Servus Syndicate Members,
The Russians defy the predictions of nearly all oddsmakers.
Are others to follow? Three out of the next four matches pit underdogs against heavily-favored programs. You won't want to miss out on a possible scalping.
Mexico stands the best chance, though this bookie isn’t as
sanguine as others. I contend that Japan and Sweden are fool’s picks. Resist
the urge to lay down Benjamins on such inconsistent elevens. The Round of 16
finishes up with the most intriguing fixture of them all. England faces its
first true test very early. Everyone has strong opinions on the matchup. After
much consideration, mine are published below.
I already know which members will stake their wallet on the
Line ; )
With the Quarterfinals so tantalizingly close, we approach
the phase of the tournament were results matter less than the fact that the
whole world tunes in to watch it together. In today’s daily I reflect a bit on
the significance of Russia’s active participation in what I’ve always termed
the only true “Global Unity Festival”. Hardened Politicos among you—the ones
who inflexibly refuse to enjoy this event—won’t like it. Might as well skip it
and get back to your recalcitrant rage over matters we shouldn't be concerning
ourselves with now.
Whilst writing it up I was reminded of a conversation I once
had with Syndicate Member 80-M; a comrade no longer with us. In explaining how
the Perestroika Era eventually led to the fall of Communism, he cited a Russian
idiomatic expression that roughly translated to “the more a bear eats, the
hungrier it gets.” Wish I could remember exactly what the remark was.
In any event, as I recall the expression was often used to
describe how a small taste of reform and consumerism snowballed into the unexpected
collapse of an apparent thoroughly controlled state. Now that Russian fans
openly meet and discover fans from 31 more diverse and less authoritarian
cultures, it might set something positive in motion. They have a taste of what
non-state-sponsored media looks like. A taste leaves one hungrier.
Perhaps I’m too optimistic. Might also be the case that our
old friend was presciently referring to the special guests I’ve invited to help
me present this Lines Section. So very pleased to welcome the now viral three Russian
fans caught observing today’s match in the stands
They’re clearly very hungry for as great many things. A
taste will not suffice.
See America. Russians aren’t all that different from you. If
there’s one thing we can all agree on it’s that food goes down the hatch.
Let’s gorge on some football together!
Monday, July 2nd
Brazil
vs. Mexico
vs. 
Huge matchup here as the Aztec Warriors seek to break the
curse and advance past the Round of 16 for the first time since they hosted the
tournament back in 1986. For six consectutive tournaments they’ve been unable
to break the barrier. A strong selecao side stands in their way in a rematch of
the tough and tight 2014 Group Stage match that ended in a nil-nil draw.
Tons of memories from that match in Syndicate Lore. They
also met in the 2013 Confederations Cup covered by this Sportsbook. Your
friendly bookie tingles with excitement as we prepare to write another chapter.
Should be a very entertaining fixture.
Many tip El-Tri based on a hunch that the ravenous national
eleven brims with confidence. Some argue that the breaks must finally swing in
the favor of a starved side that covets a Quarterfinal Place more. I’ll concede
that such an outcome remains possible, particularly in light of the injury news
breaking from the Brazilian Camp. Little chance we’ll see the more talented
eleven perform at their highest level. Frustration beckons for Tite’s troops.
They haven’t exactly been explosive against more stacked and compact defenses.
Osorio is by far the better coach tactically. He now has
license to do his trademark tinkering after the Swedes gave the momentum-based
selection a good spanking. Deep into the kader he goes to build the best eleven
possible. The task centers around neutralizing Brazil’s strong anchoring
midfield axis and exploiting the soft right.
Bookie thus builds an ambitious 4-3-3 with Lozano moved over
to the right and Jimenez taking charge on the left. Layun moves all the way
back to his natural left back position, making way for Jesus Manuel Corona. The
Moreno suspension necessitates his presence. Herrera and Aquino off the bench
by halftime if it doesn’t work. If Tite doesn't shore up his right flank, a
shock upset is in the cards.
Tite will surely anticipate such moves. He has the players
to redress Lozano and Corona. I sense he’ll use Firminho on the right to
buttress the attack and reverse the positioning of Paulinho and Casemiro. The
two centerbacks switch to complete the right side bolster.
Problems arise for Tite as he’s down both of his fullbacks.
Danilo isn't expected to be fit and Marcelo has been ruled out. Fagner has been
really shaky, so one expects Filipe Luis and him to trade roles.
It’s going to be extremely close with a Toltec triumph
looking ever more possible with each passing minute should the Samba Kings not
get established early. In the final analysis I just don’t think Osorio’s boys
have the legs, flair, and ideas left to overcome. Moreover, Neymar will draw a
significant amount of fouls from players like Alvarez, Layun, and Galardo. The
Moreno suspension looms large in the final third of the pitch. Awarded a
disproportionate amount of set-pieces, the Brazilians should eventually find a
way to break through.
The curse continues courtesy of a late heartbreaker.
