2018 World Cup: Sweden vs. South Korea odds, expert picks, insider predictions

European soccer expert picks Monday's 2018 World Cup game

Sweden's all-time greatest player, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, won't participate in the 2018 World Cup, but oddsmakers still favor the Swedes in their group stage opener against South Korea on Monday at 8 a.m. ET. The 36-year-old L.A. Galaxy star opted not to come out of international retirement, turning over the Swedish mantle to offensive creators like 26-year-old Emil Forsberg (Red Bull Leipzig). Sportsbooks list Sweden at +105 (risk $100 to win $105), South Korea at +310 and the draw at +225. The over-under for goals scored in this 2018 World Cup match is two.

Before you lock in your 2018 World Cup picks, you need to see what European football expert David Sumpter has to say. Sumpter is an applied mathematician who wrote Soccermatics, the book that explains how math works inside the sport. Together with other experienced analysts, Sumpter developed the powerful Soccerbot model.

The Soccerbot reads current odds and all team performance data, calculates key metrics and predicts upcoming matches. In nearly three seasons since its inception, the Soccerbot is up an incredible 1,800 percent on bookmakers' closing odds.

Sumpter opened his World Cup campaign by nailing three of his first four picks through the first two days, which includes Iran on the money line (+275) over Morocco and the draw between Spain and Portugal (+225).

For Monday, we can tell you the model is leaning over two goals, but its much stronger play is on the side.

The model knows South Korea features the match's most exciting player, 25-year-old Tottenham striker Son Heung-min. He has scored 47 goals in 137 Premier League matches despite not being a full-time starter. He could use the World Cup 2018 as his coming-out party.

But Sweden, thirsting for World Cup success after not making the tournament since 2006, is favored in Russia for a reason. Many astute observers believe the team is better off without Ibrahimovic.

Sweden showed tremendous teamwork in beating France during qualifying, not to mention keeping two clean sheets against Italy.

So which hungry nation wins Monday? Or does it end in a draw? Visit SportsLine now to see the strong Sweden-South Korea pick, all from a European football expert whose powerful model is up 1,800 percent in less than three years.