brazil

Brazil vs Holland Odds – World Cup Quarter Finals – 2nd July

Brazil – odds: Evens at SkyBet
Draw – odds: 12/5 at BetFred
Holland – odds: 7/2 Bet365

Holland

Two of the most fluent passing teams go head to head in the quarter finals of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, and it promises to be one of the best matches so far. Holland take on Brazil in the first of the Quarter Finals, and it is a match which is being waited for with much anticipation. Holland, with four straight wins in the World Cup, have the unenviable task of taking on a Brazil side which have not broken a sweat yet. Holland themselves though have sailed through their matches, and have not been troubled at all. Holland came into the tournament as one of the strongest European candidates, and while they have seen most of Europe’s elite fall, the Oranje have carried on regardless. They are great exponents of playing the beautiful game, and reinforces just how far attacking football can get you, a lesson which a lot of Europe could learn. The Dutch have quality players in every position but they will go into the match as underdogs to the South Americans. Maybe this will suit Holland perfectly, as they are famous in World Cup history for not being able to break through mental barriers to win the World Cup, with over confidence often being cited as their biggest downfall. The Dutch do have an air of arrogance about them, but this time around it does not appear to be a the same level as it has been at in the past. They are a fully confident team and rightly so. There has not even been any reports of infighting and disarray in the camp, which is something else which usually plagues the Netherlands at tournaments. They are calm, composed and ready to take on the world’s best.

Holland have not been pushed at all in any of their matches so far. They have had the upper hand in all of them, even if they have not ran up large score lines. The simple fact of the matter is that they have maintained possession and movement very well, and with the return of Arjen Robben, they have been made even stronger. Robben returned to the starting line up against Slovakia in their last sixteen match up, and found the back of the net. Holland ran out 2-1 winners after conceding a penalty at the very death of the game, but they never looked in any danger of losing the match. The same can be said of their group games against Denmark, Japan and Cameroon. They were probably pushed the hardest by the industrious Japan, but still, there is an edge of confidence and quality about Holland. There always is, as their passing game is a joy to watch. Do they have what it takes to go all of the way and win the World Cup for the first time in their history? A knockout match in the World Cup against Brazil at any stage is like a World Cup final in itself. There is perhaps more of a maturity about Holland this time around, and they are on a long successful run of being undefeated, and so far, their run has not been threatened. While they have had a lot of success, they haven’t really been tested against the top teams, and it doesn’t get better than Brazil. The key players like Robin Van Persie and Wesley Sneijder need to be on top of their games, and Holland will need their mobility and width to get the best out of attacking Brazil, which they will find with Dirk Kuyt and Robben.

Brazil

Brazil will set the Netherlands new challenges in their quarter final match. The Dutch defence will come under a lot more pressure than they have done in any of their recent matches, with a need to maintain a lot more concentration. Brazil have looked completely unfazed during their run to the World Cup 2010 Quarter Finals, and they have arguably been tested harder than Holland have. Brazil came through a group against Portugal and the Ivory Coast, and then had a tricky last sixteen match against Chile. They did not blink an eyelid in dispatching the Ivory Coast and Chile very comfortably, scoring three goals against each, but they did fail to break down Portugal in a dour match. We were expecting a much more defensively sound Brazil at this World Cup, as coach Dunga shook up the Brazilian style to inject his own stamp on the team. Even with a solid back line now, backed up by the best goalkeeper in the world, Julio Cesar, they have not lost that typical Brazilian attacking flair. Far from it. If anything it has been enhanced by the solid foundation behind it, and one of the unsung heroes which makes it happen, is ex Arsenal star Gilberto Silva who holds the midfield together. Brazils movement in going forward is still something to be admired by all teams in the world, and they still make everything look so effortless and easy. Passing the ball is done almost on automatic pilot, and with Robinho and Kaka roaming around behind Luis Fabiano, they are so hard to pick up and stop.

Kaka drops off behind both of Robinho and Fabiano, and pulls a lot of the strings as expected. He had a slow start to the tournament, coming back from injury, and he received a petty red card in Brazil’s match against the Ivory Coast. While Dunga wasn’t happy about that, he saw Kaka pick up another yellow card, and he is now treading a thin line. To see Kaka miss the semi final or the Final itself by picking up another booking would be a huge shame for the tournament. Brazil are looking in ominous form, and the strongest force at South Africa 2010. With all of the expectation surrounding Brazil as they go in search of their sixth title, the fact that Argentina and Spain are in the running as betting favourites, may have taken some of the pressure off them, as punters look elsewhere. But Brazil look incredibly confident, and one thing which stands out about them, is that they are enjoying their football as a group. They look relaxed and full of smiles, and with some of the most technically gifted players in the tournament, there’s no reason not to be. But Brazil will face their most technical challenge so far of the World Cup, facing one of the teams that are equally comfortable in possession. Holland do not have as much of a clinical finish about them as Brazil do, neither do they have the quality on their bench that Brazil do. The South Americans face challenges will calm heads and they play to the strengths of their experience, as they are one of the oldest sides in the tournament. They do not look it though, as they move the football so quickly, and one of the stars of the tournament so far, Robinho, injects so much pace and creativity to complement the sturdiness of the defensive corps behind him, Brazil are perfectly balanced and perfectly primed.

