Yearly Archives: 2011
Holland Betting Preview
Holland World Cup Betting Preview
Holland odds and free bets for 2010 World Cup
Currently, Holland are ranked number 3 in the world and are being tipped as the proverbial ‘dark horses’ for this year’s competition. They are best priced at 14/1 with Bet365, which looks like great value as on their day they can be unstoppable.
Holland are clear favourites to qualify from Group E, a group which sees them joined by Denmark, Cameroon and Japan. Paddy Power offers odds of 4/5 to see them progress to the last 16 as group winners where they should face Paraguay. The last 8 will probably see them face 5 time winners Brazil, with England waiting at the semi final stage.
Holland progressed from qualification with a 100% record, topping their group with 24 points.
Part of Holland’s recent success is their team effort, with no real ‘superstars’ in their team. If you had to identify one player who possessed that extra touch of class in their ranks, it would be the Arsenal front man Robin Van Persie. Weather he is playing as a lone front man or wide in a three man attack, Van Persie is a constant goal threat and also possesses the ability to create chances for his team mates. In addition, he is a frequent scorer of spectacular goals with his favoured left foot and is deadly from set pieces. Currently, the gunners forward is sidelined with an ankle injury, but will be back in time to aid his national teams’ hope of World Cup glory. Bwin.com are offering odds of 40/1 for him to be the top goalscorer at the championships and although it might be an outside bet, these odds look quite tempting.
You would have to say that Holland have been placed on the tougher side of the draw alongside France, England and their probable quarter final opponents, Brazil. Brazil should have enough class to beat the Dutch, whilst history suggests that a last 4 place is beyond them, having only got past the quarters once, since 1978. Sky Bet are offering odds of 5/2 for a quarter final elimination for Holland and I think this is well worth putting a few pounds on.
Reccomended bets: Holland to win their group at odds of 4/5 with VC Bet.
Click here to view all World Cup free bets from online bookmakers
Greece Betting Preview
Greece World Cup Betting Preview
Greece odds and free bets for 2010 World Cup
Greece are a nation with very limited World Cup history. It is hard to believe that, although being 2004 European Champions, Greece have only ever played in one World Cup, in USA back in 1994. By qualifying for South Africa, Greece will be playing in their 2nd World Cup and only their 5th major international tournament.
Greece were somewhat fortunate when it came to qualifying for the World Cup, as, thanks to their high FIFA ranking when the groups were drawn, Greece were one of the top seeds. They were drawn alongside Switzerland, Israel, Latvia, Luxembourg and Moldova in an easy group and went on to finish as runners up behind Switzerland. This awarded them with a playoff against Ukraine, which they won 1-0 on aggregate, with a 1-0 win away in Donetsk.
Greece’s famed Euro 2004 victory was very much based on a solid defence. However, this defensive record seemed to desert them during qualification, recording only 3 clean sheets during the group. Their defensive prowess seemingly returned during the playoff tie with Ukraine, as they kept clean sheets home and away. However, the defence should not be the ones praised for their qualification. That, instead, should fall to their striker, Theofanis Gekas, who led the scoring charts for all European groups, scoring 10 goals during the 10 qualification games. Gekas was involved in a controversial move to Portsmouth in the 2008-2009 season, when Tony Adams signed him just days before being sacked. Paul Hart took over, and Gekas was left out frequently. He went on to play only 1 minute of league football for Portsmouth and openly criticised Hart. Gekas has a tremendous goal scoring record for Greece, having scored 20 goals in 45 games. Greece were famously 150/1 outsiders to win Euro 2004, and the odds on Gekas to be the World Cup’s leading goalscorer are also 150/1. This shows how unlikely it is, but also that it is possible. If Greece are to produce something similar to their Euro 2004 form then they will be relying heavily on Gekas for goals.
Greece have been drawn in a fairly tough group, with Argentina, South Korea and Nigeria. Argentina are likely to win the group, so it comes down to looking at the other 3 teams. South Korea, who did very well as hosts back in 2002, are unlikely to produce similar sorts of results that saw them finish 4th at that World Cup. Greece are 8/1 to win the group, which is unlikely to happen. More likely is them to have a shot at qualification, and 13/10 is a decent price. However, to make the assumption that Argentina will win the group, means that ‘to qualify’ could almost be taken as ‘to finish 2nd’. Greece are available at 5/2 to finish 2nd in the group or 2/1 to finish third. The odds on Greece not to qualify are around 8/11. Greece, South Korea and Nigeria all have odds of worse than evens not to qualify, which reflects the bookmakers view that they are all fighting for one qualification spot.
