USA vs Wales: Bale the main man in Dragons’ crucial opener
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USA v Wales odds, preview and tips
Wales are making their first World Cup finals appearance in 64 years and kick off their Group B campaign against the USA, the team they are expected to be competing with for the runners-up spot.
The Wales winning odds to win Monday night’s match are 21/10, with the USA priced as 6/4 favourites and the draw 2/1.
You can click on the links for the latest England and Wales news, while we have looked at all four nations in our World Cup Group B guide.
Rob Page’s side are 6/1 third favourites to win the group and 6/5 to qualify, so let’s examine some of the talking points in our USA vs Wales betting tips.
USA vs Wales form
Wales start their campaign having been relegated from the top tier of the Nations League group, like England, but took just one point from their six games against the Netherlands, Belgium and Poland.
Nothing could dampen the memory of their World Cup qualifying campaign, though, which saw Gareth Bale strike twice in a 2-1 semi-final play-off victory against Austria and 10 weeks later the former Real Madrid star was awarded the winner in a 1-0 win against Ukraine.
Although it’s been an age since the Dragons made it to the World Cup finals, they reached the semi-finals at Euro 2016, finishing above England in the group and beating Belgium in the last eight, and made it to the knockout stage at Euro 2020 last summer.
Hanes. History. 🏴#ArBenYByd | #TogetherStronger pic.twitter.com/xqqoAaPfSA
— Wales 🏴 (@Cymru) November 9, 2022
Page picked very few surprises in his 26-man squad and will be relying on the same players that got them to Qatar when they face the USA.
Nine of Wales’ last 11 matches, including all four Nations League matches against the Dutch and Belgium, have involved goals at both ends and that market looks like a tempting option at 21/20 in the World Cup odds.
Four of those games were goalless at the break which has World Cup betting odds of 6/5, while it’s 3/1 on Draw HT/Draw FT.
Gio Reyna Bedford, NY pic.twitter.com/D4WwWFZjKc
— Coach Beard (@TheCoachBeard) November 19, 2022
USA’s qualification campaign won’t have had the British nations quaking in their boots, taking the third and final qualification spot on goal difference from Costa Rica, but they have a talented midfield which includes Leeds duo Brenden Aaronson and Tyler Adams, plus Juventus star Weston McKennie.
Chelsea winger Christian Pulisic will be one of the main attacking threats available to head coach Gregg Berhalter, whose preparations for the World Cup have been mediocre.
Draws with El Salvador and Saudi Arabia either side of a 2-0 defeat by Japan mean they have won just one of their last five games, a 5-0 victory against Grenada.
A share of the spoils and both teams to score can be backed at 17/5, while a 1-1 draw is 19/4 in Monday’s USA v Wales betting tips.
USA vs Wales head to head
The teams have met just twice before, with USA winning the first of the two friendlies 2-0 in 2003 and they shared an uninspiring goalless draw in Swansea two years ago.
Both teams were under-strength for that game, although both Adams and McKinnie were in the USA’s starting line-up and Kieffer Moore spearheaded the hosts’ attack.
USA v Wales team news
Wales midfielder Joe Allen has been ruled out of the game having failed to recover from a hamstring injur which has kept him on the sidelines for three months.
Page said: “If I’m honest he’s not going to make it. We’d have liked him to play in the first game. But we’re not going to push him and hope that he will make the second game (against Iran on Friday).”
Ethan Ampadu is set to be pushed forward from his defensive station to fill Allen’s midfield role, with Chris Mepham coming into a back three alongside Joe Rodon and Ben Davies.
However, captain Bale has allayed fitness concerns ahead of the game after playing just 30 minutes for his club Los Angeles FC since the start of October.
He said: “I’m right where I wanted to be. I’m ready to go. It’s game-time tomorrow and hopefully we can step up and deliver what needs to be delivered.”
DeAndre Yedlin is the only USA player with World Cup experience and is part of a youthful squad missing Miles Robinson with a torn Achilles, so Tim Ream could accompany Fulham team-mate Antonee Robinson in a back four.
Gio Reyna is playing well for Borussia Dortmund and is likely to provide an attacking threat with Pulisic, but who leads the line remains up in the air, although Dallas striker Jesus Ferreira, the USA’s top scorer in the CONCACAF Nations League, is one of the favourites.
USA v Wales goalscorer odds
Bale leads the way with Ferreira and Haji Wright at 4/1 to open the scoring is 2/1 to get on the scoresheet in our USA v Wales betting tips.
Moore signed off for the World Cup by scoring three goals in as many games for Bournemouth and is 9/2 and 11/5 in the two markets, while Nottingham Forest winger Brennan Johnson looks an interesting option at 15/2 and 10/3.
Dan James, on loan at Fulham from Leeds, scored the Cottagers’ equaliser against Manchester United from off the bench at the weekend and is 10/1 and 4/1, while club team-mate Harry Wilson is 9/1 and 4/1.
For the USA, Reyna can be backed at 13/2 to break the deadlock or 3/1 to score, but Pulisic also catches the eye at 7/1 and 16/5.
Lille winger Timothy Weah, son of 1995 Ballon d’Or winner George Weah, scored against Morocco in a friendly in June and is 9/1 and 4/1 in the USA v Wales betting odds.
Match Info
Where: Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan
When: 19:00, Tuesday 21st November
How to watch: ITV
All odds and markets correct as of date of publication
