Germany-Spain: Five things to watch | WORLD CUP 2010

Germany-Spain: Five things to watch | WORLD CUP 2010

DURBAN, South Africa – Wednesday’s World Cup semifinal between Spain and Germany is many things. A battle between soccer powerhouses, a rematch of the 2008 European Championships final and a clash of styles.

The pros and cons of Spain’s measured approach and Germany’s ruthless counterattacks have been hotly debated for the past few days, ever since form and fate paired these teams together.

Yet amid all the conjecture and discussion there are a couple of facts that no one is disputing: this is the most anticipated game of this World Cup and either side would be a worthy champion.

Here we take a look at the five things to watch for in this monumental clash between a pair of soccer titans.

1. Can you hear the drums Fernando?

Spain striker Fernando Torres has been one of the biggest disappointments of the World Cup, failing to score in all five games and looking a sorry shadow of his normal self. While the outstanding form of his attacking colleague, David Villa, has papered over the cracks somewhat, there is no better time for the Liverpool man to finally make his mark on the tournament.

Torres scored the winner against Germany in the final of the 2008 European Championships and at his best is one of the best forwards on the planet. At his current level, he is a liability.

Look out for: Rumors that Torres is not fully fit have followed him ever since Spain’s opening game, only to be summarily shot down by the national team staff. If you see him not moving with the kind of fluidity you’d expect from such a finely tuned athlete it could be your eyes deceiving you – or Spanish officials might have been economical with the truth.

2. Getting Klose-r to history

Miroslav Klose always reserves his best form for the World Cup and this year is no different. The Bayern Munich striker barely played during the latter part of the German club season but has already rattled in four goals in South Africa and is looking very sharp.

He now sits tantalizingly poised to take a shot at history, with his career tally of 14 World Cup goals, level in second place all-time with fellow German Gerd Mueller, and one behind record-holder Ronaldo of Brazil.

Look out for: Klose will like his chances of beating Spanish defender Carlos Puyol for pace. Expect him to occupy some deep positions and then attempt to run on to long balls forward, just like he did against England in the round of 16.

3. Loew lucky sweater

German head coach Joachim Loew would be entitled to feel a bit jealous every time he looks in his hotel room wardrobe. Because the man in charge isn’t the one getting the credit for his team’s success, it is his “lucky” blue cashmere sweater that he hasn’t washed since the start of the tournament.

Superstition aside though, it is Loew’s tactical acumen that has had a huge role in Germany’s progress through the tournament, but Spain will provide a whole new challenge Wednesday.

Look out for: Loew has every reason to feel good about the structure of his side but he will be forced to make at least one change. In-form midfielder Thomas Mueller is suspended, meaning either Cacau, Piotr Trochowski or Toni Kroos will come in. Cacau’s selection would be the most adventurous; Trochowski is the player most similar to Mueller.

4. Clutch Casillas

After a disappointing performance in Spain’s opening defeat to Switzerland, questions were raised over the form of Iker Casillas, the side’s goalkeeper, captain and talisman. Critics even suggested he may have been distracted by the presence of his former girlfriend, a sideline television reporter.

But Casillas has responded strongly ever since and produced a string of strong saves to close out the group stage – and against Portugal and Paraguay.

Look out for: When Spain won the European Championships two years ago Casillas played a huge role – but not just between the posts. He is the spiritual leader of this side and has an important job in inspiring and motivating his players. After being uncharacteristically quiet and reserved early in the event, he has found his voice recently.

5. Midfield maestros

More than anything else this match could be decided by the showdown between midfield stars Bastian Schweinsteiger of Germany and Xavi of Spain. Xavi is pure class, with simple touches and maximum efficiency – and has barely given the ball away all tournament. Schweinsteiger is more dynamic and creative and has been the German heartbeat so far.

Look out for: Schweinsteiger may have less freedom to roam forward in this clash, needing to keep a defensive eye on Spain’s talent-laden midfield. But if Germany is to get a foothold in the game he must keep an offensive mindset and Xavi and his colleagues on the back foot. Whatever your allegiance, enjoy the contest between these two men with differing style but similar excellence.

Ivory Coast vs Portugal Match Preview

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Time: 15th June, 16.00 local time.

Venue: Nelson Mandela Bay/Port Elizabeth, South Africa

The first match from this tournament’s much discussed Group of Death: Group G, is between African favourites the Ivory Coast and strong European side Portugal. The match will take place at Nelson Mandela Bay, kicking off at 16:00 local time on June the 15th.

This group will be one of the most keenly watched of the first round, with these two sides and Brazil all competing for just two places in the knockout stage.

The Ivory Coast are strongly favoured among the African teams, with some outstanding world class players like captain and Chelsea star Didier Drogba, Eboue, Toure and Kalou. They are 30/1 at best, from bwin, to win the competition outright, and are evens favourites with most bookmakers to be the top African team, despite being drawn in the tournament’s hardest group.

Portugal, who also have a notoriously strong team with Cristiano Ronaldo among the front runners with the bookmakers to win the Golden Boot, are 28-1 to win the tournament with most bookmakers including Stan James and bodog.com.