Recommended bets: Greece not to qualify (8/11 with skybet)
Click here to view all World Cup free bets from online bookmakers
Golden Boot
World Cup Golden Boot betting
Golden Boot odds for 2010 World Cup
The Golden boot is the award given to the top goalscorer at the World Cup, and attracts a lot of betting interest. It’s very hard to predict the winner of the Golden Boot because so many great strikers participate at the World Cup.
For the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, the Golden Boot betting is extremely open, with four world class strikers taking centre stage. The odds of Wayne Rooney, David Villa, Fernando Torres and Luis Fabiano are almost exactly the same, with online bookmakers offering odds of between 8/1 and 12/1 on each being the Golden Boot of 2010.
David Villa – Best odds 8/1 with Bet 365 – Click here for £200 in free bets
Lionel Messi – Best odds 10/1 With Stan James – Click here for a £25 free bet.
Wayne Rooney – Best odds 11/1 With Blue Square- Click here for a £66 in free bets.
Luis Fabiano – Best odds 12/1 with Bet 365 – Click here for £200 in free bets
Robin Van Persie – Best odds 14/1 With Totesport – Click here for a £25 free bet.
Fernando Torres – Best odds 14/1 With Totesport – Click here for a £25 free bet.
Christiano Ronaldo – Best odds 18/1 With Sky Bet- Click here for a £25 free bet.
Didier Drogba – Best odds 10/1 With Stan James – Click here for £200 in free bets.
It’s no surprise that these four strikers lead the way in the betting, given that they are all in outstanding form for their clubs, and all play for countries expected to do very well in this year’s World Cup.
Other factors to consider when it comes to Golden Boot betting are whether your chosen player takes penalties. This can be a crucial factor in determining the Golden Boot, like in 2002 when Michael Ballack came close just from taking penalties.
Previous winners of the World Cup Golden Boot award include Miroslav Klose for Germany in 2006 with just 5 goals, Ronaldo in 2002 with 8 goals, and Davor Suker in 1998 with 6 goals.
Given that last year’s Golden Boot winner scored just 5 goals, it may pay to look for a striker who is set to play one of the World Cup minnows such as North Korea or New Zealand. For example, a World class strike like Didier Drogba could easily score a hatrick against North Korea and be well on his way to Golden Boot victory. At odds of 33/1 with William Hill this looks generous.
Golden Boot betting odds
Golden Boot free bets – Check out William Hill for a free £25 bet on the World Cup Golden boot
All major online bookmakers are offering free bets on World Cup Golden Boot betting if you open a new account. Some of the best offers for Golden Boot betting are:
*Click here for all the latest odds on upcoming football matches
Ghana Betting Preview
Ghana World Cup Betting Preview
Ghana odds and free bets for 2010 World Cup
Fresh from the disappointment of losing the African Cup of Nations final at the hands of Egypt; Ghana hope to have a successful World Cup campaign. The African Cup of Nations gave Ghana the chance to showcase some of their young stars due to injuries to the more senior players. However Coach Milovan Rajevac hopes players such as Chelsea’s midfield enforcer Michael Essien will be available for World Cup selection.
Ghana have been placed in Group D along with Germany, Australia and Serbia and the Black Stars have every chance of qualifying for the knockout stages. Although not considered serious contenders to win the competition the shortest odds for a Ghana triumph are offered by Ladbrokes at 66/1 with Coral offering a more attractive 80/1. Although the Germans are favourites to win the group the Black Stars are capable of an upset and are priced at 4/1 with Ladbrokes to win the group.
This will be Ghana’s second World Cup finals, in 2006 they were the only African team to progress from the group stage beating both USA and the Czech Republic on their way to an eventual 3-0 second round defeat to the Samba stars of Brazil. Ghana’s qualification campaign for South Africa was impressive and saw them be the first African nation to qualify for 2010. Unbeaten in their first four qualification matches and not conceding a goal until already qualified, with only one defeat Ghana qualified for South Africa with ease. To qualify from the group at this year’s World Cup Ghana are priced at 11/8 with Betfred.
