New Zealand and Paraguay meet on Thursday in World Cup odds with a berth in the round of 16 on the line.
Paraguay can actually advance with a win or a draw in World Cup betting while New Zealand almost assuredly needs a win to advance.
World Cup odds favor Paraguay in this match that can be seen on ESPN 2. Paraguay leads Group F with a win and a draw while Italy and New Zealand each have two draws. Paraguay looked good last time out in a 2-0 win over Slovakia in World Cup odds. Lucas Barrios set up Enrique Vera in the 27th minute while Cristian Riveros put the match away with a goal in the 86th minute.
Paraguay wants to get a win against New Zealand so that they win Group F and have a more favorable matchup in the knockout round. Paraguay could be a team that goes beyond the round of 16. They were very good against Slovakia and they played Italy to a draw in their first match. They beat Argentina and Brazil in qualifying so they are capable of winning big matches. Striker Nelson Valdez believes that the soccer world is starting to take notice of Paraguay. He said that the team is very focused for Thursday’s match as they want to get a win so they do not have to face Holland in the next round.
New Zealand has been one of the bigger surprises in World Cup betting. They have two draws including last time out against defending World Cup champion Italy. New Zealand was considered one of the weaker teams coming into the World Cup but if they can upset Paraguay they would advance to the knockout round. New Zealand’s defense has been superb but they have struggled to score goals. It doesn’t figure to be any easier in this match against a Paraguay team that is on par with Italy in terms of defense. New Zealand almost assuredly needs a win in this match to get to the second round. A draw might get them through but only if Slovakia and Italy end in a draw. With the pressure on Italy to beat Slovakia, that result seems unlikely in World Cup odds.