Spain v Holland Preview: World Cup Final Odds & Betting Tips

World Cup Final Odds – Spain V Holland Betting

Spain to win: 23/20 at Victor Chandler
Draw: 12/5 at Totesport
Netherlands to win: 11/4 at Totesport

Spain v Holland brings together a European clash for the final of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Spain will go into the match as favourites in World Cup betting, and here we take a look over the areas of the games where the World Cup Final may be won or lost. Spain have history in their grasp, but Holland will do their best to make a match of it of course. The Dutch may have a hard time living with the passing quality of Spain, but the Spanish need to keep their feet on the ground and not get carried away with the hype of what is expected of them. The Dutch will be underdogs, but they have already beaten Brazil. Which way will the 2010 FIFA World Cup final swing?

To Lift Trophy
Spain: 4/7 at Bet365
Netherlands: 6/4 at Bet365

Spain V Holland Preview

Goalkeepers. Iker Casillas, who is known as Saint Casillas back in his home nation has the edge on this one. If you were backing one of them to pull off a match winning save, then it would be Casillas, who is one of the top goalkeepers in the world. That is not to say that Stekelenburg has not pulled off some good saves, he has done the trick and looked fairly solid, but this is the big occasion and for Casillas, who generally has very little to do, his concentration is fantastic. Casillas was at fault largely for the Swiss goal against them, but other than that he has been good. The Dutch keeper will be the busier of the two without doubt, and even if it goes to penalties, you’d back the confidence of the Spaniard.
Goalkeeping: Spain 1, Holland 1

Defence. With full backs Joan Capdevila and Sergio Ramos flanking Carles Puyol and Gerard Pique, there probably is not a more solid and consistent back line in the World. Not only that, they are a major threat at the other end of the pitch with Pique and Puyol going up for corners, and the two full backs playing as wingers. That is the confidence which Spain have, and they use the overlapping full backs to get crosses into the opposition box, so much better than any other team in the world. Not only do opponents have to find a way to stop the threat of the Spanish midfield tearing down the centre of the pitch, they have to stop the wide players as well. If there is a chink in the armour then it probably is Capdevila, but there is so much quality and composure in the back line, they really don’t give much away. For the Dutch, watching the Spanish full backs run at them will give them nightmares. Giovanni Van Bronckhorst and Khalid Boulahrouz are not the fastest of full backs, and Van Bronckhorst, while a great professional, may have a torrid time against Spain when they attack down the right. It will be imperative that he gets help from Robben or Kuyt, whoever is patrolling the left of midfield at the time. That doesn’t instil a lot of confidence either, as they aren’t great at tracking back. In the middle they are a little more secure with John Heitinga and Joris Mathijsen, who both look very solid. While they have the height to deal with crosses and long balls, they are going to be test more on the floor from the Spanish passing, an area which they aren’t as strong. Cameroon caught them out badly when playing at pace, and Brazil tore them apart in the early stages of their quarter final match, and that should send warning signals.
Defence: Spain 1, Holland 0

Midfield: This is where the game will be one or lost. If you are looking for the most likely candidate to get a red card in the World Cup final, then look no further than Holland’s Mark Van Bommel. The midfielder, who is out of favour at Bayern Munich has been fouling left right and centre under the nose of the referee and he keeps getting away with things. He will have a very tough time in trying to keep Xavi and Xabi Alonso quiet. How well Van Bommel and his midfield partner (which will probably be Nigel De Jong who will return to the side after suspension) can deal with the Spanish duo will be key. They can’t afford to lose sight of them, especially with Alonso making late runs to join attacks, and they can’t give too many free kicks away either. There is a lot of responsibility resting on their shoulders, and while Van Bommel has probably been one of the best Dutch players, he will need to be on top of his game. If he has a bad day at the office, Spain will run riot. Why are Spain so good in midfield? Because they have such phenomenal passing quality in there. Xavi is one of the best passers of the ball in the world, and pretty much everything goes through him. Opposition know that, and still they have a hard time in keeping him quiet, and that is because Spain as a team keep the ball so well. When they start stretching their passes across the full width of the pitch, it creates so much space in the middle for Xavi, they are able to use him to the best of his best ability. Spain do like to keep things fairly narrow in the centre of the pitch, when defending, but when going forward, there are always options out wide, and Xavi will pick out the passes. For the Spanish, having Iniesta dropping back to pick up the ball as well, he uses his phenomenal control to take advantage of any space. He takes balls into tight spaces and ties up defenders, creating space for his team mates. For Holland, their main weapons in going forward are Arjen Robben and Wesley Sneijder. Sneijder is in awesome form, being the link up man between midfield and attack. The question is, can he find the space to deliver his usual performance, as he may spend a lot of time tracking back? The same for Robben, who switches flanks well with Dirk Kuyt and Robben, Kuyt and Sneijder are great on the break. They may have to do more defensive duties than they will like, but when they do break, they simply have to make it count. The counter punching quality is there for Holland, but not the ball retention or creativity.
Midfield: Spain 1, Holland 0

