World Cup

There’s plenty of hype surrounding the England v Germany and Mexico v Argentina matches on Sunday, although this match has the makings of a more entertaining clash. The Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Rustenburg recently played host to an exciting match in the form of Denmark v Japan and there could be plenty more goals on show for the locals when these two teams take to the pitch.

Both Ghana and USA have already played at this ground during the group stages, drawing with Australia and England respectively. Indeed, the scoreline on both occasions was 1-1 and that’s on offer at odds of 5/1 (William Hill) for anyone thinks the same thing might happen here. There might be little to separate the two teams, who have shown lots of guts and character to reach this stage and both will want to go far for very different reasons.

The Black Stars are the only remaining African team left in the competition, with the hosts, Nigeria, Cameroon and Ivory Coast all falling by the wayside. However, Ghana’s 1-0 win over Serbia in Pretoria was ultimately enough to ensure they finished second in Group D behind Germany and Milovan Rajevac’s team are 19/10 (William Hill) to beat the Americans and reach the last eight.

The lion’s share of the support is likely to be for the Ghanaians, who might have got a decent result against Germany if they had shown more composure in front of goal. Indeed, the manager has called for the team to convert their chances and their main danger man when it comes to scoring is surely Asamoah Gyan. The Rennes forward has scored twice from the penalty spot and he’s 7/1 (Victor Chandler) to crank the vuvuzelas up to high volume by scoring the opener.

The United States of America have shown themselves to be very united in this World Cup! Bob Bradley’s team fell behind against England before drawing 1-1, while they were two goals down at half-time in their match against Slovenia but ended the match unfortunate not to win after pegging back the opposition to 2-2. It looked as though this bad refereeing decision was going to prove costly until Landon Donovan’s late strike won the match against Algeria and ensured they finished top of Group C.

Therefore, we should expect a never-say-die spirit from the Americans, who are marginal favourites to win at odds of 13/8 (Sky Bet). However, the 23/10 at Ladbrokes that the match ends all square looks infinitely more attractive. We know that both teams have the spirit to come from behind and you can never rule out a tense encounter with neither side wanting to make any mistakes. However, captain Donovan has scored in the last two matches for his side and he’s a tempting 11/4 (bet365) to be on the scoresheet in this clash.

Nobody knows which team will win the World Cup, although one thing is certain. One of Uruguay, South Korea, Ghana and USA will be lining up in the semi-final taking place in Cape Town on 6th July, potentially facing a team like Brazil or Holland.

It’s a marvellous opportunity for one of these quartet to get to the last four and it’s possible that Uruguay are the strongest of the four outfits. Oscar Tabarez’s team might have needed a play-off against Costa Rica to become the last team to reach South Africa, although they were too good for every other team in Group A and are now as short as 12/1 (Victor Chandler) to win the whole tournament.

You can bet a bigger price of 18/1 on betfair, although the south Americans’ odds have been tumbling since a) they beat South Africa and Mexico to win their section and b) it emerged that Germany and England qualified for the other half of the draw.

It’s also worth noting that Uruguay have not yet conceded a goal at this World Cup and that’s the reason why the even money about La Celeste has now vanished, not to return before kick-off. Bet365 are one of the few bookmakers to offer 10/11 that the Uruguayans win the game in ninety minutes, something which could easily shorten to 5/6 as the weekend punters start to make their selections and include them in a double with USA or Ghana for the evening match.

South Korea are drifting to win this game in Port Elizabeth and are now available at odds of 4/1 (Bet Fred), despite making short work of Greece in their opening match. Since then, Jung-Moo Huh’s team have struggled badly to stop the opposition scoring, conceding four against Argentina and they were fortunate to hold Nigeria to a 2-2 draw when the teams met in that final Group B match.

It will be interesting to see how they live with a strikeforce which seems to have clicked at exactly the right time. Although Luis Suarez is only 26-years-old, he was a late arrival on the international scene and it was only last season that the Ajax forward started to score bundles of goals. He scored his first ever World Cup goal when bagging the winner against Mexico and Bet Fred might be taking a chance by offering 13/2 that he breaks the deadlock at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium.