This is the closest match of the group stages in terms of the bookmakers’ offerings with several, including Blue Square and 888sport.com refusing to call it at all and offering 8/5 on both teams to win. The majority of bookmakers are offering 11/2 on a draw. The bookies who are offering a slight difference in odds between the two teams vary in both directions.

The odds on both teams to score are short, with William Hill offering 17/20 on this eventuality. A no score draw is seen as far less likely at 7/1.

The best odds on a 1-0 result are with Victor Chandler, who offer 7/1 for either team to win with this scoreline. For 2-0 it gets interesting, with Paddy Power offering 14/1 on the Ivorians and 10/1 on the Portuguese, but conversely Tote offering 9/1 on the Ivory Coast and 10/1 on Portugal – the bookmakers are not in greement on their predictions for this match.

Portugal are 6/4 to keep a clean sheet, with the Ivory Coast 15/8, both with William Hill.

Prediction

This is one of the only games in the group round that is hard to call just because both teams are so good. It is guaranteed to be a good watch for the neutral, and in fairness probably isn’t the best match to bet on.

Because of the fantastic goal scorers on both sides, this could be a high scoring match, but it would be strange if one team wins by a big margin.

Both sides are capable of winning this, but the hype around African teams in this first African World Cup and the climate advantage could give the Ivory Coast the slight edge.

Brazil vs North Korea Match Preview

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Time: 15th June, 20.30 local time.

Venue: Johannesburg – JEP, South Africa

Second favourites Brazil take on rank outsiders North Korea in Johannesburg on day five of the World Cup. The match will start at 20:30 local time.

While the other match in the World Cup’s “group of death”, Group G, is one of the toughest games in the first round to call, with some bookmakers giving the same odds for both Portugal and the Ivory Coast to win, this match is probably the easiest to be found in the group stage.

With Brazil just behind Spain as the second favourites to win the competition outright at 5/1 with nearly all bookmakers, and North Korea conversely second to last behind New Zealand at around 2000/1, barring any serious giant slaying behaviour from the Asian side this should the most comfortable thrashing Brazil will get to deliver as they make their way out of the otherwise tricky group.

Brazil have a wealth of superstar players including Luis Fabiano, Robinho and Kaka, whereas North Korea, who have little World Cup history, are all relative unknowns outside of their own country.

The odds of course reflect this, with even the best odds on Brazil being 1/8, available from Sky Bet. For a North Korea win, the best odds are 33/1 with Victor Chandler – the longest odds of any team to win their first match.

Even predicting the correct scoreline here doesn’t bag particularly great odds (if of course, you favour Brazil), with even 5-0 only returning at best 11/1. 2-0 is the shortest odds score prediction at 6/1, but you can go as high as 10-0 with Brazil for 100/1.

It is 11/1 against North Korea keeping a clean sheet with William Hill, and the odds of both teams scoring regardless of end result are 11/5.

A no score draw is 16/1, everybody is expecting Brazil to get something, probably something substantial, out of this fixture, and they will need to given that the other two matches in their group stage will not be pushovers, and tactically all three of the other sides will be looking to score as much as possible in their North Korea match in case it comes down to goal difference who gets to progress.

Prediction

As potentially the biggest forgone conclusion in this round, it is very difficult to even imagine anything other than a comprehensive win for Brazil in this match. They will be looking for as many goals as they can before taking on the rest of the group. The prediction is therefore 4-0 to Brazil, which gives best odds of 7/1 with bet365 and Victor Chandler at the time of writing.

Brazil vs Ivory Coast Match Preview

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Time: 20th June, 20.30 local time.

Venue: Johannesburg – JSC, South Africa

The “Group of Death” are back in action on the 20th of June with one of the most eagerly anticipated games of the tournament’s group stage – Brazil versus the Ivory Coast. The match is to be held at Johannesburg’s Soccer City Stadium, and will kick off at 20:30 local time.

Brazil are the second favourites after Spain to win the tournament, whereas the Ivory Coast, even with doubts about captain Drogba’s fitness, are the favourite African team. The two teams have never played each other before, and with both trying to get out of the toughest group on paper in the tournament there is a lot riding on this game.

Brazil are the favourites to win, with the odds at best 8/13 on them coming out with three points. For the Ivory Coast to win the best price is 11/2. For the draw, the odds are 3/1. This shows Brazil to have a lot more backing from the bookmakers, but in this group anything can happen so the odds on the Elephants are certainly worth a look.

It is a similar story with the correct score market, there are short odds on most Brazil winning lines. The favourite being Brazil 1-0 at 11/2 with Bet365 or US Friendly SportsInteraction. 2-0 gets you 6/1 and 3-0 is 9/1. For a win for the Ivory Coast, you are looking at 16/1 for 1-0 – if they pull it out of the bag there is money to be made backing the African team here.

Luis Fabiano is top choice for first goal scorer. He is offered at 17/4 by Sportsbook.com. Kaka is 11/2, and Robinho is 13/2. For Saloman Kalou for the Ivory Coast you will get 10/1.

Prediction

This is a game where there is a clear favourite but the opposition are strong enough that an upset could occur, which is what makes this fixture so fascinating. I can still see Brazil winning this, particularly if Drogba is absent. My prediction is 3-2 to Brazil.

