World Cup betting: Don’t pass on a rare ‘home’ game for Argentina

Las Vegas Review-Journal sports writers Adam Hill and David Schoen have been given $5,000 fantasy bankrolls to bet during the World Cup on either sides, totals or props. Below are their bets for today, with an explanation of their picks:

ADAM HILL, REVIEW-JOURNAL

Bankroll: $4,895

Tuesday: Won $100

Today: Betting $420

Bet 1: $150 on Bosnia-Herzegovina (-½, plus-110) over Iran

Comment: Iran would prefer to sit back in a defensive position and slow the game. It can’t afford to do so here, however. Iran knows it must score to win and advance, which will open up lanes for a Bosnia-Herzegovina side already eliminated and with nothing to lose.

Bet 2: $270 on Switzerland (-1, minus-135) over Honduras

Comment: No team from Group E has clinched advancement, though France appears all but a certainty. If France lets down and loses to Ecuador, Switzerland not only will have to defeat Honduras, but do so by multiple goals. Honduras has looked mediocre enough to make that a realistic possibility.

DAVID SCHOEN, REVIEW-JOURNAL

Bankroll: $3,955

Tuesday: Lost $200

Today: Betting $210

Bet 1: $110 on Argentina (-1, minus-110) over Nigeria

Comment: La Albiceleste have been surprisingly mediocre, but they will have a massive home-field advantage in Porto Alegre, which is about 450 miles from the Argentine border. The danger here is that both teams will advance with a draw, but a return to its favored 4-3-3 formation should jump start Argentina’s sluggish offense.

Bet 2: $100 on Bosnia-Herzegovina (-½, plus-110) over Iran

Comment: Bosnia-Herzegovina has been eliminated, but the potential for plus money on the better team is too good to pass up. Iran needs a victory to have any hope of advancing to the knockout stage and can’t sit back as it did in the first two matches. Bosnia-Herzegovina’s forwards should exploit that extra space.