World Cup Group F Betting Preview

Italy Favored

It’s that time again. Yes, Four years have passed and the FIFA World Cup is here. 32 nations will throw down in an attempt to take home the top honors in the host nation of South Africa. Wagering on soccer is very exciting. Games often go down to the wire. With so many Games and possibilities the opportunities are abound and endless. The World Cup will begin with Group Play and then continue on to the final 16 nations.

The 2006 World Cup was won by Italy. Over 700 million people watched them win the Game. Soccer/Football is wildly popular all over the world. They will compete in Group F against Paraguay, New Zealand, and Slovakia in an attempt to advance to the next stage of play against either the winner or runner up of Group E. Let’s take a look at defending champion Italy and their competition in Group F.

Italy – This country ranks second in FIFA World Cup wins at Four behind only Brazil. They tied with Ireland in their first World Cup qualifier and then defeated Cyprus by a score of 3-2. Striker Alberto Gilardino was a scoring MAChine during the qualifying rounds. He had 4 goals on 9 shots and 1 assist in 6 Games. He had a hat trick in the win over Cyprus. Gilardino has high expectations and even though the Italians won it all in 2006 he expects nothing less this time around. Midfielder Ivan Gennaro Gattuso brings a high level of energy to the team. He is getting up in age and will leave it all on the field. Italy looks very well equipped to win Group F.

Paraguay – This team earned a silver medal at the Athens Olympics, but they haven’t performed at their best in the FIFA World Cup. They did not escape Round 1 in 2006. Paraguay has an excellent goal keeper in Justo Villar. He owns the most caps on the team at 71. Strike Oscar Cardozo appears to be coming into his own at the age of 27. He is a big time scoring threat. Advancing past group play is a real possibility for this team. They are a good win wager and are being offered at odds of 7/2 in many shops..

New Zealand – The “All Whites” squad has a quiet confidence that they can advance beyond group play. Ivan Vicelich owns the most caps at 69. The midfielder is a seasoned vet and will provide leadership for the younger players. Captain Ryan Nelsen plays center back. This team is something of a wild card. It’s tough to tell how they will fare. Many of their players lack big time experience and they may be conceding a conditioning edge to their opponents. Many of their players come from the Austrailia A League which ended in March.

Slovakia – The tiny country of just over 5 million people has a strong captain in the 22-year-old Marek Hamsik. The midfielder may be young be he has a world of talent. Slovakia defeated Northern Ireland and the Czech Republic to qualify for group play. They beat the US in a friendly match near the end of 2009. Miroslav Karhan has 97 caps for Slovakia. Former player Vladimer Weiss is the head coach for Slovakia. Taking down Italy will be quite the task for this young team.
 

USA vs Algeria

World Cup Prediction

6/23/10

If you aren’t watching World Cup soccer yet, then you are truly missing out. The action has been top notch and the players are putting on a show. Every country has come to win and the competition is fierce. The United States entered the 2010 World Cup with high hopes. They tied England in their first match 1-1 thanks to an error by the English GK and strong play from American GK Tim Howard. Their opponent for Wednesday will be Algeria who also tied with England.

The United States played a very sluggish first half against Slovenia last Thursday. They entered the locker room down 2-0. Forward LAndon Donovan said at HT they shouldn’t come back out if they didn’t think they can win. Needless to say, they returned to play and Donovan was fiery on the field. He scored a nice goal to get the Game back to 1-2.

After that Michael Bradley, the son of Coach Bob Bradley, scored a sliding kick dead ahead of the goal to even things at 2-2. The U.S. looked poised to take the lead on a free kick. They scored, but the kick was inexplicably waved off. Many in the media have since referred to the referee as a disgrace and FIFA will likely disallow him from refereeing any future Games. Because of that poor call, the Americans find themselves in a must win situation.

The Americans were the victims of poor officiating throughout the Game. Several fouls on F Altidore were not called. Despite that, there is no excuse for them to have been losing 2-0 at HT against Slovenia. They should have quickly stepped on their opponent’s throat from the start of the match. It seems that the U.S. team has to be punched in the face before they will respond. They are clearly a come from behind team. That could come back to haunt them later in the Tournament.