Portugal vs North Korea Preview

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Time: 21st June, 13.30 local time.

Venue: Cape Town, South Africa

Portugal have their “easy” group match in the “Group of Death” Group G on the 21st of June when they take on North Korea in Cape Town. The fixture kicks off at 13:30 South African time.

Portugal are, understandably, at very short odds to win this game. The best price you can currently get on a straight Portugal win is 1/5, with Betfred or BetUS. Some bookies are offering as little as 1/6. Most are offering 5/1 on the draw, including Bet365 and 888sport.

A North Korea win is looking unlikely with odds as long as 20/1.

Portugal will be looking to take as much as they can away from this game, as will their group mates Brazil and the Ivory Coast when they meet with North Korea. In a tough group like this where goal difference could matter, they will be looking to score on the North Koreans as many times as possible, rather than just take away the three points.

Looking at the correct score market, the favourite is 2-0 to Portugal, which will get you 5/1. 1-0 and 3-0 are both at 6/1. 4-0 is an interesting bet – Portugal can easily achieve this, and in a game where they will be looking for a high margin win the 10/1 odds could be worth a look, as could 20/1 on 5-0.

The favourite for first goal scoere is one Cristiano Ronaldo. For him to score first you are looking at around 13/5. Liedson is at 14/5, Almeida 16/5, and then it goes out to 5/1 for Nani.

Prediction

I can definitely see Portugal taking away a good few goals from this fixture. North Korea will be the team all the others in the group will be looking to rack up goals against, as they are just not capable of offering up much competition to teams of the caliber of Portugal, Brazil and the Ivory Coast. For this reason the prediction is a 4-0 win to Portugal – odds on this are 10/1.

Honduras vs Chile Match Preview

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Time: 16th June, 13.30 local time.

Venue: Nelspruit, South Africa

The first games of the final group to kick off their World Cup campaigns, Group H, will take place on the 16th of June. The first, seeing Honduras take on Chile, will be at the Nelspruit stadium and play commences at 13:30 local time.

Honduras are one of the biggest outsiders to win the tournament, just ahead of North Korea and New Zealand at anything from 350/1 with Expekt to 1000/1 with bet365. Their opponents Chile are in the upper middle of the pack with odds ranging from 33/1 with bodog.com out to 66/1 from bwin and Paddy Power among others, in around the same region as Ghana and Serbia.

In a group that also features outright 4/1 favourites to win the title, Spain, and low ranking European side Switzerland, Chile will be hoping, if not expecting, to make it through this group whereas Honduras will most likely expect to go out in the group round and will see just qualifying for the competition as a major achievement in and of itself. Switzerland may have the potential to cause an upset to Chile’s plan, but it is very unlikely Honduras will be stopping any of their opponents in this stage.

The odds for the match reflect the comparative weakness of the Honduras side. The best odds from Chile, available from PaddyPower, are a meagre 4/6. Odds for a Honduras win from most bookmakers are 9/2. A draw would get best prices of 11/4 from Victor Chandler.

In the correct score market, the favourite result is currently a 2-0 win to Chile. This has odds of around 11/2 in most places, with 6/1 the best price from Paddy Power and Stan James. A 1-0 win to Chile also will fetch 6/1 with Victor Chandler, with most bookmakers offering 5/1.

Best prices on Honduras winning 1-0 are 11/1 with Paddy Power, and they also offer the best price of 33/1 on a 2-0 win for the outsiders.

The odds of Chile keeping a clean sheet are good at 10/3, with a clean sheet just 17/20 – both from William Hill. The bookmakers seem confident Chile will score and win in this game.

Prediction

It is hard to expect anything but a win for Chile here, and it will be difficult for Honduras’ inexperienced team to get past their defence and score in this match. For these reasons, the prediction here matches that indicated by the bookmakers’ offerings – a 2-0 win for Chile.

Spain vs Switzerland Match Preview

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Time: 16th June, 16.00 local time.

Venue: Durban, South Africa

The last of the opening matches for each team comes from Group H and takes place on day six of the month long tournament, the 16th of June. The match, which will kick off in Durban at 16:00 local time, will see the favourites finally make their appearance and start off their campaign to dominate the 2010 World Cup.

Their opponents, Switzerland, will also be looking to go through from this group, which contains strong competition from Chile as well as rank outsiders Honduras.

The two teams haven’t played each other since back in 1994, when Spain beat Switzerland 3-0 in a previous World Cup. Whilst this was 16 years ago and so isn’t particularly relevant in terms of today’s squads, it is worth noting that the odds for that same result this time around are 8/1 at best.

With Spain the outright favourites to win the tournament and their two star strikers David Villa and Fernando Torres both in the list of favourites to win the Golden Boot, with Villa topping it, Spain should be formidable opposition to the Swiss side, who themselves are 200/1 to win the tournament and on paper less likely to make it through the group stage than 66/1 Chile.

The best odds on Spain winning this game are just 2/5 from Tote Sport, with Switzerland’s best price 10/1 from bwin or Victor Chandler.

The draw is offered at 15/4 by bet365.

With the goal scoring quality of Villa and Torres as well as the rest of the team, Spain could potentially be looked to to win by a number of goals in this game. On the correct score market the favoured result is 2-0 to the Spanish, which most bookmakers are offering 5/1 for, with 1-0 at 7/1 and 3-0 at 8/1.

