World Cup 2010

We already have one team representing South America in the quarter finals to be played on Friday 2nd July and Saturday 3rd July, with Uruguay going through against South Korea in Port Elizabeth. It now falls to the much-fancied Albiceleste to double the continent’s representation in the final eight, with Paraguay, Chile and Brazil still to play.

It’s certainly advantage South America after the group matches, with Chile’s defeat against Spain the first time that a team from that continent has lost a match in South Africa. The bookies are expecting this trend to continue on Sunday evening with their best price of 8/15 (bet365) that Argentina continue their 100% record in this competition by winning at Soccer City.

Diego Maradona’s team have already played a blinder at this ground, thrashing South Korea 4-1 just over a week ago and the manager looks like having every member of his squad available for selection. That means Jonas Gutierrez back from suspension, Javier Mascherano and Angel Di Maria in the middle of the park and Gonzalo Higuain returning in attack. The Real Madrid forward bagged a hat-trick against the Koreans and he’s 4/1 (Victor Chandler) to be first on the scoresheet in this game.

However, the favourite (for the fourth game running) on the First Goalscorer market is Lionel Messi – will the Barcelona forward ever get on to the scoresheet? It’s not that the “world’s best player” has been particularly quiet but more that opposition defenders have crowded him out a la Diego Maradona during the 1990 World Cup. However, if you think that he will draw first blood against the Mexicans, Ladbrokes offer 7/2 that Messi breaks his duck in this competition – something which will doubtless see him run to the manager!

It’s fair to say that Mexico aren’t particularly big fans of Argentina, especially after being eliminated from the 2006 World Cup by the same opposition. Four years ago, El Tri held La Albiceleste to a 1-1 draw only to lose in extra-time and Javier Aguirre would surely be delighted if his team were able to keep things all square after normal time. You can bet 10/3 with Sky Bet that the Mexicans stop this Argentina bandwagon in full flow and a massive 6/1 with bet365 that the central American side produce one of the tournament upsets by landing the spoils.

Mexico are one of the more attractive teams to watch, with the team capable of neat passing and movement which outclassed France during the group stages. There is a huge reliance on the midfield pairing of Gerardo Torrado and Rafael Marquez to stop their opponents playing, although question marks remain over a defence that were hit on the counter against both South Africa and Uruguay.

Hopefully, the manager won’t wonder ‘what if’ by not playing Javier Hernandez in attack. The Manchester United-bound striker might be a relative newcomer to international football, although he demonstrated his prowess with a well-taken goal against France and looks the business at 10/1 (bet365) to score the first goal.

The Ultimate World Cup Winner Tipping Contest!

Here at soccerbetting.info/online-betting.me.uk, we have £500 in free bets to give away thanks to the generous folk at bet365. They are one of the world’s biggest and best bookmakers, who will be providing an excellent betting service on the 2010 World Cup.

For your chance to win a free bet between the value of £10 and £200, you simply need to make sure that you open a bet365 account, before predicting the team that will win the 2010 World Cup. Here are the full instructions:

1) Sign up at bet365 by clicking on this link
2) Deposit and place at least one bet with this bookmaker
3) Send an email to competitions@soccerbetting.info with the subject line “I want a free bet with bet365”. You should include the following details:

- Your World Cup winner prediction (only one team allowed)
- Your bet365 username
- The date you signed up and the first deposit amount

The deadline for all entries is 16th June, with one lucky participant walking away with a first prize of £200. The second prize on offer is £100, while there are eight other free bet prizes between the value of £10 and £50.

Get involved in this fantastic competition and win a free bet!

Next to this one, we are organizing 2 other World Cup tipping contests:

The Ultimate World Cup Winner Tipping Contest!

The Ultimate Ivory Coast V Portugal Tipping Contest!

The Ultimate Cameroon V Denmark Tipping Contest!

The Ultimate Ivory Coast V Portugal Tipping Contest!
 