Brazil vs Holland Prediction / Betting Tips

Prediction (who will win) – Brazil to win – odds: Evens at SkyBet

Brazil have outstanding class, and while they can be matched in style by Holland, the Europeans will have a hard time standing up in a toe to toe match against the South Americans. Hopefully the Netherlands will do their best to stick to their own strengths and not simply try to fill in the midfield to stifle Brazil, because this has the promise of a wide open master class in passing football. Still, Brazil have looked the more dangerous through the tournament, and have the potential to outscore Holland no matter how many the Dutch may put on the board. That is the class of Brazil, the ability to go one better all of the time.

Brazil vs Holland Prediction – Betting Tip – Robinho Anytime Scorer – odds: 2/1 at Ladbrokes

While France, Italy and England have not lived up to their billing and are already out of the tournament, two of the biggest names in world football are safely through to the quarter finals of the World Cup and the match at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium threatens to be a classic.

Holland v Brazil conjures many exciting memories, such as their last eight clash in Dallas back in 1994 when the Dutch produced a stirring comeback from 2-0 down to draw level at 2-2. Unfortunately they couldn’t complete the turnaround and lost 3-2, although they fared a little better in 1998 when the teams met in the semi-finals. Patrick Kluivert’s late equaliser took the game to extra-time, although the Selecao were once again victorious, this time on penalties.

Can the current Netherlands gain vengeance for these defeats of the last millennium? There’s two schools of thought on the matter. The first states that Holland have been disappointing in all four of their matches despite winning them all and might be easily beaten in Port Elizabeth. The other suggests that the Dutch have been conserving energy and will now move through the gears when it really matters. If the latter occurs, then the 100/30 (Ladbrokes) that they win this match will seem like a big price.

You can also back Bert van Marwijk’s team at 7/4 (bet365) to go through to the semi-finals where they would have a winnable match against either Uruguay or Ghana. Indeed, such an easy route through to the final suggests there will be extra pressure on this match and Under 2.5 Goals at 8/11 (Stan James) seems like a very fair price considering that Holland will surely look to keep things tight in the opening stages.

Indeed, it’s possible the Dutch are trying to use the same tactics employed by Jose Mourinho’s Inter during last season’s successful Champions League campaign and Brazil are sure to be wary about falling prey to the counter-attack trap. That said, the south Americans played some excellent football when beating Chile and demonstrated that they also can be a threat on the break, not to mention from set piece situations.

It’s possible that people will consider the two matches that took place last Monday and arrive at the conclusion that Brazil are a better team and should almost certainly win the game in normal time. If you are one of these people, it might be worth considering a bet at even money (bet365) on the Samba Kings, especially as manager Dunga is demanding a big improvement from his team!

Robinho is looking a million times better than his Manchester City playing days last season and could rate as a decent bet at 6/1 (bet365), while Luis Fabiano now has three goals and the Sevilla striker can be backed at odds of 9/2 (Victor Chandler). For the Dutch, there’s no escaping the fact that Arjen Robben is the player likeliest to score and he’s on offer at 10/1 (bet365).

We’re certain of another south American team making the quarter finals when this match is played at Ellis Park on Monday night, but will it be the five-time winners going through or a team that had not won a match in their last four World Cups?

Chile have been one of the revelations of the tournament, which would be poorer without Marcelo Bielsa’s team featuring. They started the campaign with 1-0 victories over Honduras and Switzerland and it would have been a travesty if La Roja hadn’t gone through after taking the game to Spain on Friday night. Indeed, the Chileans were the stronger team in the opening stages and you can back them at 6/1 (Ladbrokes) to land a famous victory against more illustrious opposition.

The big downside for Bielsa is that Gary Medel, Waldo Ponce and Marco Estrada will all be suspended for this match in Johannesburg, three defenders who are an integral part of the Chile squad. The manager might also be considering a change of formation, especially as the 3-3-1-3 set-up saw Brazil win 4-2 and 3-0 against them during the south American qualifying.