The Americans control their fate in this Game. If they defeat Algeria they will advance to the knockout stage. If they lose or tie the Game things will look bleak. The talent is there for a big Game. LAndon Donovan has lived up to the hype by scoring a goal. Michael Bradley has also been great. GK Tim Howard is playing well, but appears to be a bit fatigued. If he can bring his “A” Game there will little to no doubt that the Americans will beat Algeria. If he doesn’t things could get ugly.

Algeria has played well in this World Cup. If not for an errant goal allowed against Slovenia, they would be in a great position to advance. They looked strong holding England to a 0-0 tie, but we have to wonder if that was more thanks to England’s lackadaisical play. Motivation will be a huge factor in this Game against the Americans. The U.S. will be fired up and ready to play their best after essentially being jobbed out of a win against Slovenia by the referees. Algeria will have to come with just as much intensity in order to have a chance.

The bet in this Game is clearly the U.S. at -117. This a do or die match for them. If they lose they will essentially be eliminated from the World Cup. They have plenty of talent thanks to GK Tim Howard, LAndon Donovan, Michael Bradley, and Jozy Altidore. If they play their best Game they will blow Algeria out of the water. On the other hand, Algeria played well against England and the U.S. has been susceptible to letdowns. If you like Algeria you will get a solid price of +285.

Current Odds

USA -105

Algeria +275

Draw +245

Cameroon vs. Denmark

Saturday World Cup Match Betting Analysis

6/18/10

World Cup football is off and in full effect. Group play is going well for some and not so well for others. It isn’t going well for Cameroon or Denmark. Both teams started the World Cup with losses. Neither team scored even a single goal. Cameroon fell to Japan and Denmark lost to Netherlands. Both nations desperately require a win. The team that loses this Game will find their World Cup hopes squashed. This match consists of two Group E teams, Cameroon and Denmark. The other Group E teams are Japan and Netherlands.

Things didn’t go as expected for Cameroon in their first Game of the World Cup. They fully expected to thrash Japan, but weren’t able to do it. Japan is one of the lowest rated teams in the World Cup. The final score of the Game was 1-0 in favor of the Japanese. Cameroon made a late rally and had a shot bounce off the goal post. The team says the lost the fight with Japan, but the battle for the World Cup isn’t over. They will have to quickly recover in order to stay alive.

Cameroon has one of the best strikers in the entire world, but the coach of the team didn’t utilize him properly. He had him playing to the right. Samuel Eto’o is the best striker in the history of Cameroon football. It will be up to him to try and get points on the board. He is more than capable of doing it. Eto’o is the captain of Cameroon’s football team. If he plays well then his team will rally behind him and play well also.

Denmark put up quite a fight to lose to one of the World Cup favorites in Holland. The Danish were able to keep the Game scoreless until half time, but gave up two goals in unlucky fashion. They boast solid defensive skills. All in all, the Denmark team can take a bit of confidence away from their opening Game. Cameroon should be an easier assignment for them.

Defender LArs Jacobson is an asset for the Denmark team. He has 33 caps in his career. He plays English Premier League for the Blackburn Rovers when not playing for Denmark in the World Cup. JonTomasson is also a valuable gem for the Denmark team. He was Player of the Year in Denmark in 2002 and 2004. He has 110 caps to his credit. He has played for the Italian Club AC Milan in the past.

Coach Paul Le Guen is catching a lot of bad press for the way he has handled Cameroon’s team. First he doesn’t play Eto’o, one of the Cameroons best strikers, in his natural position. He didn’t substitute a player until 65 minutes into the Game.

Le Guen decided to drop strong defender Alex Strong. He would’ve helped the Cameroonians immensely. Stephane M’bia wasn’t playing his natural position either and he was the one that the Japanese scored on. Le Guen will have to answer for his decisions if Cameroon doesn’t rebound and win this Game against Denmark.