Group games don’t get any more exciting than Ivory Coast v Portugal on 15th June, with both teams looking to secure the three points ahead of other Group G matches against Brazil and North Korea. Here at soccerbetting.info/online-betting.me.uk, we have £500 in free bets to give away to those who can predict the correct outcome in this match, courtesy of our friends at William Hill.

Somebody has to win a first prize of £150, while there are nine other prizes between £10 and £100 for those that are also correct with their prediction. In order to get your hands on some free cash, simply take the following steps:

1) Sign up at William Hill by clicking on this link
2) Deposit and place at least one bet with this bookmaker
3) Send an email to competitions@soccerbetting.info with the subject line “I want a free bet with William Hill”. You should include the following details:

- Your Ivory Coast v Portugal prediction (Ivory Coast win, Portugal win or draw)
- Your William Hill username
- The date you signed up and the first deposit amount

The deadline for all entries is 2.55pm on 15th June, which is five minutes before the match kicks off. One lucky participant will be walking away with a first prize of £150 for getting the outcome right – will it be you?

Next to this one, we are organizing 2 other World Cup tipping contests:

The Ultimate World Cup Winner Tipping Contest!

The Ultimate Ivory Coast V Portugal Tipping Contest!

The Ultimate Cameroon V Denmark Tipping Contest!

The Ultimate Cameroon V Denmark Tipping Contest!
 
This could be the match that decides which team finishes in the Group E qualifying places and books their place in the last sixteen. It should be a keenly-fought contest, but do you have the skill to predict which team will win when Cameroon play Denmark? The generous folk at Paddy Power have given soccerbetting.info/online-betting.me.uk no less than £500 in free bets and somebody has to win them!

The first prize is a massive £150, while there are nine other prizes between £10 and £100 for those that are also spot-on with their prediction. In order to get your hands on some free cash, simply take the following steps:

1) Sign up at Paddy Power using this link
2) Deposit and place at least one bet with this bookmaker
3) Send an email to competitions@soccerbetting.info with the subject line “I want a free bet with Paddy Power”. You should include the following details:

- Your Cameroon v Denmark prediction (Cameroon win, Denmark win or draw)
- Your Paddy Power username
- The date you signed up and the first deposit amount

The deadline for all entries is 7.25pm on 19th June, which is five minutes before the match kicks off. One lucky participant will be walking away with a first prize of £150 for getting the match verdict right – will it be you?

Next to this one, we are organizing 2 other World Cup tipping contests:

The Ultimate World Cup Winner Tipping Contest!

The Ultimate Ivory Coast V Portugal Tipping Contest!

The Ultimate Cameroon V Denmark Tipping Contest!

England‘s bid to host the 2018 World Cup looks to be hanging by a thread today following a weekend of accusations and resignations at the FA. Lord Triesman, head of England‘s bid team and chairman of the FA, was forced to abdicate both posts after he allegedly accused both the Spanish and Russian football federations of conspiring to ‘bribe’ referees at this year’s World Cup in South Africa in return for votes in December when the venues for the 2018 and 2022 tournaments will be decided by FIFA. Both countries are in direct opposition to England in the race to win the 2018 World Cup and Spain has already reacted angrily to Lord Triesman‘s comments, calling them ‘ridiculous’. Gilberto Madail, head of the Portuguese FA who are bidding to co-host the World Cup with Spain, said, "This kind of story is indicative of the uneasiness of England. These stories are absurd and unfounded." Triesman may have complained of entrapment before falling on his sword but there was really no excuse for his ill-advised comments, particularly on the day David Beckham was delivering the English FA’s bid to FIFA in South Africa amid much fanfare. Geoff Thompson has been drafted in to pick up the pieces of England’s bid but many bookmakers are coming round to the thinking that irreparable damage has already been done and Thompson and his team have been pushed out to 7/4 with Paddy Power when they were as short as 10/11 in most places up to last week. Russia have tumbled from an initial 10/1 to a best 3/1 (Betfred), while Spain and Portugal‘s joint bid is 5/1 with the same firm. Australia (10/1 with William Hill) are next best.