Unlike most African teams Ghana do not rely on pace; instead the Black Stars use a strong midfield triplet capable of breaking up play and also starting attacks. This triplet of players would be considered Ghana’s key stars. The triplet includes the strong, fast and powerful Michael Essien who unfortunately was injured for the Cup of Nations but should be fit for the world cup, former Portsmouth and current Inter Milan star Sully Muntari and the Ghanaian captain Stephen Appiah. This world class midfield will be key in helping Ghana progress to the knock out stages and maybe even further. I believe that this strong Ghanaian team are capable of reaching the tournaments Quarter-Final stage, the climate will not be an issue for the players and the African crowd will not be an intimidating one for the players.
Recommended bets: Coach Rajevac in an interview stated "This team is very hungry to play in the finals again. My players are aware of what they can achieve, and we have the quality to go far. I am very confident about the future," and he has every right to be confidant, with a strong qualifying campaign and a world class midfield Ghana could be a threat at this World Cup finals. One bet worth taking would be with Betfred on Ghana being eliminated at the Quarter final stage, priced at 15/2 these are generous odds for a team very capable of reaching this stage.
Click here to view all World Cup free bets from online bookmakers
Germany Betting Preview
Germany World Cup Betting Preview
Germany odds and free bets for 2010 World Cup
Germany are always a dangerous team in the World Cup and often progress towards the latter stages of the competition without playing that well. You always know that Germany are going to be there or thereabouts come the knockout stages and they are best priced 14/1 with Betfred to lift the trophy in South Africa.
Compared to the other top seeds, Germany have been handed a difficult group draw. They are joined in Group D by Serbia, Ghana and Australia but are still favourites to win the group with Victor Chandler at 10/11. Expekt.com have odds of 3/1 that Germany will finish the group with 7 points and there is a good chance this will materialise. The second round should see the Germans face the USA, before playing Argentina in the quarter finals and Spain in the last 4.
Germany qualified for the World Cup with ease, winning 8 of the 10 matches and managing to stay undefeated in Group 4
If Germany are to have any chance of winning the tournament they need their main goalscorer, Miroslav Klose to by firing on all cylinders. The added bonus for the Germans is that Klose has shown in previous World Cups that he has the ability to score when the pressure is on. He was the top goalscorer in the last World Cup and was runner up in the golden boot contest in 2002. Klose is very good in the air, has two good feet and considering his previous exploits in the competition, looks a good bet at 28/1 with Boylesports to win the golden boot once again.
It is difficult to see Germany winning the World Cup, considering they have been dealt a fairly tricky draw. They have found it difficult to replace the legendary Oliver Kahn in goals and have an overreliance on Klose to find the net. Germany have been written off before but I think a last 8 place is the best they can hope for. Paddy Power are offering odds of 11/4 of a quarter final elimination and I think there is a realistic chance of this happening.
Reccomended bets: Paddy Power are offering odds of 11/4 of a quarter final elimination
Click here to view all World Cup free bets from online bookmakers
Fernando Torres Golden Boot
Fernando Torres Golden Boot betting
Fernando Torres odds for 2010 World Cup
Liverpool and Spain striker Fernando Torres is hotly tipped to be one of the star performers in South Africa this summer and the majority of bookmakers have put him amongst the front-runners to take home the coveted golden boot. With odds of 12/1 available (SKYBET) it will certainly prove to be one of the most popular World Cup bets.
The 26 year-old has had a mixed season with Liverpool having a torrid time with injuries. However, despite only having made 22 league appearances for the inconsistent reds this season, he has still managed an incredible 18 goals proving his goal scoring credentials. 8 of these goals have in his last 7 appearances showing he is finishing the season in great form, should he continue this form, it is likely he will go into the World Cup with great confidence and as a result the bookies may shorten his odds. Bearing this in mind, it might be worth placing a bet sooner rather than later. Having said that, given his continuing injury worries betting on him now may be a risky move. Should he fall foul to another long-term injury, he may not even make it to the South Africa.