When it comes to soccer betting you have to go with the more talented team and that team in this match is Denmark. They showed much better unity and solidarity in their Game against Holland then Cameroon did against Japan. Denmark is the favorite, but you can get a solid price of +185 with 5dimes.com Cameroon is a nice team, but they looked disinterested against Japan and they don’t appear as motived as Denmark to win this Game. Bet on Denmark and enjoy a great soccer Game!

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Honduras vs. Chile

Prediction – Analysis

6/16/10

Much like the American Sports we traditionally handicap, there is a distinct “talent gap” among the teams in the FIFA World Cup Tournament. That gap may not be as obvious to the casual observer. Not as obvious as say, college football. In college football, a score of 42-3 generally means total dominance. In soccer, the Games are low scoring. A 3-0 soccer Scoremay very well be compared to a 42-3 college football score.

In looking over the first round matches we think we’ve found a Game that offers us some nice betting value and a talent gap to go along with it. That Game is Chile vs. Honduras and Our selection is going to be on Chile.

The general take on this match among soccer “experts” is that Honduras is simply lucky to be here while Chile deserves to be here. We’d have to agree. One of the most important variables in soccer betting is “current form”. Or, how a team has played leading up to this match. Honduras hasn’t won an official match since January and all of their losses, and a couple of ties, have come against teams that did not qualify for the World Cup. They also played a couple of practice Games while training for the World Cup in Germany against basically, minor leaguers and were very unimpressive in narrow wins. Chile meanwhile, comes in on a positive note winning Games against Israel, Northern Ireland and Zambia.

Chile is the youngest of all 32 teams in the Tournament. They are a rapid-fire, counter-attacking team with speed that comes at you from all directions. Honduras looks to be outmanned here. They just don’t have the guns to compete with Chile here.

Spain is expected to win group H. Heck, they are one of the favorites to win it all. Which makes this match all the more important for Chile and Honduras. Chile is going to want to take care of business against the likes of Honduras rather than being put in a must win situation when they face Spain in their final Game, pretty much a certain loss.

Perhaps the best indicator of the strengths and weaknesses of these two teams is the odds to win the Tournament going in. While neither is expected to win it all, Honduras is given virtually no shot. In fact they are the longest shots of the entire Tournament, along with New Zealand and Korea DPR at a whopping 750/1. That’s right, pluck down $100 on Honduras to win the Cup and if they do you’ll be rewarded with $75,000!! By contrast, Chile is 66/1. OUt of 32 teams, that means there are only 10 teams or so ahead of Chile according to the odds.

We think we have some nice value here with the better all around team which also happens to be in much better “current form”.

You have a few different options for betting on this match. You can lay -1 goal with Chile at close to even money. Or you can take Chile straight up and lay in the -180 range. It’s important to remember that these wagers are REGULATION TIME ONLY. It’s also important to remember that should you bet Chile straight up, and the Game is tied after regulation, you lose. This is because the draw option is also offered at a price of around +280.

We are going to lay -1 with Chile at a price of -105.

Here are the odds on this match from a couple if Our top rated sportsbooks.

Bet 5dimes.com

Chile -1 -105
Honduras +1 -125

or

Chile -185
Honduras +475
Draw +285

over 2.5 goals +100
under 2.5 goals -130

Here are the odds on the same Game from 5dimes.com

Chile -181
Honduras +500
Draw +275

over 2.5 goals -105
under 2.5 goals -133

5dimes.com is not offering a goal line on this match.

USA vs. Ghana Prediction

Knockout Round Betting Analysis

6/26/10

After having watched the majority of the Games in the opening round of World Cup play, it’s safe to say that the USA team belongs here in the “Sweet 16” or “Knockout Round”. They have a very real chance at making it into the semi finals and really putting an exclamation point on the end of the sentence “USA Soccer has arrived!”