Focusing on more immediate events and Germany have drifted out to a general 14/1 following the news that influential captain Michael Ballack will miss the World Cup in South Africa after sustaining ankle ligament damage in Chelsea’s FA Cup Final win over Portsmouth. The 33-year-old midfielder is in plaster following a challenge by Kevin Prince-Boateng and will be out of action for two months. Germany (10/11 to win Group D with extrabet) are possible second-round opponents for England should both qualify from the group stages. Spain remain general 4/1 favourites for the tournament, while Brazil are 5/1 next best in most places. England can still be backed at 13/2 with Victor Chandler and Bodog to go all the way.

With the draws having been made for the World Cup 2010, the Champions League and the Europa League, we highlight some of the most enticing bets from a European football perspective.

1) Cristiano Ronaldo Champions League Top Scorer: 6/5 at Stan James.
Manchester United fans are probably tired of hearing about the Portuguese winger, but the undeniable truth is they miss him. It is worth getting some money down on him to be top scorer in the Champions League, simply because of who he is, and the fact that he is out in front at the moment. The extra bonus is that he players for Real Madrid, and they could go far in the competition. Even if you can pick this up as an each way bet, it is a good one to get behind. The chasing pack as it stands is pretty much the Chelsea duo of Drogba and Anelka.

Current Champions League Goal-scoring chart is:
Cristiano Ronaldo – 6 (Out in front and can easily stay there)
Michael Owen – 4 (Man Utd. Flattering, as he scored a hat trick in one game, and not a starting choice)
Milos Krasik – 4 (CSKA Moscow probably won’t get too deep in the competition)
Edin Dzeko – 4 (Wolfsburg – out)
Didier Drogba – 3 (the one most likely to catch Ronaldo)
Adrien Mutu – 3 (Fiorentina, could have a long way back from injury)
Grafite (Wolfsburg – out)
Nicolas Anelka – 3 (not as prolific as Drobga)

2) Bordeaux To Qualify against Olympiacos: 8/15 at Coral
Laurent Blanc’s French outfit have caused somewhat of a surprise in the Champions League this season, winning their group against more established competition in Juventus and Bayern Munich. They are cruising at the top of the French league, and have pieced together some nice football to get them into the last 16 of Europe’s elite competition. They have even gotten themselves a nice draw, being paired up against Greek side Olympiacos in the first Knock-out Stage. There is more than a fair chance they will progress, and there is a decent price on them to get through. Very unlikely to win it, but a kind draw and a semi final appearance is not beyond their realms.

3) Valencia to win Europa League: 12/1 at 888Sport.
The Spaniards are in the Europa League, and are a good outside tip to play their way to success. The Spanish league is stronger than most people will give it credit for, and are not really languishing far behind the English top flight. With the big clubs Real Madrid and Barcelona setting the pace at the top of Primera Division, Valencia are sitting fourth in the league, and are looking steady and efficient, with only two defeats so far on the domestic scene. They cruised unbeaten through their qualifying group in the Europa League, winning three and drawing three, netting twelve times along the way. Being drawn against Club Brugge, they should more than fancy their chances of progressing and will be a real threat in the tournament. They have Spain’s star striker David Villa in their ranks too, and he’s already one of the favourites to finish top scorer at the World Cup, so they are definitely worth an each way bet.

