Tuesday’s World Cup Fixtures
The FIFA World Cup Round of 32 continues on Tuesday with three matches, featuring France, Norway, and co-hosts Mexico. These teams will aim to secure their spots in the Round of 16 as the tournament progresses.
The day’s schedule includes:
- Ivory Coast vs Norway at Dallas Stadium, Texas, US (noon/17:00 GMT)
- France vs Sweden at New York/New Jersey Stadium, US (5pm/21:00 GMT)
- Mexico vs Ecuador at Mexico City Stadium, Mexico (7pm/02:00 GMT on Wednesday)
These matches will determine three more teams advancing to the next stage of the competition.
Match Previews and Predictions
The encounter between Ivory Coast and Norway marks their first competitive meeting. Ivory Coast has historically found European opposition challenging in the World Cup, while Norway has a strong record against African teams, having lost only two of their 19 matches against CAF nations across all competitions.
An Opta supercomputer simulation, run 25,000 times, indicates Norway has a 56.1 percent chance of winning in normal time, with Ivory Coast winning in 21.6 percent of simulations. A draw, leading to extra time, occurred in 22.3 percent of simulations. Norway‘s star striker, Erling Haaland, has been a key player, scoring four goals in two matches during the group stage. Ivory Coast will likely focus on containing Haaland, with their defence led by Ousmane Diomande.
In the match between France and Sweden, France holds a historical advantage, having won 12 of their 23 previous meetings across all competitions, compared to Sweden‘s six wins. Five matches have ended in a draw. This will be their first-ever meeting in a FIFA World Cup.
The Opta supercomputer gives France a significant edge, with a 75.1 percent chance of winning in normal time based on 25,000 simulations. Sweden‘s victory probability was 9.5 percent, and 15.4 percent of matches were level after 90 minutes. France‘s squad features players like Kylian Mbappé, who has scored four goals and provided an assist, and Ousmane Dembélé, who also has four goals and an assist.
The co-hosts Mexico will face Ecuador. Their only previous World Cup encounter saw Mexico win 2-1 in the group stage of the 2002 tournament. Recent matches between the two sides have been closely contested, with their last three encounters all ending in draws, suggesting this Round of 32 tie could extend beyond 90 minutes.
The Opta supercomputer simulations suggest Mexico has a 47.1 percent chance of winning in normal time, while Ecuador‘s chance is 23.7 percent. A draw after 90 minutes occurred in 29.2 percent of simulations. Factoring in extra time and penalties, Mexico‘s chances of reaching the Round of 16 increase to 61 percent, with Ecuador having a 38.9 percent probability of progressing.
Teams Advancing and Eliminated
Several teams have already secured their places in the Round of 16. These include Canada, who defeated South Africa 1-0, and Brazil, who beat Japan 2-1. Paraguay advanced after stunning Germany on penalties following a 1-1 draw, and Morocco progressed by defeating the Netherlands in a penalty shootout after a 1-1 draw.
Morocco‘s victory over the Netherlands saw goalkeeper Yassine Bounou make a crucial save, and Ismael Saibari scored the decisive penalty. Morocco will now face Canada in the Round of 16. Germany‘s campaign ended with their loss to Paraguay, who won the shootout 4-3 after a 1-1 draw in normal time. Paraguay‘s president declared Tuesday a national holiday to celebrate the team’s historic win.
Iran was eliminated from the tournament after missing out on the Round of 32 on goal difference, following a disallowed stoppage-time goal against Egypt and a 3-3 draw between Algeria and Austria.
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Source: aljazeera.com