Projected
Lineups:
“El
Tri” (4-3-3)
R. Jimenez Chicharito H. Lozano
|
Carlos Vela Jesus M. Corona
|
Andres
Guardado
|
Miguel Layun
Edson Alvarez
|
Jesus Gallardo Carlos Salcedo
|
Guillermo Ochoa
|
“A
Selecao Samba” (4-2-3-1)
Gabriel Jesus
|
Neymar P. Coutinho R. Firminho
|
Paulinho Casemiro
|
Fagner Fillipe
Luis
|
Miranda Thiago Silva
|
Alisson
|
Prop
Bets (as always, feel free to offer your own)
Over/Under—3 Goals
120 Minutes—Straight Up
Penalty Shootout—2 to 1
Lozano Goal (45” +) —Straight Up
Marquez substitution (90”+) —2 to 1
Neymar brace—2 to 1
Fagner start—Straight Up.
THE
LINE: Brazil +1 Goal
Belgium
vs. Japan
vs. 
Another match that brings back memories of 2002. It seems
we’ve come full circle here at the Syndicate, frequently revisiting the
beginning of our sixteen-year-cycle. What a fun four-goal- thriller that was
way back in the day!
It’s unlikely, but injuries can tip the scales in this. Your
friendly bookie can’t access definitive information out of the Belgian Camp. Not
unreasonable to assume that Martinez is toying with us a bit with all the talk
of what amounts to minor scrapes for his stars. Lukaku has been officially
declared fit. The injury to Mertens turned out to be nothing more than smoke
and mirrors. I expect de Bruyne and Hazard to be deployed as well.
No real personnel adjustments need to made when taking the
Samurai eleven into account. I’ll predict Lukaku drops back a bit and lets de
Bruyne do more of the work carving out lanes. Januzazaj gets the start, but
only to cash in on his cache by drawing the additional coverage. Carrasco sits
to make it all work.
Akira’s experimentation against Poland was woefully
overdone. None of it worked. His best option will be to deploy his top club players
in what feels to me like a diamond-shaped offensive arrangement. No shortage of
attacking talent in the forward ranks, but it can be easily smothered if
Vertongen and Alderweireld close ranks promptly and efficiently.
Your friendly bookie indeed underestimated the abilities of
Yuya Osako. He’s no paper tiger. Got that one dead wrong. Akira also proved he
can survey the field well, bringing on Honda to exploit Senegal’s soft
underbelly in the second match. The Samurai remain a team that relied on a
great deal of luck to get this far. They won their initial match thanks to an
early man advantage and only snuck through to the knockouts on the seventh
tiebreaker. In my mind, they haven’t yet looked decisively strong.
Cool that they’ve made it this far, but they won’t make
history by progressing past this round for the first time in their history. The
2010 incarnation couldn’t do it with a quality side and the 2018 version
doesn’t stack up.
Projected
Lineups:
“De
Rode Duivels” (3-2-3-2)
Eden Hazard Dries Mertens
|
Kevin de Bruyne
Romelu Lukaku Thomas Menuier
|
Axel
Witsel Adnan Januzaj
|
Jan
Vertongen Toby Alderweireld
|
Derick Boyata
|
Thibault Courtois
|
“The
Blue Samurai” (4-3-2-1)
Yuya Osako
|
Shinji
Kagawa Takashi Inui
|
Shinji Okazaki
|
Gaku Shibasaki Makoto Hasebe
|
Y. Nagatomo G. Shoji M. Yoshida H. Sakai
|
Eiji Kawashima
|
Prop
Bets (as always, feel free to offer your own)
Over/Under—4 Goals
120 Minutes—3 to 1
Penalty Shootout—4 to 1
Lukaku brace—2 to 1
Fellaini start —2 to 1
Muto start—3 to 1
Honda goal—2 to 1
THE
LINE: Belgium +2 Goals
Tuesday, July 3rd
Sweden
vs. Switzerland
vs. 
Absolutely love this Albanian….excuse me…..Serbian….pardon
me…..“Swiss Side” ; )
They’re oozing with talent all over the pitch and have
clearly benefitted from top class training/conditioning. We’ll cover the suspensions
below, but even without two of their major defensive stalwarts they persist as
a team exhibiting no discernable weaknesses. The Alpiners possess so many
options that I can’t see how the Blaugults can hope to compete.
The ridiculously deceptive scoreline against the Mexicans
can throw off anyone who hasn’t truly scouted this team’s three matches. Two
penalties, an own goal, and an easy counter against Löw’s gambling tactics are
the only reason these stupid Swedes are here. Finally time for these overachieving
assholes to hit the road. I’ll enjoy watching them go down even more than
viewing Fernando Fiore pay the price for his smug treatment of the German
elimination
The Swedes just have nothing left in the tank; not even the
element of surprise. Where will they turn now that their captain is suspended? If
you see Gustav Svensson singing the national anthem, prepare for a blowout.
Durmaz having solidified his status as a flop, I’ll go with Hiljemark. A bad
team gets even worse.
They also still haven’t gotten their back four sorted out. It’s
far too late in the tournament not to have your coverage cemented. Switching
Augustinsson and Lustig yielded nothing. He also keeps trading places with
Lindehöf. Andersson doesn’t even know who his real fullbacks are.