4) Lyon to beat Real Madrid: 2/1 at SkyBet.
If you are looking for an upset in the first knockout-stage of the Champions League, then Lyon could be your team. They are guilty of blowing a bit hot and cold, but is there a French revolution on the horizon, with Bordeaux going so well? They are sitting fourth in the French top flight league, but they have a lot of history on their side when it comes to playing against the Spanish giants. With all the fire power that Real Madrid have at their disposal, you would think that Lyon may not have much of chance, but check out the stats between the two. Madrid have not managed to beat Lyon when they have come head to head in Europe, ever. Lyon have knocked Real Madrid out of two Champions League campaigns, in 2005/06 and then again in 2006/07. The tie could all be won at home for Lyon in the first leg (which is what the above bet relates to only), which is where they overturned Madrid on the previous two encounters. They then managed to hold on to that advantage when heading back to Real for the second leg. Real Madrid’s Benzema will face up against his old club when the two meat, and while Lyon will have a tough time on their hands containing Kaka, Ronaldo and the wealth of fire power that Madrid have, they will have good hopes about the tie.

5) Italy To Reach World Cup Final: 5/1 at BetFred.
One team of note from the European perspective at the 2010 World Cup, is Italy. The Italians are what they are, efficient without flair, and it has worked for them in the past, so why not now? They have good experienced players, along with a lot of new faces on the world stage, and efficiency was exactly the name of the game when it came to qualifying top of their group to reach the World Cup 2010 Finals. They did so with one game to spare, and on the previous two occasions when Italy won the World Cup, they qualified both times with one game to spare. So, can they win the tournament twice in succession, for the second time in their illustrious history? It would be some achievement.

Last Friday, 32 nations discovered their fate as the draw for next summer’s World Cup took place in Cape Town. Never before has the draw received so much attention, with the media keen to identify ‘Groups of Death’, despite the fact that every team playing in the competition are there on merit (with the exception of South Africa).

A couple of bookmakers have already decided to offer a generous cashback special on the World Cup, with Sky Bet offering to refund all losing outright bets if England are triumphant. This is possibly an attempt to encourage less English people to back their own country, with many UK bookmakers likely to run up liabilities on Fabio Capello’s team ahead of the tournament starting.

Similarly, Boylesports are offering to refund all losing outright bets if France repeat their 1998 victory and win the World Cup for the second time. This is a reaction to the controversial way in which Ireland were eliminated from the play-offs by Les Bleus, although this is not a vintage French team, with Blue Square offering 16/1 that Raymond Domenech steers them to glory.

The bookmakers have already gone into overdrive with a wide range of markets on the 2010 World Cup, with every group match already priced up by the likes of Paddy Power and Sky Bet. In addition, betfair have set up the matches on their website, although it might be some time before there is reasonable liquidity. Paddy Power have also priced up correct score, double chance and HT / FT opportunities for each game, with each of these related to the match betting.

Coral, Sky Bet, Paddy Power and bet365 have also priced up a ‘Stage of Elimination’ market for 14 of the 32 teams, with England available at 9/2 (Coral) to go out of the competition at the semi-final stage. For those that think that Brazil might suffer in the ‘Group of Death’, Paddy offer 5/1 that the five-time winners go out at the group stage, although Portugal might be a more sensible bet with the Irish firm at 6/4.

Totesport have priced up a ‘Top African Team’ market and it’s no surprise to see Ivory Coast available at even money, although a tough group could see Ghana (9/2) or Cameroon (11/2) go further than their continental cousins. Totesport also offer ‘Top European Team’ which is naturally a competitive market, but will anyone get further than Euro 200 winners Spain (11/5)? It’s no surprise to see Europe a best price 4/9 (bet365) to be the winning continent, with South America next at 9/4 (Blue Square).

Finally, Blue Square have opened a market on which England players will make the 23-man squad that jets out to South Africa in the summer. Shaun Wright-Phillips is clearly a borderline decision at 10/11, with Gabby Agbonlahor an interesting price at 9/4. His Villa team-mate James Milner looks more likely to take a place on the plane, with his odds at 4/11 right now.

We now know the 32 teams who will contest the 19th renewal of the World Cup next summer in South Africa. France’s progress to the finals was heavily controversial, although Stan James offer a best price 16/1 that Raymond Domenech’s team repeat their success of 1998. The big surprise on Wednesday evening was the exit of Russia, although the bookmakers don’t rate Slovenia’s chances in their first ever tournament. Coral make them 400/1 outsiders, although they are there on merit after finishing second in a tough qualifying group.

