have to get past the defending World Cup champions to get one step closer to winning their first major tournament since the 1960’s. The English are playing perhaps their best football since the 2020s European Championships where they lost in the final to Italy. Now they will be looking to end France’s back-to-back hopes in this game. 

Kylian Mbappe will likely end up being the greatest World Cup player that has ever lived by the time he steps off of a World Cup pitch for the very final time in about 15 years. The man is already having himself a fantastic 2022 World Cup as France has seemingly avoided the champions curse. They now look to get one step closer to becoming the first back-to-back World Cup champions in decades. I expect them to knock the English out of the tournament in this game with another Kylian Mbappe masterclass performance. 

Aleksandar Ricliev

England looks scary. Gareth Southgate seems to have found his best 11. This England team is the perfect mix of experience and young talent. The experience and football brain of Henderson. The young legs and the football ability of Bellingham and Rice combine to create the perfect midfield three. Foden and Saka on the wings bring nightmares for any opponent, and Harry Kane is one of the best strikers in the world. Kyle Walker is back from an injury to secure the back line and tighten up the defense. France also looks scary. Flying on the wings is probably the best player in the world at the moment, Kylian Mbappe. Griezmann and Dembele are two outstanding soccer players who can break down any defense. 

Giroud has scored the most goals in France’s national team history and will be looking to add to that. I expect this match to start conservatively and with very little risk-taking. Kylian Mbappe versus Kyle Walker is a duel to watch. Walker is one of the fastest soccer players ever, and Mbappe is not far behind. At club competitions, Walker has successfully covered Mbappe in his career. However, Walker has just recovered from groin surgery and is far from 100%. Can Mbappe take advantage of that and pull France through to the Semi Finals? I think England has the better overall team, so I am picking them to win.

Marko Nadin

Both England and France came to the World Cup with high hopes and only one of them will have a chance to advance to the Semi Finals. Both teams played really well by this point regardless of France’s loss to Tunisia, which was a game of not high importance for Didier Deschamps’ squad. A fun thing going into this match is the fact that both England and France play offensively oriented football, constantly trying to attack the opponent’s goal. 

The level of talent both teams have is at the highest possible level which makes this game really difficult to predict when it comes to the winner. England showed no weaknesses so far in the tournament but France is the first difficult opponent they will face. France is in general a more experienced team which gives them an advantage in that point. However, this will be a game with not many risks taken from either side. They can both hold the ball which will be the case, especially in the first half. France is the slight favorite but the safest bet is under 2.5 goals.

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