With this trio of players missing, it’s something of a surprise to see Brazil available at odds of 8/15 (bet365) to win this match and book their place in the quarter final. While some punters might not be prepared to back any selection at odds-on, I would have expected Dunga’s team to be around the 2/5 mark considering that this is a clinical team that dealt with North Korea and Ivory Coast during their Group G matches.

Although the goalless draw with Portugal was nothing to write home about, there are extenuating circumstances for this poor performance, with the Selecao needing just a point to top the section, something which helped them avoid a potential last sixteen match against Spain. It was interesting to see the manager leave out Robinho in the last game and the Manchester City player is 11/2 (Victor Chandler) to score his first goal of the World Cup by breaking the deadlock.

During qualifying, it was Luis Fabiano and Nilmar that were heavily among the goals against Chile, with the latter scoring a hat-trick during the match in Rio. It’s possible that the Villarreal forward will be on the bench for this game, although his Sevilla compatriot will once again lead the line and Fabiano appears to be angling for a move to Manchester United at the moment. He has two goals to his name in this tournament and is the 4/1 favourite (Paddy Power) to send his team into the lead.

While Brazil have attracted much criticism for a conservative style of play, they did score three goals against Ivory Coast and will have Kaka returning from suspension for this match. Considering the suspension problems of Chile and the fact that striker Humberto Suazo is not fit, this could be a match to support Brazil at -2 on the Asian Handicap at odds of 10/3 (bet365).

Winning Group G gets more important with the passing of every day. While the victors at the Moses Mabhida Stadium would potentially play Holland in the quarter finals, they will avoid the half of the draw which includes England, Argentina, Germany and probably Spain. While Vicente Del Bosque’s team are hovering around even money to win Group H, a runners-up berth is surely more likely. Therefore, while Brazil are through to the last sixteen, it’s hard to see Dunga treating this game particularly lightly. He will want to maintain the excellence shown against the Ivory Coast last Sunday, even if the team will be missing the suspended Kaka. While the Real Madrid star sits on the bench and considers how foolish he was to receive two yellow cards, his team-mates are strong favourites at 13/10 (Coral) to land another win which would give them maximum points in Group G. It promises to be an entertaining game, especially as the Brazilian defence is not proving particularly watertight. North Korea and the Cote d’Ivoire both managed a consolation goal against the Selecao in previous matches, so perhaps it follows that Portugal will also find the net, especially as six members of their squad were on the scoresheet against the People’s Republic on Monday. Carlos Queiroz’s team will be going for the win, especially as they have little to fear due to the nine goals’ superior goal difference they have over the Elephants. The Iberian team are 11/4 (Bet Fred) to land a famous win and book themselves a match against the runners-up of Group H. It’s clearly just a matter of speculation as to whom they would meet, although Switzerland going through in second place would give them a strong chance of getting through to the final. The team have a clear match-winner in Cristiano Ronaldo, who will be looking to break free from the shackles of Gilberto Silva to make a difference for his country. The Real Madrid forward is 6/1 (Ladbrokes) to open the scoring and you can bet that he’s been practising his free kicks ahead of this match, although it’s strange that Tiago is priced at 33/1 (Paddy Power) on the same market considering that he scored two against the North Koreans. This will also be a significant match for striker Liedson, who was born in Brazil and became a naturalised Portuguese international recently. He’s 9/1 (Ladbrokes) to break the deadlock. As for Brazil, they still have attacking flair without the suspended Kaka and striker Luis Fabiano is on course to win the Golden Shoe after his excellent brace against the Ivory Coast. The Sevilla forward will be eyeing more goals from this match ahead of the knockout stages where games are traditionally more low-scoring. You can back him at 11/2 (Victor Chandler) to score first. If you think that Brazil will dominate to the extent that they did in their last game, Stan James offers 3/1 that the World Cup favourites lead at half-time and full-time.

2010 World Cup early betting (part 5)

We’re now at the business end of this tournament. Time to take stock of all the ifs and buts.

HOST country. Being the host seems to make a big difference to many countries. They nearly always UP their game. They have, in recent years, never failed to make it to at least the second stage. South Africa are on a decent run. True they haven’t beaten the top sides but you can only ask them to beat what is put in front of them. Which they have done.

A small investment on the HOSTS to qualify from the GROUP A ?

The bigger picture. I can’t find a reason to disagree with the bookies over their general range of odds, apart from a couple of teams.

England are still UNDER-PRICED. I think that they have a fair chance but unless they really gel I see them getting no further than the semis. A side hardly mentioned over the past few weeks is HOLLAND. We all know how temperamental this lot can be. Arguing amongst themselves and letting their heads drop at the first sign of trouble.However this squad appear to be getting along finely with each other. If it stays this way they can make a big impact on the outcome. Their group really shouldn’t give them any problems. Denmark, Cameroon and Japan.

