Why and why not: Will these World Cup betting favorites cash in?

The knockout phase of the 2018 World Cup is about to kick off, with the Round of 16 slimming itself over the next four days. Many of soccer’s elite teams are still in the mix – save for defending champ Germany – and there’s plenty of value on the board in the outright winner futures odds. Here’s a look at the top World Cup favorites and their odds entering the Round of 16, giving a reason why they will win and one reason why they won’t and what the betting trends are going to be: Brazil +350 to win World ...