His older strike partner Diego Forlan is likely to be playing in his last ever World Cup and it’s hard to overestimate the importance of the 31-year-old to the team’s chances of success in this competition. It’s not just the Atletico Madrid striker’s goals but also his link-up play and the penalty taker is 6/4 (Paddy Power) to score at any stage of the match. There are rumours that Edinson Cavani might also play as a supplementary forward.

The group stage of the 2010 World Cup couldn’t finish with a more dramatic scenario, with Spain quite simply needing to win at Loftus Versfeld to guarantee themselves a place in the last sixteen of the competition. That slow start against Switzerland, which involved lots of square passing from Vicente Del Bosque’s team but little cutting edge, could yet come back to haunt a team that are full of quality players but were caught on the counter-attack by Ottmar Hitzfeld’s team in Durban when a draw wouldn’t have been a disaster.

Although the bookies make Spain the strong favourites (1/2 bet365) to win this match, they might struggle to break down a resolute Chilean defence. While Honduras and Switzerland aren’t really in the same league as Spain, Marcelo Bielsa’s team have not conceded a goal at this World Cup and it would be a big surprise if they employed that familiar 3-3-1-3 formation which has won them so many admirers.

Perhaps the mentality of the South American side will be to attack the Spanish, especially as Iker Casillas has looked a little wobbly in between the sticks and the Barcelona central defensive pairing are clearly short of pace. It’s also possible that Marcos Senna was an integral part of the Euro 2008 winning team and that Sergi Busquets doesn’t have the same international class. Chile are on offer at 7/1 (Victor Chandler) and the gameplan might be to try and get an early goal and then soak up the pressure. They have won each of their other two matches by a 1-0 scoreline and bet365 offer 16/1 that the same applies in this game.

Even so, it will be interesting to see how a team that conceded a lot of goals (as well as scoring many!) cope with the twin strikeforce of Fernando Torres and David Villa. The former will once again lead the line and, although he was a little match-rusty against Honduras, the Liverpool man should be firing on all cylinders when the match kicks off. He’s on offer at 9/2 (Victor Chandler) to open the scoring in Pretoria, although his strike ratio for Spain doesn’t compare with Barcelona’s latest acquisition.

Villa was concerned this week that FIFA were going to slap down a one-match suspension for his altercation with a Honduran defender, although that let-off means that the former Valencia striker will be lining up on the left side of the attack and he caused all the damage in the last match at Ellis Park. This is a player that can win games singlehandedly and he is 7/2 (Paddy Power) to open the scoring and evens (bet365) to feature on the scoresheet at any stage of the game.

It’s going to be a nervous night for both sides and it could be all about backing 1-0 in favour of the Spanish at odds of 5/1 (Sporting Bet), especially if the Chileans become ill-disciplined.

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.

We nearly saw a football miracle take place on Tuesday afternoon when South Africa went 2-0 up against France and needed just two more goals against ten demotivated opponents to reach the last sixteen of the 2010 World Cup. Australia will draw inspiration from the way Bafana Bafana set about trying to stay in the competition as they look to upset the odds by joining Ghana or Germany in the knockout stage.

The Aussies had a disastrous start to their World Cup, losing 4-0 to Germany in Durban and everyone was quick to write them off. However, the Socceroos were much improved against Ghana and that 1-1 draw means that Pim Verbeek’s team have a slim chance of going through. Sky Bet offer 25/1 that they go through and they firstly need to beat their Serbian opponents in Nelspruit.

Sky Bet offer 7/2 that this happens and the pressure will certainly be removed from their shoulders against a team that clearly stand a better chance of qualification. The Aussies will have Tim Cahill returning and the Everton midfielder could be a man on a mission after his red card against Germany, something which stopped the team making a potential comeback when the scoreline was 2-0. If you think that Cahill can get on the scoresheet in this game, he’s a best price 3/1 – again with Sky Bet! They are clearly happy to take Australia on!

Nevertheless, the Serbian team will be pumped with belief after that dramatic win over Germany, which saw Miroslav Klose sent off and Lukas Podolski miss a penalty. It was a much improved performance from Radomir Antic’s team and they are strong favourites at 10/11 (bet365) to take the three points at the Mbombela Stadium and leave Germany and Ghana to scrap it out in Johannesburg.