USA soccer has come a long way. They  have made strides each and every year since hosting the World Cup in 1994. Over the years they have been looked at as a joke. Not anymore. Winning the Confederations Cup last year was a major stepping stone. But now they have a chance to really put their foot down and leave their mark. The USA team, at least in this writers eyes, have played better than many of the so called world soccer powers in this World Cup. They have stepped up to the plate when the pressure was on and were able to get the job done.

Sure, there have been some lopsided Games and nice performances by teams like Portugal, Brazil and Argentina. But other so called powers, England and Italy for example, have looked mediocre at best. Goals are generally hard to come by in soccer at this level. Even the announcers pretty much write off any teams chances of winning, even being down just 1-0 with a few minutes to go.

But the USA team has been able to Scoregoals at pivotal times, unlike many other teams in this Tournament. Down 2-0 at the half to Slovenia, the USA was able to come back and gain a tie. That in itself was an accomplishment, but the soccer world knows the USA team was robbed in that one as they scored the 3rd and winning goal in that Game only to have the goal disallowed, for no apparent reason. A 3 goal 2nd half comeback in World Cup play is unheard of.

They then were able to make a final charge up field in a 0-0 tie Game with Algeria to Scoreone of the most exciting goals in the Tournament and win a 1-0 Game, sending them to the knockout round. Now, the doubters will say sure, Algeria and Slovenia, both are cupcake teams. Perhaps. But England wasn’t able to get by Algeria, were they? Those that believe in the USA team will also remind you that the USA team knocked off Spain in the Confederations Cup last year and lost a heartbreaking 3-2 decision to Brazil in the final. Many would argue that they put their stamp on the soccer world last year.

I’d disagree. The World Cup is the biggest stage there is in the soccer world. If you’re going to tell the world that you’re here to stay and are going to be a force to be reckoned with for years to come, this is where it needs to be done. Getting to this point isn’t enough. They need to advance. Heck, they need to win it all.

Four years ago it was Ghana who put the final nail in the USA World Cup dreams. Fast forward 4 years, and once again Ghana stands in the way. USA players remember that Ghana Game like it was yesterday. Here is a quote from LAndon Donavan – “That was not a good day for me or for the team,” Donovan said Thursday. “What I remember is my tentativeness and immediate feeling afterward, the finality of that and how disappointing that was“

At this stage, there are no pushovers. But Ghana is beatable for sure. They only managed a tie against the Aussies, lost to Serbia and lost to the Germans. I guess holding the Germans to one goal was an accomplishment but it seems clear that this USA team is better than Ghana and with the loss 4 years ago still fresh, expect the USA team to leave nothing to chance.

At odds of -118 or better to advance, the price is very fair. Is there a little patriotism in this selection? Sure, probably so. But it’s still a solid play and worth at least a half unit.

Remember, in this round, there will always be a winner. If the Game is ties after 90 minutes there will be penalty kicks to decide the match. You must understand the terms of your bet before making the plunge. There will be odds posted on the USA to advance to the quarterfinals and there will be odds posted on the USA to win in regulation time. Our wager above, is on the USA to advance, which means Our wager includes the penalty kicks!!

Current Odds to Win the World Cup

2010

Listed on this page are the current odds to win the World Cup for all participants. Think the USA can pull off the shocker? If so, you can get odds of 66-1 on your wager! Spain is the current favorite to win it all at odds of 4/1 followed by Brazil at 5/1 and England at 6/1 odds. Defending World Cup Champion Italy has current updated odds to win the World Cup of 12/1. Perhaps some value with Italy.

Aside from the odds to win the World Cup, there are also a wide vareity of prop bets available. Such as will a player Score2 or more goals in the final? Will there be a red card in the final? You can wager on the winner in each group, as well as whether or nor a specific team will reach the finals. There are odds posted on just about everything imaginable for the World Cup. The number of wagering opportunities is not unlike the Super Bowl here in the USA. Prop bets galore.

We will keep these odds to win the world cup current and updated as often as possible. For live, up to the minute World Cup odds as well as all of the prop bets and individual Games odds please check in with 5dimes.com, the worlds largest sportsbook.