4/6, ( 1.67 Betfair) to qualify for the QUARTERS seems sound to me.

Another team which appears UNDER-PRICED or OVER-RATED, you decide which, is ARGENTINA. They have a couple of NAMES in their side but were, on balance, lucky to qualify. On a good day I could see them get to the semis.

Germany and Italy appear to be a little jaded at present. The odds on offer probably say a lot of what many are thinking.

The two favourites, and rightly so, are SPAIN and BRAZIL. Spain at a general pre- tourney price of 4/1 just aren’t value. Brazil offered at around 8′s and 9′s are.

Taking into account previous WORLD CUP performances and the odds on offer I can’t find any possible UPSTART to spoil the party. The eight teams set for the QUARTERS using these two parameters are

1 SPAIN.
2 ARGENTINA and ENGLAND
4 BRAZIL
5 HOLLAND
6 GERMANY and ITALY
8 FRANCE.

Not really very inspiring if you’re looking for one to beat the book.

The team I’ll be looking forward to watching is HOLLAND. Can they bring back their TOTAL FOOTBALL of former times?

Looking at GOLDEN BOOT possibles, two facts stand out.

First you need to find a team that’s going to, at least, reach the semis. The losers still get to play an extra game, for THIRD PLACE.

Secondly check out the easier initial groups. No matter how hard some teams will try, they are really just making up the numbers. Think of New Zealand, Cameroon, Paraguay etc.

Past winners have scored as few as SIX goals throughout the tournament.

Argentina, Holland and Italy appear to have the weakest opposition for the opening series. This is were the known strikers can make hay. It’s after this stage that chances become harder to find. So hopefully your chosen striker will get a hatful as soon as possible.

Likely candidates for the prize are, in my estimation, 9/1 Van Persie (Holland), 9/1 Messi (Argentina), 12/1 Torres (Spain), 25/1 Giladino (Italy).

I have not considered Klose of Germany as his present form leaves a lot to be desired.

Before accepting any prices be sure to check thru’ a PRICE COMPARISON SITE, THAT YOU’RE GETTING VALUE FOR YOUR STAKE MONEY.

With some big names missing from some line-ups it will be interesting to know who will come out of the competition covered in glory.

Maybe Spain’s Andres Iniesta , for me the best engine-room man in the business. Always assuming that he’s fit. Or Brazil’s Lucio. A solid rock in the middle of the Inter Milan defence and just as valuable for his country.

The WORLD CUP holds a fascination for millions of people. It’s so easy to get drawn in to the excitement. Just make sure that you don’t go over the top and " invest" more than you can afford to lose.

GOOD LUCK.

Fabiano Ready To Fire For Brazil

Well, this is probably the biggest miss match you will see in the whole tournament. Brazil enter the World Cup 2010 stage, with their Group G match against North Korea, who are the rank outsiders in terms of World Cup betting. Of the thirty teams participating in South Africa 2010, North Korea are the lowest ranked of all them, doing little to suggest that they could possibly cause one of the biggest ever World Cup upsets by stopping Brazil winning. Brazil booked their qualification place with three games to go in qualification from South America, getting the job done with an impressive 3-1 victory in Buenos Aires over Maradona’s Argentina. The modern Brazil is a pragmatic one, and has coach Dunga’s personality stamped all over it. Ironically, for all the talk about Italy being too old to win the World Cup, Brazil have a higher average squad age, and they have been leading the way with Spain as favourites to lift the trophy. So it really is not about age, it is simply about quality, and the Brazilians, naturally are packed with that. Yes, Dunga left behind Ronaldinho, and yes, he did surprisingly take Wolfsburg’s Grafite with him over Milan’s Pato, but that goes to show the strength Dunga has to call upon.

Much criticism, possibly unfair, has been levelled at Dunga for taking the flair out of Brazil, but Dunga is charged with only one task, bringing home the World Cup for the sixth time. Will the natives really be too disappointed if they don’t show much of that old Brazilian magic? Probably not? Or is winning with style more important than just winning? Brazil are tough in defence now, admirably led by one of the best centre halves in the world, Lucio. They also like to control the midfield through strong defensive positioning, instead of throwing caution to the wind and just barreling forward. Dunga has tightened up the whole Brazilian ship and is keen to not let the disappointments of Germany 2006 resurface in South Africa. What better way to start their campaign, than by squaring off against the lowest ranked team. Brazil are top of the FIFA World Rankings, edging out Spain after FIFA re-did some number crunching. So this is the David v Goliath match of the 2010 World Cup. The odds do not get much wider than this. So what can we expect from Brazil. Well, while they are a little more conservative that what they used to be, their opponents will soon find out that they are just as lethal, but in different ways.