At international level, Torres has 72 caps and 23 goals to his name. At the 2006 World Cup he equalled David Villa in scoring 3 goals. Considering they only reached the 2nd round of the tournament, this was a very respectable total, and with Spain expected to progress much further this time round, it is likely that he will improve on this tally making his 12/1 odds seem even more attractive. However, he did not manage to chalk a goal in Spain’s qualification this time which may be a worry for him and why many believe strike-partner David Villa is the more likely Spaniard to finish the tournament as top-scorer.
Taking everything into consideration, Torres will certainly be a strong contender for the golden boot this time round. The fact he has played a reduced amount of football this season may even play into his hands and mean he is fresher than many of the other players who have played more games. Odds of 12/1 offer good value should he remain injury free between now and the World Cup.
Fernando Torres Golden Boot betting odds
Click here to view all World Cup free bets from online bookmakers
England vs USA
England vs USA betting preview
World Cup odds – England vs USA
England open their 2010 World cup campaign with a tough game against a very solid USA side on June 12th. Understandably England will go into this game as favourites 4/7 with Bet 365. England have been in great form throughout the qualification process winning all but one of their games meaning confidence is likely to be sky-high. The previous time these two met was in May 2008 at Wembley where England strolled to a 2-0 victory in a forgettable friendly. However, being an end of season friendly, it is likely that both teams were not at their strongest and the result will have little bearing on the outcome in South Africa.
England certainly seem to have the stronger side on paper with much greater strength in depth. Players such as Steven Gerrard, Wayne Rooney and Frank Lampard are superstars in the world of football and will provide a massive threat to the USA defence. As well as their attacking threat England have a solid back-line which don’t concede many goals. However, there have been some issues with the goalkeeping position and it is still unknown who will play in goal for them in South Africa. One of either David James or Robert Green is most likely. Both these keepers have been prone to errors on the international stage and this could mean USA have a good chance of snatching a goal. 5/4 is available with William Hill on both teams to score which could be good value given the attacking threat and goalkeeping weaknesses of England.
USA are available at 11/2 with SKYBET and William Hill which shows they do have a chance of taking something out of this game. They have players such as Clint Dempsey and all-time leading goal scorer Landon Donovan who are experienced forwards and have the ability to test England’s defensive credentials. They had a decent qualifying campaign however did suffer defeats to Mexico and Costa Rica. In order to stand any chance against England they will have to be in top-form.
The draw is available at 3/1 with SKYBET which may offer value. The first games in these major tournaments always seem fairly cagey and I expect this one to be no different. They are clearly the two strongest teams in the group and neither will want to give their rival the upper-hand, USA especially would be more than satisfied with a draw. However, each team has players capable of scoring goals out of nothing so a 0-0 looks unlikely. I feel that this game will be tight with England ultimately coming out on top with a 1 goal advantage.
England vs USA betting tips
England to win at best odds 1.5 with Bet 365 – New customers get £200 in free bets
Correct score England to win 2-1 at best odds 9.0 with Blue Square – New customers get £66 in free bets
England vs USA free bets
William Hill
Betfred
Bet 365
*Click here for all the latest odds on upcoming football matches
England vs Slovenia
England vs Slovenia betting preview
World Cup odds – England vs Slovenia
Eastern Europeans, Slovenia, are England’s opponents for their final game in the group stages – a must win tie following two disappointing draws. This will only be Slovenia’s second World Cup finals appearance, the previous time being in 2002 when they failed to progress past the group stages. Given this lack of experience, England, participating in their 13th World Cup finals, are the bookies’ strong favourites going into this one. Bwin.com are offering fairly generous odds of 1/2 on an England victory which certainly seems worth a bet.
Latest odds – best odds from reputable bookmakers for England vs Slovenia:
England – 1.44 Willaim Hill
Draw – 5.5 Betfred
Cameroon – 8.5 Betfred
England have a much stronger squad than Slovenia. The squad is full of experienced internationals as well as some very gifted footballers. This experience is vital against the likes of Slovenia who will look to frustrate teams such as England. England will have to stay calm and stick to their game plan should things not go quite their way, and the experienced players will have a big influence on how the team as a whole reacts to such a situation. Players like Gerrard and Rooney should have enough going forward to prevent Slovenia holding them out for very long anyway, and if England manage an early goal, they could go on to win the match emphatically. Despite this it may be worth a punt on it to be a draw at half-time with England going on to win the match at 3/1 with Paddy Power.
