talkSPORT tips – Best football bets and expert advice for Thursday 9 July

World Cup favourites France meet Morocco in a high-class quarter-final showdown and that’s the highlight of a Thursday night which also features Europa League and Conference League qualifying contests.

We have a trio of selections which make up our best bets of the day.

Treble your returns + £20 in free bets

Thursday football tips

Bet of the Day

Under 2.5 goals in France v Morocco @ 19/20 

France were fantastic when beating Sweden 3-0 at the last-32 stage of the World Cup, but Les Bleus’ level dropped when narrow 1-0 winners over Paraguay in the last-16 round.

Paraguay’s tactics stopped France gathering any rhythm in that contest, and while the physical and aggressive approach of the South Americans wasn’t pretty, Didier Deschamps’ men were clearly unsettled.

France have a fantastic forward line with Kylian Mbappe, Michael Olise and Ousmane Dembele and they clearly have a strong chance of World Cup glory, but the market may have rated Les Bleus a little too highly.

It’s difficult to play well across all eight matches, if you make the final, at the World Cup, but France’s record is looking a little patchy.

Deschamps’ side needed 66 minutes to get past Senegal in their opening World Cup game and the 3-1 scoreline certainly flattered the Europeans.

France beat a second-string Norway side 4-1, but lost the expected goals count 1.70 to 1.50 and the 1-0 success against Paraguay and the South Americans were only unlocked by a 70th minute Mbappe penalty.

Morocco are a good team, who have conceded only four goals in four North American games, the Atlas Lions are solid at the back and the midfield has control with the excellent Ayyoub Bouaddi and Neil El Aynaoui.

France may well find a way to win in Foxborough, but the wide-margin and high-scoring success looks unlikely.

Backing under 2.5 goals rates the best play on Thursday’s coupon.

Bet Builder

France over 5.5 corners and Noussair Mazraoui 3+ Tackles bet builder @ 8/5 

Noussair Mazraoui was Morocco’s standout defender in their 3-0 victory over Canada, and while the scoreline suggests it was a comfortable success for the Atlas Lions, the backline was forced to get through plenty of defensive work.

The Manchester United man made three tackles against Canada and that followed five in the penalty shootout success over the Netherlands.

France should boss possession in Foxborough, which means plenty of defensive duties and Les Bleus can take at least six corners.

Morocco conceded 11 corner kicks to a Canada side who recorded only 45% of the ball and the figure is likely to rise against France.

France over 5.5 corners and Mazraoui 3+ tackles pays 8/5 in a tasty bet builder.

Acca

Dynamo Kyiv to beat Universitatea Cluj, Ferencvaros to beat Vojvodina Novi Sad, Hajduk Split to beat MSK Zilina treble @ 19/5

Dynamo Kyiv failed to make it out of the group stage of the Conference League last season, but they can make a strong start to this term’s Europa League qualifiers.

Universitatea Cluj’s small squad doesn’t look cut out for European adventure and the Romanians are likely to struggle in Poland.

Ferencvaros were mighty close to winning the Hungarian top-flight title last season in a campaign which also saw the Greens reach the last-16 of the Europa League.

Balazs Borbely’s men can win at Vojvodina Novi Sad.

Hajduk Split have added a number of new signings ahead of their Europa League qualification campaign and they can make a positive start against a Zilina outfit who were a long way off the top in Slovakia last term. 

Treble your returns + £20 in free bets

Odds correct at time of publish and subject to change.

Stay up to date with all the latest World Cup tips & predictions, World Cup Match Previews and all the best World Cup Betting Offers and Free Bets in our dedicated betting hub

18+ New Customers only. Opt in, deposit and bet £10+ on any Football market (1/1+ odds) within 7 days of sign up. Get 3 Boost tokens and 2 x £10 Free bets for set Football markets. Rewards expire in 30 days. Click for T&Cs | GambleAware.org | Please gamble responsibly

Remember to gamble responsibly

A responsible gambler is someone who:

• Establishes time and monetary limits before playing
• Only gambles with money they can afford to lose
• Never chase their losses
• Doesn’t gamble if they’re upset, angry or depressed
• GamCare – www.gamcare.org.uk
• Gamble Aware – www.gambleaware.org

For help with a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133 or go to www.gamstop.co.uk to be excluded from all UK-regulated gambling websites.

Commercial content notice: Taking one of the bookmaker offers featured in this article may result in a payment to talkSPORT. 18+. T&Cs apply. gambleaware.org