Also be sure to shop for the best odds at all of the top sportsbooks. Getting the best odds on your wagers is the key to long term success!

Current Odds to Win World Cup – 2010

    Spain   +400         Brazil   +500           England   +600           Argentina   +750           Holland   +1100           Germany   +1200           Italy   +1200           France   +1800           Portugal   +2800           Ivory Coast   +3300           Ghana   +6600           Serbia   +6600           Chile   +6600           USA   +6600           Paraguay   +8000           Mexico   +8000           Nigeria   +10000           Denmark   +10000           Uruguay   +10000           Cameroon   +10000           South Africa   +12500           Australia   +12500           Greece   +15000           Switzerland   +20000           Slovenia   +20000           Slovakia   +20000           South Korea   +20000           Japan   +25000           Algeria   +40000           Honduras   +50000           North Korea   +100000           New Zealand   +200000      

Denmark vs. Japan

World Cup Prediction – Analysis

6/24/10

Group E pool play comes to a climax Thursday night at 8:30 pm local time when a high stakes match between Denmark and Japan kicks off. A trip along with The Netherlands to the elimination bracket is dependent solely on the outcome if this Game. The pressure will be on Denmark in Royal Bafokeng Stadium as they need an outright win to advance to the elimination round of 16. Even though Japan and Denmark are knotted at 3 points each in Group E scoring, Japan holds a 1 point goal differential advantage, thus the Japanese will advance to the bracket with either a win or a draw. This differential advantage is due to a 2 goal Japanese advantage defensively and Denmark only holding a 1 goal advantage offensively when compared head to head.

Computer generated statistical simulations forecast approximately a 55% chance of Japan winning or drawing the match, leaving Denmark a 45% chance to move through. The main concern for the Japanese team has to be the significant height advantage Denmark holds over them, slightly more than 3″average per player. This advantage should be especially strong in the set piece department, where many balls are played as headers. Unfortunately, Denmark has been struggling with gaining corner kick advantages so far this world cup, only amassing a paltry 4 total from the 2 previous Games against The Netherlands and Cameroon. For comparison, perennial teams such as Spain and Italy have gained 24 and 23 corner kick advantages respectively during each of their first 2 contests.

However, the Danish height advantage is apparent with a 100% completion rate of these 4 corners, meaning Denmark did get the first touch on the ball after the cross. Japan must give up as few set pieces to Denmark as possible and remain calm when clearing the ball defensively. Players clearing the ball out the back too hastily can be a frequent occurrence, Japan must be extremely wary of this tendency. Although, this could prove difficult for Japan as they have only legitimately cleared the ball defensively 11 times with only one of those clearances resulting in a possession. Look for Denmark to hold a substantial possession advantage, possibly as much as 60% as Japan will most likely be on their defensive heels. Another important angle to consider is that Denmark had a big come from behind victory in their last Game against Cameroon, their top scorer Rommedahl putting in the eclipsing goal. This type of momentum could very well carryover into this match with Japan.

Japan appears to be sending the same unit as last Game except for Shunsuki Nakamura could possibly be added to the starting lineup, whereas he came off the bench against the Netherlands. Denmark will have to replace defender Simon Kjaer due to excessive yellow card infractions.

Wagering odds on this event have been drawn up as +120 for a Danish win and +220 for a Japanese win leaving a +230 choice for the draw. Goal line odds favor Denmark as a -180 pick. (Odds courtesy of 5dimes.com.com)An over/under of 2.5 goals has been set with a -175 line on the under, which makes sense considering this is expected to be a high tension defensive Game. Trending has Denmark 4-5-1 in their last 10 international Games, including a 3-1 beating of the United States. Japan holds a 3-6-1 record in their last 10, respectively. Neither team having a winning record in the last10 is a major concern when looking forward to possible second round elimination match-ups. Whichever team continues through from this Game will most likely face Paraguay, the Group F leader.