Brazil probably have the most lethal counter punch in the World. The speed and precision with which they counter attack is phenomenal, and when you add to that, the new and un-Brazilian like quality of scoring from set plays through the big men coming up from the back, you have a team which can score from anywhere, and score how they like. That naturally doesn’t bode well for North Korea, as Brazil now have a chance to show the World that they mean business by racking up a few goals to silence their critics. Not that Dunga will care too much, as he refuses to play the media games. But when he sends out Luis Fabiano and Robinho, then the potential for goals in enormous. Here are some interesting stats about the Brazilian forward pairing: Brazil are undefeated when Robinho scores, and they have a record of 27 wins and four drawn matches when Robinho and Fabiano play. You really can’t argue with that. Robinho, who never really got going at Manchester City, is something of a revelation for his nation, and showed just what he can do when he went back to Brazil to finish the domestic season to regain full fitness after a long injury. Robinho has 23 goals in 75 international matches, while Fabiano has an incredible 25 goals in just 38 matches for Brazil. Fabiano hit 9 goals in 11 qualification matches, and 15 goals in 23 domestic league matches this season. Simply incredible. He could probably win the Golden Boot just on this match alone.

North Korea – 1966 And All That

You will probably hear 1966 being bandied about when the England matches are on, but it is also a significant date for North Korea, as it was their debut in the World Cup. It was also when they shocked Italy by beating them 1-0 at Middlesbrough. South Africa 2010 is the first time that they have revisited this great stage. There is a great deal of disparity in this match, and North Korea had to battle all the way to their final match of qualification to reach the World Cup finals. In contrast to Brazil’s form heading into the World Cup finals, North Korea have picked up just two wins out of eleven international friendly matches. They sure have been busy, but it is hard to see the development and improvement that they really need to make any kind of impact on the World Stage. What may hurt them more, is seeing the success that South Korea are enjoying, after they won their opening match 2-0 against Greece. There is just no way that North Korea should even come close to contemplating a win against Brazil. They play a defensive formation, and like to load the midfield, and therefore any attacks by them will be limited at best. Brazil are far too professional, far too good to let any major malfunction happen in this match. Brazil have lost only two of their 18 opening World Cup matches, both of them back in the 1930’s. Visit here for more betting info on Brazil v North Korea.

Brazil v North Korea Odds and Stats

Last 5 Matches
Tanzania 1, Brazil 5
Brazil 2, Ireland 0
Oman 0, Brazil 2
Brazil 1, England 0
Brazil 0, Venezuela 0

Nigeria 3, Korea DPR 1
Greece 2, Korea DPR 2
Paraguay 1, Korea DPR 0
South Africa 0, Korea DPR 0
Congo 0, Korea DPR 0

Last 5 match Goals
Brazil: 10 For, 1 Against
Korea DPR: 3 For, 6 Against

Recent Stats
Brazil: P50, W36, D10, L4 with a 72.0% win percentage
Korea DPR: P5, W0, D3, L2 with a 0.0% win percentage

World Cup Stats
Brazil: P92, W64, D14, L14, GF201, GA84
Korea DPR: P4, W1, D1, L2, GF5, GA9

Last 10 Match Form
Brazil: WWWWLDWWWW
Korea DPR: DDLDL

Match Odds
Brazil to win: 1/9 at SkyBet
Draw: 9/1 at Bet365
North Korea to win: 33/1 at Coral

Asian Handicap Betting Tip: May as well throw the kitchen sink at this one, or at least that’s how it feels, as fixed outright odds are not going to bring much. You have to realistically believe, that even the modern Brazil are at least two goals better than North Korea. Will they run riot? If you think so, then you won’t see much more exaggerated Asian Handicap odds than this in the World Cup. Still, if you want to fall into the realms of taking something good value and sensible, then Brazil -1.75 for 11/20 at Bet365 has a nice ring about it. It’ll give you half of your stake as profit, just for Brazil winning by three clear goals.

The 2010 World Cup is just about to start and it’s a great time to open a few online betting accounts. That’s because the bookmakers want your business during this summer of football and are offering customers some excellent introductory offers as a result.

Over at bet365, new customers can qualify for a 100% matched bonus up to £200 when they sign up which immediately doubles your betting balance for the World Cup. When it comes to betting on the outright market, there is a promotion called ‘Penalty Payback’ which means your stake is refunded if your team are knocked out in South Africa on spot-kicks.

That could mean we visit this bookie when it comes to backing Spain, considering that the only way that any team might beat the Red Fury is by taking them to a penalty shoot-out.

Bet365 also have the Bore Draw offer available, where losing stakes are refunded on the First Goalscorer, Anytime Goalscorer, Correct Score and Half-Time / Full-Time markets if the match ends goalless.