To bet on just the margin of a win for Spain, Spain to win by two or more goals is just 21/20 with bet365, but to win by exactly three offers 5/1 with William Hill. Switzerland to win by two or more goals is at 22/1, again with bet365.

Prediction

This game will almost certainly go in the favourites’ direction, and there should be at least a couple of goals from the Euro 2008 winners. Spain will want to start their campaign off well and be in good shape ahead of their match against Chile, which for them will be the trickiest in the group round.

Chile vs Switzerland Preview

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Time: 21st June, 16.00 local time.

Venue: Nelson Mandela Bay/Port Elizabeth, South Africa

The penultimate game in the second round of group stage matches takes place in Nelson Mandela Bay on the 21st of June, and sees a Group H clash between Switzerland and Chile. The match kicks off at 4pm local time.

Chile are the favourites to win this game with evens being offered by most of our favourite bookmakers. Switzerland are offered at around 11/4 as best. This shows that while they are the outsiders, the odds aren’t that long, this is a game where the Europeans could upset the natural order of things. Interestingly, on the three previous occasions these teams have played, Switzerland won two…

The best odds on a draw here are 12/5, but the favourite scoreline in the correct score market is a 1-1 draw. This is offered at 11/2 by Bet365, though they offer the same price for a Chilean 1-0 win. For Switzerland to win with the same scoreline you can get 7/1 with Bodog (US Friendly). A nil-nil draw is offered at 15/2 with William Hill.

A big win is not seen as likely in this game, with even just 3-0 to Chile attracting best odds of 20/1. 3-0 to the Swiss is at 40/1 with Bodog and BetFred among others at the time of writing, and 4-0 to Chile is 66/1 – the bookies are not forseeing a lot of goals in this game.

Prediction

Whilst Spain are the big draw in this group, this game could be an interesting one, with the clash of styles between South America and Northern Europe on show and teams at a close enough level of expectation and ability to offer a competitive match. That said, I can’t help agreeing with the bookmakers here – this does not look like a goal fest. For this reason, the prediction is a 1-1 draw, offered at 11/5 (3.20) by SportsInteraction.

Spain vs Honduras Preview

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Time: 21st June, 20.30 local time.

Venue: Johannesburg – JEP, South Africa

In the last game of the second set of group stage matches, favourites Spain take on outsiders Honduras in Johannesburg at the Ellis Park Stadium. It is a 20:30 local time kick off at Ellis Park, and Honduras will be looking to do some giant slaying while Spain will be looking to take away as many goals as possible, what with Villa and Torres both eyeing the Golden Boot this summer.

Spain are of course the favourites to win this match – they are the favourites to win everything at the time of writing. The odds on them winning this game are some of the shortest on any team in any match in the group stage. 1/6 is the best price which you can get from Sportsbook or William Hill.

For a Honduras win here, and a big surprise, we are seeing odds as long as 22/1. This is the offering for Victor Chandler, who are evidently even more sure than the others that Spain will take away three points here. They are offering the best price on the draw here too at 13/2.

There are no surprises in the first goal scorer market either. Torres and Villa are the joint favourites at 13/5. They are followed by Negredo and Mata at 18/5, but with so many potential goal scorers in the Spain squad you may feel spoilt for choice; Iniesta is at 17/2, Fabregas is 10/1 and Silva is 15/2.

Prediction

Spain should not only win this but win it by a big margin. They will be looking to show against Honduras exactly how good they are and anything less than a high scoring win would suggest they aren’t going to live up to the hype. I predict 4-0 to Spain, which is offered at 8/1 with Bodog (US Friendly).

Netherlands vs Denmark Match Preview

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Time: 14th June, 13.30 local time.

Venue: Johannesburg – JSC, South Africa

Fifth favourites Holland meet with Denmark on day four of the World Cup in the opening match of Group E. The fixture will be played in Johannesburg at 13:30 local time.

As the first all European game in the tournament, this match will be watched with interest by supporters and neutrals alike, given that all of the preceding fixtures have much more diversity in the home regions of the teams playing. Both teams, being from northern Europe, will have the South African climate going against them throughout the tournament.

With comparatively unthreatening opposition elsewhere in their group from Japan and Cameroon, both of these teams will be aiming to progress and viewing this as an important fixture.

Holland, who are 12-1 to win the cup outright are understandably favoured against Denmark who are at around 150-1 to be crowned World Cup champions.

The odds for winning this match are, at best, 4/5 to the Netherlands, from Sky Bet and Boyle Sports. Best odds on Denmark are 4/1, offered by both Expekt and Paddy Power. The draw is offered at around 5/2 by most bookmakers.

Odds on the finishing scoreline are quite short for most of the most likely Holland win scenarios, with 5/1 on 1-0, 6/1 on 2-0 and 7/1 on 2-1 being the most common offerings. This goes up to 14/1 for 3-0 or 3-1.

A Denmark win with correct scoreline fetches better odds, as you might expect, with 9/1 on 1-0, 20/1 on 2-0 and 14/1 on 2-1.