Weather conditions should play little factor in Rustenburg, Thursday night as the forecast is for clear skies and 50 degrees Fahrenheit at Game time. Stateside, this Game can be seen on ESPN at 2:30pm eastern, 11:30am pacific.

USA vs. Slovenia

World Cup Betting Prediction

6/18/10

The World Cup started with a bang for the USA team who registered a 1-1 tie against England who was the favorite to win the Game. Few expected a win for the Americans, so escaping with a tie certainly feels like a victory for them.

If they wish to advance to the next round they will have to take down Slovenia. They are favored to do so. GK Tim Howard was injured against England, but he appears ready to play on Friday.

“If we can’t beat Slovenia we don’t deserve to advance to the next stage” said Howard. Brutal honesty is something you don’t find often in sports, but Howard hit the nail on the head. Howard is recovering from a rib injury he sustained when Emilie Heskie kicked him square in the ribs at full speed during last week’s Game.

The GK had many key saves against England. He is a large part of the reason they were able to get a tie rather than a loss. Another reason for the tie was Right Winger Clint Dempsey. He had the lone goal of the Game for the Americans which came just as the first half was reaching its end.

The USA team is every bit good enough to take down Slovenia. Although they won their first Game 1-0 over Algeria, this Slovenia team isn’t one to write home about. The fact that the USA team is favored to win the Game should tell you everything you need to know. Don’t tell Slovenia they are the underdog though. They fully believe they can and will win against the Americans.

Midfielder Andre KoMAC did his best Chad OchoCinco impression by guaranteeing a win against the US team. You may recall that OchoCinco, then Chad Johnson, guaranteed a win over the undefeated Kansas City Chiefs (9-0) in 2003. If you are inclined to believe KoMAC you will receive very generous odds of +260 at 5dimes.com!

Slovenia is a very tiny country about the size of the city of Houston. They made it into the World Cup by scoring a shocking upset win over Russia in a playoff Game. They don’t take kindly to being called the “small guy”.

Slovenia’s captain is Robert Koren. He scored their lone goal against Algeria. It was a long range shot that the GK badly misjudged. The win was the first for Slovenia in their entire World Cup history. They are off to a fast start and if they parlay that into a win against the US they could be a force for the rest of the World Cup.

This is a golden opportunity for the USA. They managed a tie against one of the world soccer powers, England. Now they have a chance to assure themselves of advancing to the knockout round with a win over a team they should beat. This is a USA team that handed Spain their only loss in 46 Games or so. They are plenty capable and the price is right.

Key Release

USA pk +110 or better over Slovenia – 1 Unit

England vs. Algeria

World Cup Key Release

6/18/10

We have made mention in previous write ups of the talent gap between some of these teams in the World Cup. Unfortunately, the talent gap isn’t always reflected on the scoreboard. Such was the case when Spain lost to Switzerland. They outplayed the Swiss 24-8 and controlled the ball 63% of the time. They hit the crossbar with one shot and had numerous other opportunities. They just couldn’t put it in the net. Likewise when England tied the USA 1-1 in their first Game. England was clearly the better team. It just didn’t work out that way for them on the scoreboard. Such is the way in Soccer betting.

But we have also seen the superior teams break through in other Games, such as Argentina pounding South Korea 4-1. That was an example of a superior team capitalizing on their opportunities. Friday we have yet another mismatch in terms of the talent gap between England and Algeria. The odds to win the World Cup prior to the Tournament starting had England as the 3rd favorite while Algeria was one of the biggest long shots of all, in front of only New Zealand, North Korea and Honduras.

What makes this situation particularly strong for the English side is the fact that their backs are up against the wall. The tie to the USA has put them in a must win situation. The last thing England wants is to be in a situation where they have to win their final Game against Slovenia to advance. Especially with Slovenia perhaps playing for just a tie in the Game.

Here England gets a shot at one of the worst teams in the Tournament and certainly the worst team in their group. Anything less than a convincing win here would simply be unacceptable for English fans. A loss would be epic to say the least. A tie would be a major failure.

