Best Bet for Turkey vs. Paraguay
- Turkey Moneyline: Both of these teams were very disappointing in their opening matches, but I still have faith in Turkey to turn it around. They were unbeaten in eight straight games before their opening match loss to Australia, and that includes a draw with Spain. Paraguay looked lost in the first half of their game against the United States, and I fear another similar performance could be in store for them.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup continues on Friday as Turkey faces Paraguay in the second round of matches in Group D.
Let’s dive into my favorite bet for this match.
Turkey vs. Paraguay Prediction, Pick
Turkey is currently ranked 26th in the FIFA rankings, while Paraguay sits at 42nd in the world.
Both of these teams lost their opening matches, but I still believe in the talent Turkey has in their ability to turn it around against Paraguay. The 2-0 scoreline against Australia isn’t a fair reflection of the game. Turkey had more expected goals, 72% possession, more shots, more shots on goal and more big chances created. The reality is that the Turks simply couldn’t finish their chances, while Australia did. Turkey finished with 30 total shots, compared to just nine for the Aussies.
Paraguay’s 4-1 loss against the United States is not a similar story. Paraguay fully deserved to get beaten. They had fewer expected goals, possession, shots and shots on goal. The first half performance was especially concerning, as they trailed 3-0 at the break and it easily could’ve been more. Granted the U.S. are much better than Australia, but one of these teams were unlucky to lose, while the other is lucky they didn’t lose by more.
Turkey entered this tournament on an eight-game unbeaten run, winning seven of those and drawing one against Spain. I back them to put that first game behind them and get back to winning ways on Friday.
Best Bet: Turkey Moneyline (-105)
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