It’s interesting that Serbia are no bigger than 8/15 (Sky Bet) on the ‘To Qualify From Group D’ market, with Ghana on offer at 8/11 (Paddy Power) and Germany trading at 1/4 (Victor Chandler). While we’re all aware of the Germans’ excellent World Cup tradition, it might be the case that the bookmakers are affixing too much emphasis to reputation, especially with Michael Ballack and Miroslav Klose not in the team. Anyone with a betfair account might be tempted to lay Germany to qualify at odds of around 1.33.

Serbia’s goalscoring hero against the Germans was Milan Jovanovic and the Liverpool-bound striker is 8/1 (Paddy Power) to break the deadlock once again, although perhaps the Australian defence might have problems against giant striker Nikola Zigic, who is 13/2 (Bet Fred) to get his team off to the best possible start. It’s worth noting that Serbia have only conceded one goal thus far and that came about due to ridiculous handling error in the penalty area. Paddy Power’s 5/4 that Serbia keep a clean sheet is interesting, with Ladbrokes offering 2/1 that the team win to nil.

Soccer City in Johannesburg is the 2010 World Cup’s biggest stadium and it’s a perfect setting for a match where it could be a case of ‘winner takes all’ on Wednesday night. Germany and Ghana were in the Group D driving seat after victories over Australia and Serbia respectively, although Joachim Low’s team stumbled against the White Eagles on Friday and now face the prospect of having to beat the Black Stars to make completely sure of a place in the last sixteen.

Despite the fact that Ghana have taken four points compared to Germany’s three, it’s the latter who are very strong favourites to bounce back with victory. Some of us might expect a closely-fought contest, although firms like Sporting Bet and Victor Chandler go as short as 2/5 that the 2006 World Cup semi-finalists land the three points and go through as Group D winners.

However, if you are thinking of backing the Germans, Paddy Power and Ladbrokes both have 1/2 available just hours ahead of the match. Perhaps it might be better to consider backing the favourites on the Half Time / Full Time market if you think that Low’s team will prove too classy for their African opponents. Klose and Podolski helped them into a 2-0 interval lead against the Aussies and William Hill offer 6/5 that they lead at the break and the final whistle in this one.

It’s difficult to understand why Ghana have been given such big odds by the bookmakers. Although they are missing star player Michael Essien, it still didn’t stop them from reaching the African Nations Cup final and they have looked fairly impressive in their matches to date. Serbia barely got a goalscoring opportunity in Pretoria and Victor Chandler’s odds of 15/2 about a Ghanaian win are simply too big. While Milovan Rajevac’s team only need a draw, to set up defensively for the entire ninety minutes is asking for trouble.

Bet365 offer 7/2 that the game finishes all square, something which could spell trouble for Germany if Serbia manage to beat Australia in Nelspruit. The Germans will be missing the suspended Miroslav Klose after his red card in the last match, something which is a big blow when you consider how much big tournament experience the Bayern Munich striker has. Much will now be expected of Lukas Podolski, especially after the Cologne striker missed a penalty against Serbia which proved very costly. William Hill offer 6/1 that he scores the first goal in Johannesburg.

Interestingly, Ladbrokes have a Lukas Podolski promotion running which is well worth checking out. Place a single bet of €/£10 or more on the first goal scorer, last goalscorer, correct score or scorecast markets on the Germany v Ghana game and they will give you a €/£10 free bet every time the striker scores.

There was a huge gamble on Argentina ahead of Saturday’s match against Nigeria at Ellis Park in Johannesburg. Earlier in the week, odds of 8/15 were available about Diego Maradona’s team, although punters were filling their boots on the favourite as the game approached its 3pm kick-off.

The 8/15 had disappeared on Saturday morning, with Ladbrokes and Paddy Power the only firms to offer 4/9 about the Albiceleste before the match kicked off. Victor Chandler had clearly accepted some big best from high-rolling clients and had trimmed their price on Argentina to 1/3. Bet365 were another firm to be feeling the weight of this weekend gamble, with the leading bookmaker offering odds of 2/5 about Maradona’s team, 7/2 that the match finished in a draw and 8/1 that Nigeria could pull off a shock.