The Nati have done their best to shoot themselves in the
foot. No clue what Petkovic was thinking starting Schär and Lichtsteiner when
both were sitting on yellow cards. Bookie predicts the suspensions won’t make
the least bit of difference as the defensive kader remains deep and eager. It
might improve their overall prospects for a run at the finals. They’ll be even
stronger with Mönchengladbach teammates Lang and Elvedi behind the disciplined
duo of Xhaka and Behrami.
Bookie conjectures that slight alterations from the Swiss in
their final group stage match were anomalous. Seferovic and Dzemali return to
their usual positions. Shaqiri back on the left as well. I’ll slot in Zakaria
over Zuber for the full Gladbach Jab.
Schweizers deliver a knockout blow early. A swift and
efficient victory for our neighbors.
Projected
Lineups:
“The
Blaugults” (4-4-2)
Ola
Toivonen Marcus Berg
|
Emil Forsberg Viktor Claesson
|
Albin
Ekdal Oscar Hiljemark
|
Mikael Lustig Victor Lindehöf
|
L.
Augustinsson A. Granqvist
|
Robin Olsen
|
“Die
Schweizer Nati” (4-2-3-1)
Hans Seferovic
|
Blerim Dzemali
|
Xerdhan Shaqiri Denis Zakaria
|
Granit
Xhaka Valon Behrami
|
R. Rodriguez N. Elvedi M. Akanji M. Lang
|
Yann Sommer
|
Prop
Bets (as always, feel free to offer your own)
Over/Under—3 Goals
120 Minutes—2 to 1
Penalty Shootout—3 to 1
Guidetti start—Straight Up
Jansson substitution (70”+)—Straight Up
Sommer howler—2 to 1
Behrami yellow—Straight Up
THE
LINE: Switzerland +2 Goals
Columbia
vs. England
vs. 
Too early for the English derailment? My heart certainly
hopes so. Would be a shame to see what many are terming the most promising incarnation
in 28 years bow out so early. We all want this business with the one-star-hex
to stop. Football…..won’t you finally come home? This bookie doesn’t want to
throw up the graphic of Kuper and Szymanski’s book again. I’d much rather see
another golden emblem over that sexy medieval crest.
Arggh. It’s just that…..this is happening. Consider the
evidence. We’ve watched Colombia get stronger as this tournament progresses.
The James injury may even help them. Falcao and Cuardrado can keep them
functioning until the “Super Sub” is ready to come on fresh-legged and start
cutting up Southgate’s messed up wingback formation with his filthy slick
moves.
Following the tactical nightmare against Senegal, Pekerman has
been able to organize the midfield around a steady rhythm. A full rotation of
players appear comfortable in their own skin and with each other. Mina, Arias,
and Sanchez come out of the back with ease. One senses it’s about time for
Stones to make a few mental errors like he did this season. El Tigre won’t
hesitate to take advantage.
The Lions haven’t proven themselves against a formidable
opponent yet. Kane’s prolific performance is misleading. His first goal against
Tunisia was gifted to him. The rebound fell directly on his outstretched boot
foot. The Hat Trick? What Hat Trick? Two of the goals came from the spot and
the third was a freakish deflection that he knew nothing about. Only the second
goal against Tunisia was a highlight-worthy tally.
He also doesn’t have a partner. Sterling disappoints.
Rashford disappoints. Vardy disappoints. Wellbeck will gladly disappoint if
given the chance. He did well in Europe this season, but surely it’s too late
to introduce him into the fray.
Your friendly bookie still can’t trust this weird 3-1-4-2
with Trippier and Young as the free-kick takers. It didn’t work well against
the Carthaginians or the Belgians. A freaking 7-2-1 would have worked against
Panama. That result doesn’t prove anything.
Sorry, bearers of St. George’s cross. We’re going to tip an
upset here. Hard luck on the draw, Limeys.
Bookie prays to the Anglican God of Tudor lust and gluttony
that he’s wrong. Worst case scenario we get another shootout loss.
Projected
Lineups:
“The
Three Lions” (3-1-4-2)
Harry Kane Raheem Sterling
|
Ashley Young Kieran Trippier
|
Jesse Lingard Dele
Alli
|
Jordan Henderson
|
Fabian Delph John
Stones Harry Maguire
|
Jordan Pickford
|
“Los
Cafeteros” (4-2-3-1)
Radamel
Falcao
|
J. Lerma J.F. Quintero J. Cuardrado
|
Carlos Sanchez Wilmar Barrios
|
Johan Mojica
Santiago Arias
|
Y. Mina D. Sanchez
|
David Ospina
|
Prop
Bets (as always, feel free to offer your own)
Over/Under—4 Goals
120 Minutes—Straight Up
Penalty Shootout—Straight Up
England Shoot-out Loss—Straight Up
Trippier set-piece goal—Straight Up
James substitution (60”+)—Straight Up
Falcao brace—3 to 1
THE
LINE: Columbia +1 Goal
GENTLEMEN, ENTER YOUR WAGERS