Portugal managed to ease through against Bosnia despite missing Cristiano Ronaldo, although they are sure to have officially the world’s best player back for the finals. Sporting Bet offer 18/1 that Carlos Queiroz steers the team to glory, although they continue to lack a cutting edge up front. Meanwhile, the dream is still alive for Euro 2004 winners Greece, who landed a 1-0 win in Ukraine to go through this week. Otto Rehhagel’s tactics worked a treat in Kiev, although the bookies are less convinced that they’ll make an impact in South Africa. Victor Chandler offer 150/1 that they are triumphant.

Some people are suggesting that the 2010 World Cup winner is going to come from a select group of two. Spain proved during Euro 2008 that they are an outstanding team and Ladbrokes make them slight favourites at 4/1 to prove that they’re the best nation on the planet. Manager Vicente del Bosque is blessed with some technically brilliant players and it’s hard to pick holes in them at the moment. Similarly, Brazil have an excellent World Cup pedigree and Paddy Power are lifting their heads above the parapet by offering 5/1. The South Americans have featured in three of the last four finals and qualified easily. Perhaps backing both of these teams will prove to be a profitable excursion.

In recent months, one of the big market movers have been the Ivory Coast, with William Hill going as short as 20/1 that they become the first African nation to win the tournament. They very nearly beat Germany in a friendly recently and have arguably the world’s best striker in Didier Drogba. The Elephants will have plenty of competitive match action in the African Nations cup and are the continent’s best chance of success. While the hosts will obviously have home advantage, they looked to be a mediocre team during the Confederations Cup and Coral are prepared to lay them at 200/1.

One of the teams that has drifted the most is Argentina and the rumour on the grapevine is that the bookmakers are out to get Diego Maradona’s team next summer. Bet Fred offer a standout 10/1 about the Albicelestes, although they were slightly fortunate to qualify and having Lionel Messi in the team does not equal success. However, firms are reporting a brisk trade on the Netherlands and England to win next summer’s competition. The Dutch blew the opposition away in qualifying and have been cut to 14/1 (bet365), while England are 13/2 (Coral), with Fabio Capello fielding a weakened team against Brazil recently. It might be worth taking this price now as there will be a flood of patriotic money coming for the Three Lions by the time next summer comes around!

There will be plenty of nerves on display in Lisbon, Athens, Dublin and Moscow this coming Saturday, with eight teams battling it out for four World Cup places. These matches are sure to be popular as far as pre-match and In-Play betting is concerned, so we’ve taken a look at our favourite bookmakers to find some top promotions.

Over at bet365, they are running their usual Bore Draw Money Back offer, where correct score, HT / FT and Scorecast bets are refunded if a match finishes 0-0. We would say that these type of matches have a much stronger chance of finishing goalless, especially as the first leg games are bound to be tight and cagey. Teams will be afraid of conceding and you can bet that the likes of Bosnia and Slovenia will be setting up defensively against Portugal and Russia respectively.

Meanwhile, Paddy Power have come up with a typically crazy promotion for the Ireland v France match, which ties in with the X Factor! John and Edward are one of the favourites to be eliminated and, if they are evicted on Sunday, then your losing First Goalscorer, Correct Score and Scorecast bets will be refunded. The pair were close to being axed last week so this could be a popular promotion.

Meanwhile, although Ladbrokes don’t have any set promotions for the four matches, they are providing a unique type of bet. The Quatro enables to you to select a combination of the winning team and the amount of goals scored. For example, they offer odds of 2.50 that Ukraine win or draw in Greece PLUS there are two goals or less in the match. Similarly, Ladbrokes offer Goal Time Quatro, so for example you can back Republic of Ireland to score first PLUS the first goal being scored after the 27th minute. At odds of 4.00, it’s not a bad shout.