Meanwhile, Ladbrokes have a tremendous opening offer where you simply have to bet £5 on any World Cup market and you’ll get £25 in free bets. As you might expect, the Magic Sign are offering a wide range of betting opportunities for this huge event and will also be covering every match In-Play.

As usual, Paddy Power are providing punters with plenty of extra value when it comes to betting on the 2010 World Cup. For starters, you can get a free £25 bet when you register with this excellent bookmaker and place £25 or more on any market.

In addition, Paddy Power will be offering a range of cashback promotions throughout the tournament and they have a cracker for the England v USA match on Saturday 12th June. Wayne Rooney is the great hope for the Three Lions and if the Manchester United striker scores in the game, all losing first goalscorer, correct score and scorecast singles will be refunded.

Sky Bet are giving England supporters every reason to open a betting account as they will refund all losing stakes on the outright market if Fabio Capello’s team win the 2010 World Cup. With a fairly easy path through to the semi-finals, it could turn out to be an expensive promotion for this particular bookmaker!

Sporting Bet are also offering new customers a free £25 bet when they sign up, while Boylesports offer £1 million to any customer who can correctly predict the outcome of the World Cup groups and knockout stages. You can also get a free £20 bet with this firm when you sign up.

Blue Square are commemorating the winning England team of 1966 by offering £66 worth of free bets to all new customers, something that’s available in a ‘hat-trick’ format. They are also celebrating the World Cup by offering a hat-trick of daily specials and, at the time of writing, you can get 33/1 on Portugal winning the tournament.

Just click on any of the above bookmaker links to make sure you get the very best offers!

It’s amazing how many people I’ve met recently who fancy Argentina to win the 2010 World Cup. The milkman, the postman, two blokes I play golf with, the lady who works at the Post Office and my pet rabbit all seem to think that the Albiceleste will land the spoils, something which would make Diego Maradona the second person to win this competition as player and manager.

William Hill currently offer a best price of 13/2 that Lionel Messi and Co win the World Cup, although personally I think this bet is as mad as Diego himself. Yes, you can point to the raft of brilliant strikers in the squad, although the decision to leave out Esteban Cambiasso is criminal and let’s not forget that the south American team struggled in qualifying.

Let’s instead cut to the chase and make it clear that Spain are the team to beat in South Africa this summer.  Never mind whether Fernando Torres is fit, it shouldn’t matter considering how much quality exists within the squad. Now that David Villa has been signed, the entire team will have a Barcelona backbone and that should mean plenty of ball retention and goals.

Bet365’s 4/1 should be snapped up (even if Vicente Del Bosque’s team have previously been a bigger price), especially as this bookmaker are offering your stake back if they go out penalties.

The other team worth backing for a decent sized stake is Holland. This is another team who are good at keeping possession, something which should be to their advantage at high altitude. While the Netherlands’ defence isn’t as strong as the Spanish, the attacking players should ensure that the pressure is taken off the rearguard and the defensive midfield capabilities of Mark Van Bommel and Nigel De Jong shouldn’t be underestimated.

The Dutch are 10/1 with Ladbrokes at the time of writing and it appears as though Arjen Robben might make a miraculous recovery from a hamstring strain to play a part at the World Cup. Along with Wesley Sneijder, he can supply plenty of ammunition for a dangerous Robin Van Persie.

We shouldn’t get too excited about a Brazil team which are a far cry from the days of Pele, Jairzinho, Careca, Garrincha, Romario and Bebeto. Manager Dunga is very much all about safety-first and bet365’s 9/2 is probably a touch short. As for England, there are 101 reasons why we shouldn’t touch the Three Lions with a barge pole and the bookmakers are starting to drift their price out steadily. William Hill are one of many offering 8/1 about Wayne Rooney and Co.

It’s not so much the injury to captain Rio Ferdinand, or the fact that Gareth Barry is recovering from ankle ligament damage that’s the problem. However, the team simply don’t keep hold of the ball and seem unable to move it around at pace. Attacking moves appear stifled and the inclusion of Emile Heskey suggests that Fabio Capello is fully prepared to resort to Plan B and lump it to the big man as soon as Plan A stops working.

2010 FIFA World Cup Betting Preview and Tips: How much does World Cup history play a part in what happens today? Can the annals of the World Cup influence where you lay your money on the Outright Winner of the 2010 FIFA World Cup? In World Cup history, the general rule is that any team which is unfancied at the start of the tournament, will not make it past the semi finals. That is a prime example of how tough it is to win the World Cup, and even in tournaments past, the champions of Europe have not particularly fared too well when going to the world stage. European Champions Spain, this time around, are probably in a stronger position than ever before of the European Champions, and betting on Spain at the World Cup will continue to flourish. Here we take a look at some of the factors, which should be considered in betting strategies for the World Cup.