Netherlands and Denmark have played before once recently, in May 2008 in a friendly. This match resulted in one all draw. The odds for the same result in this 2010 World Cup fixture are between 5 and 6/1.

In other bets, Holland are 4/5 on to keep a clean sheet whereas the same bet on Denmark will get you 23/10. Holland are 15/2 to win from behind, whereas for Denmark to do this it is 16/1 – both offered by William Hill. The odds of there being an own goal are 8/1, and the odds of this being the first goal are 16/1.

Prediction

This game could well be there for the taking for the Dutch team, with little to suggest Denmark will upset them. Holland will need to win this game to prove themselves worthy of their place among the very favourites.

With this in mind, and the high hopes for this year’s Dutch squad, the prediction for this match is 2-0 to the Netherlands. We have also listed more predictions for Group E.

Japan vs Cameroon Match Preview

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Time: 14th June, 16.00 local time.

Venue: Mangaung / Bloemfontein, South Africa

On the 14th of June in Bloemfontein, Group E’s second match will be played out between Japan and Cameroon. The game kicks off at 16:00 local time.

With Cameroon at 100/1 to win the cup, similar to other group rivals Denmark, and Japan at 250/1, Cameroon are expected to win this fixture, with some bookmakers only offering evens, and the best price just 6/5 from Tote Sport, Sky Bet, 888sport and Paddy Power, among others.

Cameroon are the third favourite to be the top African team in the tournament after the Ivory Coast and Ghana, with most bookmakers offering 11/2 for this possibility. Cameroon have previously done well in international tournaments, though they were disappointed to go out in the quarter finals of the African Cup of Nations to eventual winners Egypt.

Japan’s odds to win this game are longer by far, with the best price being 13/5 with William Hill. Most bookies seem to be favouring a draw over a Japan win, but the best price on the draw is 23/10 with bet365.

Japan are second favourites after Australia to be the top Asia/Oceania team, at 7/2, which is above South Korea who have performed well in the past.

On the correct score market, a 1-0 win will get you (best odds) 6/1 for Cameroon and 8/1 for Japan, both from Victor Chandler. Cameroon 2-0 is 17/2 from William Hill, and 2-1 is 8/1 from bet365. Japan 2-0 is 16/1 or 2/1 is 12/1, both from PaddyPower.

Cameroon are at 3/4 to be the first team to score in Bloemfontein on the 14th of June, with Japan at 7/5. Best odds on a no goal draw are 7/1.

The teams have played once before in 2007, when Japan won the friendly match 2-0. That same result on match day in South Africa is, as previously mentioned, worth 16/1.

Prediction

As the favourites both overall and in this fixture, Cameroon look like they should emerge as the winners here. With the African climate working in their favour and hopefully plenty of support, Cameroon should have what it takes to take away the full three points from their first game. They will be in competition with Denmark to qualify alongside group favourites Holland, so will be keen to win this, which should be their easiest fixture.

Netherlands vs Japan Preview

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Time: 19th June, 13.30 local time.

Venue: Durban, South Africa

On the 19th of June in Durban at 13:30 local time Group E gets back into action with the match between group favourites the Netherlands and Japan.

With the Netherlands among the favourites to win the World Cup, and Japan, along with all of the other Asian teams, on the outside, there is not much money to be made backing a Dutch straight win here. Bodog are offering just 2/5 on this outcome, and BetFred a mere 1/3.

For Japan to cause an upset, which, if you saw them play against England in the friendlies, is always a possibility, you can get 9/1 from Victor Chandler, the best price for a Japanese win. A draw is offered at 7/2, again, from Victor Chandler.

Victor Chandler and William Hill both have bets available already for the first goal scorer in this game. Predictably, the field is led by Dutch players, with Robin van Persie and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar joint favourites at 18/5 and Arjen Robben, who may not even play in the group stage due to injury, third at 11/2, followed by Wesley Sneijder and Dirk Kuyt both at 13/2. The first Japanese players appear at the 11/1 mark, where you can take Morimoto or Okubo, at the same price as van Bronckhorst on the Dutch side.

If you want to predict the correct score, the bookmakers are favouring a 1-0 or 2-0 win to the Dutch, most offering the same odds for both scorelines. Bodog will give you 5/1 on these picks. With all the confidence in this year’s Dutch side, perhaps you fancy a bigger win margin? Well, prices for 4-0 vary anywhere from 16/1 to 22/1, but the best price is from Ladbrokes, who also offer the best price for 5-0 at 80/1.

Prediction

Holland should have no trouble here, and this could be a high scoring game for the Dutch. To stay on the conservative side I am going for a 3-0 win for Holland, but it is possible they could put even more past the Japanese defence with some of the goalscorers they can field. 3-0 will get you 8/1 with Bodog right now.

Cameroon vs Denmark Preview

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Time: 19th June, 20.30 local time.

Venue: Tshwane/Pretoria, South Africa

The fourth match in Group E is to kick off on June the 19th at 20:30 local time in Pretoria, and sees Cameroon meet Denmark.

Whilst very different in culture and football style, the teams here are seen as pretty evenly matched. Denmark seem to be very slightly favoured by the bookmakers, though you can get 6/4 on either team to win from most bookmakers, Expekt put Cameroon slightly further out and offer the best price on them at 7/4. This isn’t a bad bet considering that the teams are close in ability and expectation, and yet Cameroon have the African advantage. For US players, Sportsbook.com offers the best odds and most betting alternatives.