My personal hunch is that the matches are likely to be low-scoring. If you look at the previous first leg scores in the play-offs, there are often few goals involved and it could therefore be worth looking at the Under 2.5 Goals prices. Stan James are offering some great odds on this market, going best price for the Greece v Ukraine and the Ireland v France matches. Doing four lines of trebles on the quartet of games would return a profit if three involve two goals or less and the Bosnia manager has already stated his intention to pack out the midfield in Portugal.

Over at Unibet, they have priced up some goalscorer match bets, with Kevin Doyle being paired with Thierry Henry and Robbie Keane going head-to-head with Nicolas Anelka. Meanwhile, Canbet customers should be aware that you get a 10% bonus on any winnings from a multiple bet. Providing you include at least three selections and that your accumulator amounts to odds of at least 6.00, you can get 10% added to the pay-out.

Of course, all of the bookmakers we mention will be offering In-Play betting on the four World Cup qualifying matches, while bet365 will be streaming the games from Moscow, Lisbon and Athens so that you can watch and bet on the action!

October 10th sees another step forward in England’s World Cup 2010 qualifying campaign. Thank to a 100% record so far in their first eight games, Fabio Capello’s side have already qualified, thanks to a thumping 5-1 home victory against Croatia. Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard netted two-a-piece, while Wayne Rooney rounded off the scoring after a comical miss-kick by the Croatian keeper. England will be keen to see out the qualifying process and maintain that perfect record, something the Dutch did (albeit playing two games less) and only the powerhouse of Spain can achieve this same feat now. This will be a big feather in England’s cap, and why their odds have been cut to lift the trophy in South Africa next year, and are 11/2 at Bet365 to do it.

The match against the Ukraine holds a lot of importance for the Group, not for England themselves clearly, although they will be keen not to let up on their current excellent run of form, but to see who clinches that all important runners-up place. Croatia are in second place in the moment, two points ahead of the Ukraine, but having played a game more. Things would have been a lot closer if the Ukraine had managed better than an away 0-0 draw in Belarus in their last match, while England was doing them a favour by hammering Croatia. They could not take advantage however, and now face the task of needing to beat England to keep themselves in with a chance.

Ukraine’s final game is away against the whipping boys of the group, Andorra, so it should be a given that they will pick up maximum points there. So, in order for them to stand a chance of taking second place, they will need to beat England. Things would be made a lot easier for them, if Croatia were to suffer an embarrassment against Kazakhstan in their final group match, but that is something that they cannot rely on. The Ukraine need to go all out to beat England, and in the end, if they can secure the two wins they need, then it won’t matter what Croatia does.

This is an interesting match, and it will be drawing a lot of attention. Fabio Capello will hopefully keep the team together in order to build some stability ahead of World Cup. The planning starts now, and the competition for places in the starting eleven should hot up, especially with the Premier League getting into the swing of things. England are in free scoring mode at the moment, as so the permutations for placing bets are both intriguing and challenging. In game live betting is always an attractive option for following the action, and with Bet365 you can have the very best of both worlds.

Bet365 offer a comprehensive betting service, and along with that, they provide live streaming of games, for a one stop online shop for betting and watching. They stream over 4,000 live events per year with this service. But only users with funded Bet365 accounts will be able to enjoy the live stream of the game, as the broadcast for the Ukraine v England game is exclusive to Bet365, and no other bookmaker or TV channel has the privilege to show it. This is a major coup for Bet365 and makes a grand statement about their place in the competitive Bookies market.

You too can have access to the live streamed game, by opening an account with Bet365 and depositing some funds. That’s all it will take, but not only will you get to enjoy the game, by opening a new account you will also reap the benefit of a 100% Initial Deposit Bonus. Just make that deposit of £20 or more and you will be given back a 100% on your initial deposit, up to a maximum of £200. Remember, that the streaming of the England game is free on Bet365, as opposed to certain newspapers, which are charging around £15 to watch a live stream. For that money, you can put it towards your Bet365 deposit, watch the game, and hopefully pick up some winnings too.