Title Retention
Usually the act of retaining a trophy or title comes into play, just because it is such a difficult thing to do. In the case of the 2010 World Cup, Italy are one of the two teams ever to have done it (Brazil of course being the other). Because of how hard it is to replicate success in a row, it may push Italy further out in the odds. That doesn’t mean they should be discounted completely, it just a matter of weighing up World Cup Stats. Is retaining a title harder than winning it for the first time?

Number of World Cup Winners
Eighteen World Cups and just seven winners. This stat alone is something which should send you running to nobody else than outright favourites, Spain. But of course, in order for there to be seven winners, it means that there has been a new name has appeared on the trophy six other times than the original winners, Brazil. So of course, it does happen, however rare in the grand scheme of the tournament. The strong Spaniards are seemingly in pole position to make this rare event happen again. Will Spain become the eighth nation to win the World Cup? They do have one major piece of World Cup history to overcome, as explained in the next section:

Continental Tired?
Home advantage really does count for something. In the history of the World Cup there has only been one winner who has triumphed outside of their home continent. That was five time winners Brazil, naturally, and factors such as extra home support, altitude and the prestige of being the home nation, does make a difference. Is that all set to change again, with the tournament being held on the African continent for the first time? The African teams participating in the World Cup don’t seem to have what it takes to win the tournament, and yes, Spain are favourites, but a European team has never won outside of Europe. Does the continental shift give an advantage to the strongest of the African sides, Ivory Coast, Cameroon and Ghana? It’s heading into the winter season in South Africa, and the cold climate could tip things in the favour of the European teams. But what of the hosts South Africa? Well they come under serious scrutiny in the next titbit of history.

Home Nation Pressure
The home nation has never failed to make it to the second round. So is this one good, outside World Cup bet to take notice of? This all falls on the shoulders of host nation South Africa to keep up appearances, and they are definite outsiders to do just that. The odds are long, as South Africa are out at 2/1 at Bet365 to Qualify from Group A which has France, Uruguay and Mexico. The Bafana Bafana clearly are not going to win the World Cup, but can they at least reach the second round from a group which is clearly not one of the strongest groups in the tournament. Will they be able to emulate what the unfancied South Korea did on their home turf a couple of World Cups ago, when they reached the semi finals?

Length of the Tournament
This is something which definitely gets overlooked when weighing up a World Cup bet. In order for a team to win the World Cup, there are seven matches which need to be negotiated safely. While an early slip up in the group stages can be covered up by other teams and their results, once teams hit the knockout stage of the second round, it is glory or bust. Invariably from that point on, there will be tough opposition, and endurance and consistent talent will come into play. This is why only the cream of the crop really do rise to the top on the World Stage. Think of how the likes of Chelsea and Manchester United are able to push for the top of the Barclays Premier League year after year. Underdogs can pull off shock results, but can they pull off enough of them to win the tournament? Unlikely.

Current World Cup Outright Odds
Spain 4/1 at Skybet
Brazil 5/1 at Bet365
England 7/1 at Bwin
Argentina 15/2 at Sporting Bet

World Cup Betting Tips
Betting may not be the most exciting when trying to pick an outside winner. Spain and Brazil are favourites in World Cup betting for very good reason. The closest two to them in terms of World Cup Odds are England and Argentina. England are not excepted to have the quality in depth, especially if Wayne Rooney can’t play. As for Argentina, they have the talent, but look disorganised and struggled through qualification. The inexperience and perhaps irrationality of coach Maradona may put them at a disadvantage. The gulf between the top two and the rest of the competitors is clearly there to see at the online bookmakers. Proof of how hard it is to win the World Cup, and a hint perhaps where your World Cup betting should lie.

With no side from Europe having won the tournament outside of the continent, things could be edging towards Brazil. But fortunately your World Cup betting is not limited to just the Outright Winner Market. Over the month long tournament you can pick up on things like Live In-Play betting, Score casts, First Goalscorer, Group Winners, To Qualify and much, much more. Look out for World Cup Free Bet Promotions to further your enjoyment of betting on the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

The 2020 FIFA World Cup Group Favourites are well worth looking at in World Cup Betting Odds, especially if you are looking for relatively secure bets. The seeded team in each group, will naturally start as favourites to win their respective groups, but that will not bring a great deal of reward in terms of long odds. So, if you want to chance your arm a little bit more and discover some longer odds, as with any form of betting, you will need to look towards the outsiders in the group to cause a surprise upset and steal top spot. The top spot in each of the eight groups are all important, because it generally should mean easier opposition in the last 16 stage of the competition, where the knockout stages start and World Cup lifelines get no second chance.

