After Paraguay opened its first World Cup appearance in 16 years with a 4-1 defeat to the host U.S Men’s National Team, nobody would have expected to find them here battling in the round of 16.
A stunning victory over Germany has earned Paraguay a Round of 16 matchup with France, the team that entered the World Cup ranked No. 1 in the FIFA World Rankings and has yet to face a true test in the tournament.
France steamrolled Sweden 3-0 to advance behind a brace from Kylian Mbappé, who trails only Lionel Messi in this World Cup’s Golden Boot race with six goals.
After defending champion Argentina nearly suffered a stunning upset against another underdog nation in Cape Verde yesterday, can Paraguay give France a similar scare?
Meanwhile in the MLB, the Los Angeles Dodgers will look to take a 3-0 series lead at home against their NL West rival San Diego Padres.
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First Pick: France -2 over Paraguay
Rundown: The chaos of this World Cup should make bettors hesitant to lay a big goal spread with any heavy favorite, especially after Cape Verde pushed Argentina to the brink yesterday.
However, while any fairytale World Cup involves a bit of luck, Paraguay’s upset over Germany does not project to be repeatable.
Jose Canale won it for Paraguay in a penalty shootout, but in regular time, the South Americans had a 24% possession rate and only three shots on goal.
Against the favorite to win the World Cup in France, it’s unlikely that level of play can force a competitive matchup.
France dominated wire-to-wire against Sweden, posting a 61% possession rate with 12 shots on goal.
Expect another dominant France victory, as Mbappe looks to even himself back up with Messi in the race for the Golden Boot.
Second Pick: Los Angeles Dodgers -1.5 over San Diego Padres
Jon Endow-Imagn Images
Jul 3, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers left fielder Teoscar Hernandez (37) hits a grand slam in the bottom of the seventh inning against the San Diego Padres at Dodger Stadium.
Rundown: After rolling to a 12-7 victory in the series opener, the Dodgers only narrowly pulled out a 4-3 victory over the Padres on Friday.
However, with Griffin Canning getting the start on the mound tonight, expect a similar Dodger bat explosion to Thursday’s game.
Canning is 1-5 across his six starts and has posted a 7.09 ERA, while the Dodgers will counter with Yoshinobu Yamamoto, whose 2.67 ERA ranks 10th in the league this season.
The Dodgers are 9-2 in their last 11 outings, and should pick up another comfortable win in this July 4 matchup.