A draw here will get you 23/10, the best price on offer, from Ladbrokes – most bookmakers offer 2/1. Again, this is quite a good price considering there isn’t much to suggest either team has this game in the bag. In the correct score market, a 1-1 draw is the favourite outcome, with Bodog (US Friendly) offering 11/2, whereas a 0-0 draw will get you 7/1.

1-0 to Denmark is the second favourite scoreline in most books, and it will fetch you 13/2, again Bodog offer the best price here. 1-0 to Cameroon is actually at 6/1 with Bodog who are one of a couple of bookmakers who seem to rate Cameroon over Denmark, but Victor Chandler will give you 13/2 on this.

William Hill already offer first goal scorer odds for the group stage games, and for this match the joint favourites are Samuel Eto’o, Rajko Lekic, Nicklas Bendtner and Jon Dahl Tomasson – all offered at 5/1 with William Hill.

Prediction

Here is a game that could easily go either way, and one of the few matches in this round that is difficult to call. On the one hand the Danes have some good, solid players and a good if not amazing level of skill. On the other, Cameroon have a bit of a tradition of being dark horses that can upset groups, and they do have the advantage of a little more support and a better acclimatisation in South Africa. I think there will be goals, but in this case I am going with the bookies – a 1-1 draw. This will fetch you 11/2 on the correct score market or 2/1 just for the draw.

Italy vs New Zealand Match Preview

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Time: 20th June, 16.00 local time.

Venue: Nelspruit, South Africa

Match number four in Group F sees Italy, one of the favourites, take on absolute outsiders New Zealand at the Nelspruit stadium. This match takes place on the 20th of June with a 4pm kick off in local time.

Italy, the current champions, will be looking to take as many goals away from this game as possible, with it being on paper the easiest fixture in their group, which also includes Paraguay and Slovakia. New Zealand have, however, shown that they are not as easy to beat as many thought when they beat Serbia in a friendly last week.

Italy are of course the favourites to win this by a huge degree. The odds on Italy winning the game are as short as 1/9 with William Hill and 1.13 (-769) with SportsInteraction (US Friendly) This looks pretty close to a certainty, but a surprise win by New Zealand will get you odds as long as 20/1 with Victor Chandler. Even the draw is worth 6/1 at Bodog and Bet365.

This is a game where Italy are expected to pick up goals. 2-0 is the favourite scoreline in the correct score market, at 5/1 with Bodog, but 3-0 is the second favourite at 6/1 and even 4-0 is only at 7/1. Italy will be looking to get as much out of this as possible, so you can back 5-0 for the same price as a 0-0 draw here, at 14/1 with Bodog. The first New Zealand win in the field is at 40/1 with Bet365 for 1-0. There’s not much faith in the All Whites from the bookies here! They are also the least expected team to win the World Cup.

Di Natale and Gilardino are the favourites to put the first goal in the back of the net, both offered at around 18/5.

Prediction

This could be one of the highest scoring games of the group round if Italy are on form – I am expecting to see a total thrashing. The prediction therefore is 5-0 to Italy – at 14/1 with Bodog this is not a bad bet at all.

Slovakia vs Paraguay Preview

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Time: 20th June, 13.30 local time.

Venue: Mangaung/Bloemfontein, South Africa

Group F kicks off its second round of group stage play with a match between Slovakia and Paraguay. The match will take place at Manguang and kicks off on June 20th at 13:30 local time.

Paraguay are the favourites to win this game with most bookmakers offering evens on this outcome. That’s not to say there are long odds on Slovakia, the best price for them to win is 11/4 with Bodog (US Friendly) or Expekt. The draw is offered at pretty short odds too at 12/5. This suggests that while Paraguay should, on paper, be the better team, there is still some room for Slovakia to upset them.

A 1-1 draw or Paraguay winning 1-0 both attract similar odds. Bet365 and Sportsbook (US Friendly) are offering the same price, 11/2, on both eventualities. Slovakia 1-0 and a 0-0 draw both fetch 8/1, again, the best prices and again, from Bet365. At William Hill, a 2-0 win to Paraguay is also 8/1, as is 2-1 to Paraguay back at Bet365. This is not a game that is easy to call, when results that cause Paraguay to win, lose and draw all attract the same odds!

Oscar Cardozo is the favourite to score the first goal. Odds for him from Victor Chandler are 17/4. He is followed by Roque Santa Cruz and Lucas Barrios, both at 11/2. The Slovakians join the field at around the 15/2 mark, with their favourites being Stanislav Sestak and Erik Jendrisek – again, the prices are the best prices currently available and are offered by Victor Chandler.

Prediction

I think Paraguay are a somewhat underrated team in this group who may even upset Italy, so I can certainly see them beating Slovakia in Manguang. I predict 2-0 to Paraguay, which will get you 8/1 with William Hill or Sportsbook.

New Zealand vs Slovakia Match Preview

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Time: 15th June, 13.30 local time.