Despite the fact that Jonas Gutierrez played as a left-winger all season for Newcastle all season, the player was selected to play as a right-back against the Super Eagles, although that didn’t stop bet365 offering odds-on (10/11) that Argentina were ahead at half-time, while this was the first occasion where Over 2.5 Goals (4/5 bet365) were available at a shorter price than Under 2.5 Goals (10/11 bet365).

Gabriel Heinze’s early goal put Argentina 1-0 in front and the gamble appeared to be paying off. The former Manchester United defender was given the freedom of the penalty area to head home from a corner and bet365 swiftly cut the south American team to 1/8 and then, moments later, into 1/9. Over 3.5 Goals was available at odds of 10/11, with Under 3.5 Goals on offer at 4/5.

However, the goalfest didn’t materialise and Nigeria had chances of their own during a first half which failed to yield any more goals. This was great news for the customers who had backed Argentina to lead at half-time at odds of 10/11. But could this monster gamble on La Albiceleste to win the match pay off? As the second half started, Argentina were still on offer at 1/9 at bet365 and there was a nagging feeling that a poor defence didn’t make the home favourites complete certainties to win this match.

However, there were customers enjoying a bet on Next Goalscorer, with Lionel Messi on offer at 4/1, Carlos Tevez available at 6/1 and Gonzalo Higuain priced at 6/1. The Real Madrid striker had already missed two gilt-edged chances in the first half, something which won’t have been pleasing to those who had backed him at 20/1 on the Top Goalscorer market!

With half an hour left, Nigeria were continuing to hold their own. While Argentina continued to trade at 1/10 with bet365, the odds on them scoring the next goal at 4/5, with no second goal on offer at 7/4. Punters who backed this latter option would have had a nervous but successful outcome to the match, with both teams creating chances to win the game.

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!

While the money continues pour in for Spain, Brazil, Argentina and Holland to win this summer’s competition in South Africa, we should remember that this is a cup competition where the best team doesn’t always win. Indeed, from the last sixteen stage onwards, games are often decided by a fatal error or a brilliant piece of individual skill, while there is nearly always one ‘outsider’ that makes it to the quarter finals and sometimes further.

Mexico look as though they have a tremendous chance of going far in the World Cup, providing that they can cope with the pressure of playing hosts South Africa in the first game. Perhaps Bafana Bafana will be the ones who struggle under the weight of expectations, although the Mexicans are certainly worth a second look at odds of 80/1 (Ladbrokes) on the outright market. Javier Aguirre’s team have prepared for the World Cup with matches against England, Holland and Italy, the latter of whom they beat 2-1.

El Tri have a lovely brand of attacking football and if Javier Hernandez and Carlos Vela can produce some cutting edge in the group stages, Mexico can go through to the last sixteen where they might play a team like Nigeria or South Korea. Even if you don’t think they can go all the way, there’s a case for backing them at 89/1 on betfair as their odds will shorten significantly if they get as far as the quarter final stages.

Serbia are another team who could have a favourable route to the last eight and they have been backed into 66/1 with Sky Bet on the outright market. The White Eagles finished ahead of France during World Cup qualifying, so it’s mystifying as to why they are three times the price of Les Bleus. Radomir Antic’s team look as though they’re getting their act together after a 4-3 win over Cameroon and they have some excellent players within the squad.

Captain Dejan Stankovic is a Champions League winner with Inter, while Branislav Ivanovic and Nemanja Vidic are two of the best central defenders in the Premier League. In attack, Pantelic and Zigic should trouble defences and there’s a strong case for saying that Serbia will finish above Germany and face a team like the US or Slovenia in the last sixteen.

Paraguay are the other team who might be worthy of consideration, especially at odds of 100/1 (Sporting Bet). This is a team that finished just a point behind Brazil and five ahead of Argentina in south American qualifying, with manager Gerardo Martino able to call upon a brilliant striker named Lucas Barrios who could be one of the stars of the tournament. If they get a favourable result against Italy on Monday, Group F could be there for the taking and it would mean a likely last sixteen match against Cameroon or Denmark.

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.