Aster watching Spain go down in defeat, I would think all of the other powers have taken note. I’d expect this match for England to be their best performance by far in Group play, which spells trouble for an outgunned Algerian team. For us, it’s simply a matter of finding the best way to play this Game from a betting standpoint.

Many sportsbooks don’t post all of their odds on a match until the day of the Game. Currently we see the following odds posted :

England -400 (as low as -345 at some sportsbooks)

Algeria +1000

Draw +475

We also see England -1.5 at a price of even money.

again, these are average odds from several top sportsbooks. It’s important that you shop for the best price.

We aren’t crazy about laying -1.5 goals on any Game regardless of the gap in talent. For us, it comes down to either laying 1 goal or playing the Game straight up on the money line. At this point we are going to hold off until Game day to bet this Game as we are looking to lay -1 goal with England as a 1 Unit Key Release.

We will try to update this article with Our official selection prior to the Game. If we can’t, we will be playing England -1 goal for one unit, or we will be playing England on the money line at -350 or better. I’m fairly certain we’ll be able to play the -1 goal line on Game day.

Uruguay vs. Netherlands

World Cup Semi-Finas

Odds – Analysis – Predictions

By

John J. Raspanti

7/6/10

We are down to the final Four as giant killer Netherlands takes on the scrappy and talented Uruguayans. In the quarter-finals Netherlands came from a goal back to shock mighty Brazil 2-1, in a match that saw them outplayed in the first half. Uruguay broke African hearts with a stunning victory over Ghana achieved through penalty kicks. Netherlands is slightly favored going into the match. Uruguay could be emotionally spent after their dramatic victory over Ghana, if so look for Wesley Sneijder (three goals in the Cup) and Arjen Robben to find some gaps in a defense that could be dragging a bit.

The Netherlands is a fairly hefty 3/1 favorite to advance to the finals at most sportsbooks. You can get a little better than 2/1 odds on the underdog, Uruguay. As always there are also loads of prop bets players can wager on for this match. Here are just a few of the offerings from 5dimes.com :

Half Time Correct SCore
Correct SCore
Double Result
Double Chance
Time of 1st Goal
Half With Most Goals
Winning Margin
Player to Score1st Goal
Team to Score1st

One can’t underestimate the Uruguay team, who showed tremendous character and grit against Ghana and…had a little bit of lady luck in their corner. The LUis Suarez controversy aside, if Asamoah Gyan had that free kick again…everyone knows he would nail it. Coach Oscar Tabarez’s team feels it’s their destiny to win their third World Cup.

Netherlands has a mixture of experience and youth and are very versatile and well rounded. They are on a roll right now…and they know it.

“We already had that feeling before the Tournament, that on Our day, we can beat every country in the world.” — midfielder Dirk Kuyt

Uruguay is very stubborn defensively, allowing only two goals in their five previous matches. Organized and very sound, they are rarely out of position or make silly mistakes. Diego Forlan has continued his fine play, adding another goal against Ghana along with a penalty kick. Regardless the Uruguayans will definitely miss the offensive prowess of Suarez who has complimented Forlan nicely. They are also somewhat hampered by injuries with Nicholas Lodeiro out while Captain Diego LUgano is questionable with a knee injury. LUgano has nothing but respect for the Dutch team

“They play an excellent passing Game and you can tell they are determined to win the trophy for the first time for the Netherlands. It’s going to be really tough”

Netherlands is not known for their defense but they have managed to get the job done throughout the Cup. Thirty five year old Andre Ooiijer has played very well on the back end showing considerable heart and soul. The Dutch will also be missing key players Nigel de Jong and Gregory van der Wiel but have enough quality and depth on their squad to replace both without missing a beat.

Both teams have experience and history on their side. As stated the Uruguay defense is outstanding and could prove to be a tough nut to crack…at least for awhile. The loss of LUis Suarez cannot be minimized. Netherlands has played very well during the entire cup, they feel their time is now and they are peaking at exactly the right time. Uruguay will battle but the Dutch should have enough depth and determination to get by the depleted Uruguayans.

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