Venue: Rustenburg, South Africa

On the 15th of June, day five of this year’s World Cup Finals tournament, Rustenberg plays host to the second match in Group F, where absolute outsiders New Zealand take on low ranking European side Slovakia. Kicking off at 13:30 local time, they will be playing in the hottest part of the day.

Within a group that also contains Italy and Paraguay, progressing past the first round will be a huge achievement for either one of these teams if they manage to get the results to be any more than just teams who were “happy to take part”.

New Zealand, who have only been in the World Cup once before in 1982, and who then exited during the group stage, have the lowest odds of anybody in the competition to lift the trophy, with expekt.com offering as much as 3000/1 on this eventuality and most others around the 2000/1 mark.

Slovakia, whilst having slightly higher expectations than this, are the lowest rated European team in terms of odds to win, alongside Slovenia. The best odds for them to win are 300/1 from bwin. Yes, ten times better than New Zealand, so while neither team is looked at as serious contenders, in this game Slovakia should have the upper hand.

This is indeed shown in the odds for the winner of this game, with the best odds on Slovakia 8/15 from Sky Bet. The best odds available at the time of writing for a New Zealand win are 8/1 from Victor Chandler.

The draw is offered at around 3/1 from most bookmakers, so a Slovakia win is definitely the bookies’ most expected outcome.

The chances of New Zealand keeping a clean sheet in light of this are 5/1 from William Hill, but for Slovakia to do the same are just 8/13.

Correct scoreline betting will offer Slovakia winning 1-0 or 2-0 both for around 5/1, with the odds of New Zealand making it 2-0 for themselves 40/1 with Tote Sport or William Hill. A 0-0 draw is seen as being as unlikely as Slovakia winning 3-0, with 10/1 available on both of these outcomes.

Prediction

New Zealand really have very little chance of doing anything in the World Cup, but Slovakia may well be hoping to be in with a chance to contend for second place in the group, in which case they will definitely need to take away three points from this match and do so with as many goals as possible.

For this reason, the prediction is a 3-0 win for Slovakia.

Italy vs Paraguay Match Preview

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Time: 14th June, 20.30 local time.

Venue: Cape Town, South Africa

Italy, the current World Cup holders, take on Paraguay on the 14th of June in the second match to be held in Cape Town, and the first match of Group F.

With rank outsiders New Zealand and low ranking European team Slovakia the other opposition in the group, this should be the toughest fixture for the Italians who will be looking to equal Brazil’s record of five World Cup wins.

Italy have been criticised for fielding quite an old squad, which did not do them a lot of favours in the Confederations Cup or the qualifiers for World Cup 2010, where they were unable to beat the Republic of Ireland, who ultimately failed to qualify after controversially going out to France in the play offs, over the two legs.

In spite of this, they are still one of the favoured teams entering the competition with best odds of 14/1, the same as for Germany.

Betting on Italy vs Paraguay

Paraguay are between 40/1 and 80/1 depending on where you look, with the best odds being from bwin and bet365. This makes them the third favourite of the South American teams after second favourites Brazil and fourth favourites Argentina.

The odds for this game favour Italy, with many providers such as Victor Chandler, bodog.com and Paddy Power offering 5/6 on a win for the azzuri. Odds for Paraguay are currently best from Expekt who also offer some really special World Cup bets for almost all games.

Boyle Sports and bet365 offer 12/5 on the draw.

In other bets, if you think both teams will score, regardless of the end result, William Hill will give you 5/4 on this outcome. For neither team to score, i.e. the goalless draw scenario, the odds are 6-1, so they are expecting some action out of this meeting.

In the correct scoreline market, for either a 1-0 win for Italy or a 1-1 draw, the best odds are 6/1. A Paraguay 1-0 is at 9/1. Italy winning 2-0 comes in at 7/1, interestingly, the same as a goalless draw, with most bookies offering the same for 2-1 with just William Hill offering 8/1 on this.

Italy are 4/5 on to keep a clean sheet, with Paraguay around 2/1 to do this.

This is one game where there is some potential for upset, with Italy failing to inspire since they won the last World Cup and Paraguay looking good in qualification with players like Roque Santa Cruz performing very well.

Having said that, with the relatively easy opposition in the rest of the group, Paraguay would probably be satisfied with a draw out of this fixture, where as Italy will want to prove their capabilities and go all out for a win.

The prediction is 2-1 to Italy, with odds at 8/1. Find more World Cup predictions for all games.

Germany vs Australia Match Preview

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Time: 13th June, 20.30 local time.

Venue: Durban, South Africa

The first match in highly competitive Group D takes place in Durban on day three of the tournament, at 20:30 local time. One of though toughest groups in the stage, with Germany and Australia alongside Ghana and Serbia, this should be an interesting one to watch – Only the Group of Death, Group G, with Brazil, the Ivory Coat and Portugal looks trickier to get through than this one.

Germany, who hosted the last World Cup and came third, as well as coming second in Euro 2008, look like a strong proposition in this match, but Australia, who made it through 2006’s “group of death”, will be tough competition after an impressive qualifying performance.

Germany are the firm favourites to win the fixture, with odds on at about 4/7 from most World Cup bookmakers. An Australia win is offered at 5/1 from most bookies, with bet365 offering 6/1. Odds for the draw are currently 11/4.