Group A Favourites: France 11/10 at Ladbrokes
An odd group in the 2010 FIFA World Cup, simply because hosts South Africa were one of the seeded teams, but France are clear favourites to win it. South Africa will likely struggle to even get out off of bottom spot in the group, but France aren’t a particularly strong side in relation to other European teams such as Spain, Italy and England. The French though, who needed a qualification play-off to reach the finals, are expected to be strong enough to pip the group at a price around Evens, which is not particularly flattering to them. As unpredictable as they are, they could come under pressure from Mexico in particular who are around 3/1 depending on your online bookmaker to win Group A. Either one makes a decent return on such a restricted market.

Group B Favourites: Argentina 8/15 at ExtraBet
Clear outright winner in Group B should be South American’s Argentina. They had their troubles through qualification, and maintain an air of unpredictability with World Cup legend Maradona in charge, but they have remained around third favourites to win the tournament even when they were on the cusp of missing out on qualification. Why? Simply because they have a pure wealth of talent with the likes of Lionel Messi, Thiago Motta, Sergio Aguero, Diego Milita, Carlos Tevez and Gabriel Heinze.

Group C Favourites: England 4/11 at SkyBet
England are strong favourites to win Group C, and in all honesty there does not appear to be too much opposition to stop them doing that. This does mean that the odds on it happening are short, and World Cup Betting at SkyBet have England at 4/11 to win the group. The bookmakers have the USA as second favourites at around 5/1, and then Slovenia back out at around 10/1. This is the strength which England are meant to carry in the tournament and there is not much doubt that they won’t win the group.

Group D Favourites: Germany 10/11 at Victor Chandler
This could be a tighter group that the online bookmakers may suggest. Germany are the favourites, as they always seem to perform at tournaments, even when they go into them in less than ideal form. They are in decent shape, but perhaps not strong enough to win the tournament outright. Online bookmakers will attract plenty of betting on European counterparts Serbia though, as they look a great dark horse bet. Ghana, if they field a strong side could also pose a major threat to the European sides. Plenty of good prices here in Group D, which should be one of the most interesting.

Group E Favourites: Holland 8/13 at Bet365
The Netherlands had a flawless record in qualification and should have the class and technical ability to top Group E. They are relatively untested against major opponents, but still look a good strong side, certainly strong enough over their Group E opponents. If things pan out here as expected, there could be a close race for second spot between Denmark and Cameroon. Can either of them upset the Dutch? If it is going to happen, then it could well be Cameroon getting their act together on the day, and putting a disappointing African Cup of Nations behind them. They should carry more of an offensive threat than Denmark in challenging Holland.

Group F Favourites: Italy 1/2 at Ladbrokes
Defending World Cup Champions Italy have great pedigree in the touranment, and start as favourites to win Group F. Italy often get the job done, even when the odds seem stacked against them, and everyone is excpecting an adventurous teams to come along and beat them. Italy know how to win games, but they do have good teams in their group which could make it all interesting. Paraguay are a strong South American dark horse and look like a good outside bet to edge the Italians. Slovakia too proved technically apt during qualification, any could play their way into group contention.

Group G Favourites: Brazil 4/6 at BetFred
The Group of Death as the media quickly labelled this one. Brazil are favourites to win the Group even with a tough level of opposition. They could have drawn an easier group, but will they be too worried? Probably not, as this is Brazil and they look in good shape, particularly as an all round solid unit, and when you add that bit of Brazilian flair into the mix, you have a favourite. The main battle behind Brazil will be between Portugal and the Ivory Coast for second spot. That is the opening group fixture and it should be a cracker. Can Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal edge Brazil? Can Didier Drogba’s Ivory Coast top them both? Unlikely looking at the qualification process and the African Cup of Nations, but at around 4/1, either of them could make an interesting bet.

Group H Favouites: Spain 1/3 at Stan James
Outright favourites to win the World Cup, so naturally favourites to win Group H as well. It should be an entertaining group, as well as being something of a formality. Spain really are a class act and should win this at a breeze. They appear to have gotten over their hoodoo of blowing things on the big stage when they won the European Championships a couple of years ago. Chile look a good side too, but back at 5/1 to win the group, shows how good the Spaniards are.

In summary, if you were to do all of your World Cup Betting at Bet365, then you would be looking at something like this if you take these early odds on the Group winners. These are all favourites and therefore always represent something of a safe bet. France 10/11, Argentina 8/15, England 1/3, Germany 4/5, Holland 8/13, Italy 2/5, Brazil 4/7 and Spain 2/7. That is backing all favourites to win, and they could of course be combined into a multiple bet.