Forwards: Not surprisingly Spain will have the edge here, as they have tournament top scorer David Villa. Villa hugs the left hand touchline and likes to come in and attack from angles there. He has pace, he has great close control and he is bristling with confidence. He will give any back line in the world a problem, and it is no wonder Barcelona have paid big money to land him. He has an incredible international scoring record and would be well worthy of lifting the Golden Boot at South Africa 2010. He will be the big threat, but the question is, who will be his partner? Will coach Del Bosque throw Torres back into action after dropping him for the semi final? Will he stick with the livewire Pedro whose energy really gave Spain an extra dimension, but blew a clear cut chance to make it two nil in the semi final by being selfish? Will Del Bosque change things altogether and put in Arsenal midfielder Cesc Fabregas in a supporting role? Questions, but Torres will likely get the nod because of experience. For Holland, Robin Van Persie is quality, but he was expected to carry just a little more threat at the tournament, only scoring once so far. Has been a bit anonymous, truth be told and he will need to have a big game, as the Dutch do not have a great deal of options on the bench. If a chance comes his way he will have to take it, as it he clearly will not get as many as David Villa will.
Forwards: Spain 1, Holland 0

Coach: Del Bosque inherited the current squad pretty much, but still he has worked well with them in turning them into a world beating side. Really has not had a lot to do tactically, as Spain play their way whoever the opposition is. Showed a lot of sense in dropping Torres for the semi final, and whether he puts him back into the line up or not is his only question. Van Marwijk deserves a lot of praise for his work, having only lost one match since taking over as national coach. The Netherlands are on a 25 game unbeaten run, and that is thanks to the calm composure he has instilled in his team. Does not change things tactically too much, as Holland like to play on the attack, but seems to be a great leader of a nation which is usually self destructive.
Coach: Del Bosque 1, Van Marwijk 1

Tactics: Tactically the sides will line up relatively similarly. They both employ a back four, and while Holland have two holding midfielders, Spain employ just the one in Sergio Busquets. Sneijder is the key man as he stays central in joining the lone attack, while Robben and Kuyt are used for width. This means that they are great on the break, but are also vulnerable to teams getting in behind them. Spain, with a similar system, use Xavi and Alonso in front of Busquets, and then Iniesta and Torres to drift wider into attack. Spain use their full backs better in getting forward, and David Villa creates a whole world of space because he has that extra level of movement in him, attacking from wide on the left. Dynamic is the word for Spain, predictable would be the one for Holland. Holland are set up strongly, but Spain play to the strengths of their playmakers, and that allows them to control games with possession.
Tactics: Spain 1, Holland 1

Spain V Holland Betting Tips

Prediction: Holland may put up stubborn resistance, but Spain should be backed to win this final simply because player for player, they have a higher level of quality in the midfield. With their foot on the ball and playing their patient game, Spain will dominate anyone. They have grown in confidence, and there is just the feeling that they will have saved their best till last, and will win comfortably in the end by a couple of goals.
Winning Margin: Spain to win by one goal 13/5 at Bet365