In the correct score market, it is around 5/1 for both 1-0 and 2-0 to the Germans, with 9/1 for 3-0. For Australia you can get 9/1 for 1-0 and as much as 33/1 for 2-0.

Other Germany wins are offered at, for example, 7/1 for 2-1 and 9/1 for 3-1.

A 1-1 or 0-0 draw both fetch around 13/2.

This shows that, compared with other games, bookmakers are placing themselves with a fair degree of confidence on a Germany win, even a fairly high scoring one.

Germany are at 3/4 to keep a clean sheet, showing again, a lot of confidence from the bookmakers in this German team, with Australia at 4/1.

William Hill offer 8-1 on there being an own goal in this match.

For Germany to come from behind to win is offered at 7/1, also by William Hill Sportsbook, whereas Australia coming from behind is priced at present at 18/1.

Prediction

Germany will be keen, as one of the favourites, to prove their credentials in the group stage, despite tough opposition. Whilst Australia have a good chance of getting through the group, it is hard to see anybody but Germany winning this game.

With players like Klose, winner of the Golden Boot at the last tournament, there is a good chance Germany will put more than one goal past the opposition, and it will be hard for Australia to find their way past the tough German defence.

The prediction is therefore a win for Germany at 2-0, offered in the current market at about 5/1.

Serbia vs Ghana Match Preview

Time: 13th June, 16.00 local time.

Venue: Tshwane/Pretoria, South Africa

The second match in Group D, one of the toughest groups in this year’s World Cup Finals tournament, will take place in Pretoria on the 13th of June at 16:00 local time.

In a group that also features seeded team Germany and top Asia/Oceania side Australia, these teams, who both had strong qualifying campaigns, will need to excel to make it through to the knockout rounds.

This game should be interesting for the neutral, with the teams varying so much in style and background but with similar expectations on them going into the tournament.

As the first World Cup ever to take place on African soil, the climate and support in South Africa may be advantageous to Ghana. Among the African teams in the competition they are not quite as well fancied as the Ivory Coast, however they are the second favourite African side with the bookmakers, at 4/1 to be the top finishing African team (Ivory Coast are evens) and 66/1 to win the competition outright.

Serbia are also 66/1 for winning the cup, so the teams are, on paper, very evenly matched.

The odds for the match itself reflect this, with Ghana at around 2/1 and Serbia varying on either side from 7/5 to 5/4 – this is one that everybody is very reluctant to call.

The odds for the draw are around 11/5.

The scoreline odds have Serbia at 5/1 to win 1-0, with the same scoreline for Ghana at 13/2. Higher scoring wins show Serbia as favourites, with 2-0 being 20/1 for Serbia and 40/1 for Ghana.

Bets on the team to score first are very close indeed but again with a leaning towards Serbia – bodog.com offer 20/21 on Serbia to net the first goal and 5/4 on Ghana.

Even the winning margin bets are close – Serbia to win by two or more goals is 4/1 with bet365, whereas for Ghana to do the same is 6/1.

Prediction

With both teams looking to make it out of this difficult group, they will theoretically both be playing for a win, so despite how evenly matched they are, it is difficult to see either being satisfied with a draw. Serbia seem to have the slight edge with the bookmakers, even considering Ghana’s perceived African advantage, however I am inclined to go with Michael Essien and his team for the win. The prediction for this game is therefore 2-1 to Ghana. We have also listed more predictions for Group D in World Cup.

Germany vs Serbia Preview

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Time: 18th June, 13.30 local time.

Venue: Nelson Mandela Bay/Port Elizabeth, South Africa

The second set of Group D matches kicks off in Nelson Mandela Bay on June the 18th, where Germany and Serbia will meet. This game starts at 13:30 local time.

In a tough group, seeded team Germany are still the favourites, despite their injury problems. Serbia have failed to impress in a dismal set of friendlies, losing to outsiders New Zealand and unqualified Poland.

Germany are therefore favoured to win this match. The best odds on a straight win for the Germans are 5/6 from Bodog. The draw is worth 11/4 at BetFred, and a Serbia win will fetch 7/2 with Victor Chandler – these are all the best available prices at the time of writing.

In the correct score market, the favourite scoreline is a 1-0 Germany win, which is 5/1 with Bodog (US Friendly) and William Hill. 2-0 and 2-1 to Germany both fetch 7/1 odds. A big Germany win like 4-0 is 40/1, so it doesn’t look like the bookmakers think Germany will be putting too many goals into the Serbian net – is this the expectation of safe, dependable play from the Germans?

The best odds for Serbia to win 1-0 are 11/1 from Bet365. They also offer 16/1 on a Serbian 2-1 win.

If you fancy a 0-0 draw in this game, go to Sportsbook.com (US Friendly) who will give you 9/1 on this outcome.

William Hill are already offering odds on the first to score in this match. Gomez and Klose are the joint favourites here, both with 4/1 odds of netting the first goal. Klose won the golden boot at the last World Cup – will he score again here?

Prediction

With Serbia’s recent bad form, the Germans should be able to win here, but like the bookmakers I can’t see them putting away too many goals with the Serbian defence as it is. For this reason, the prediction is 1-0 to Germany, which is 5/1 from Bodog.