Slovenia are a fairly unknown entity given their lack of ‘household names’. However, with two solid performances and results from their opening two game Solvenia have managed to work this in their favour as England may not know what to expect. However, given the number of scouts England will have had watching Slovenia, a lack of knowledge is something which seems highly unlikely. Slovenia’s most recognisable player to English fans is likely to be West Brom’s Robert Koren. The Slovenian captain is a capable player, but has little in his armoury that will worry Fabio Capello. Although they seem like no hopers, they have proven that on their day they are capable of beating some of the more established football teams. To qualify for the finals, they beat Russia both home and away showing that they are no mugs and that England should not be complacent going into this one. Odds of 8/1 (Paddy Power) are available on Slovenia causing another shock and beating England.
England vs Slovenia betting tips
England win- 1/2 with Sky Bet – New customers get £10 free bet
Draw at half time, England win at full-time- 7/2 with Stan James – New customers get a free £25 bet
England vs Slovenia free bets
William Hill
Betfred
Bet 365
*Click here for all the latest odds on upcoming football matches
England vs Algeria Betting
England vs Algeria betting preview
World Cup odds – England vs Algeria
England’s second opponents in South Africa will be relative minnows, Algeria, with the game taking place on June 18th. England are red-hot favourites going into this game with the best odds on an England win being 1/3 with SKYBET. This will be Algeria’s first World Cup Finals since 1986 meaning none of the players will have any experience of World Cup football. This will not help their cause as they may be overawed by the competition and pressure of playing a side such as England.
England will be hugely confident of victory against Algeria. They have more than enough quality in the side to rip the likes of Algeria apart. Should England find their form in this match there is only one way this game is going to go, a huge England victory. With this in mind, it may be worth having a punt on some correct scores to zero. 3-0 to England is available at 7/1, 4-0 at 12s and 5-0 at 25/1 (all with Paddy Power), having a bet on each of these scores may offer a decent return.
Despite England looking so dominant for this game, Algeria do have some capable players and must have something about them to have qualified in the first place, 11/1 (Paddy Power) is available on them getting a shock victory. They qualified from the African group C with 5 victories out of the 7 games. This included an impressive victory against African Cup of Nations champions Egypt, in the final group game. However, England will be a completely different proposition to what they faced in qualification. They do have some players who have played in the top-flight of English football such as Nadir Belhadj (Portsmouth) and Kamel Ghilas (Hull City) and without setting the league alight, they do look like energetic and committed players who could cause England some problems. Another possible thing in favour of Algeria could be the fact they will be use to the conditions and quality of pitches in Africa. However, this is clutching at straws really, England will have had the USA match to get a feel for the conditions and FIFA will do everything they can in order to get the pitches playing perfectly.
Overall, the only smart money is on an England win. Should England hit anywhere near their top-form Algeria will struggle to hold them. Algeria will probably be hoping to snatch a draw (9/2- 888sport) should complacency creep into England’s game as has happened in the past. However that was under previous regimes and I’m certain that Fabio Capello will not let this happen and fully expect a comprehensive England victory in this first meeting between these two sides.
England vs Algeria betting tips
England to win at best odds 1.25 with Betfred – New customers get £50 free bet
Correct score England to win 3-0 at best odds 8.0 with Betfred. New customers get a £50 free bet
England vs Algeria free bets
William Hill
Betfred
Bet 365
*Click here for all the latest odds on upcoming football matches
England vs Algeria
England vs Algeria betting
England odds and betting tips against Algeria
England’s second opponents in South Africa will be relative minnows, Algeria, with the game taking place on June 18th. England are red-hot favourites going into this game with the best odds on an England win being 1/3 with SKYBET. This will be Algeria’s first World Cup Finals since 1986 meaning none of the players will have any experience of World Cup football. This will not help their cause as they may be overawed by the competition and pressure of playing a side such as England.
England will be hugely confident of victory against Algeria. They have more than enough quality in the side to rip the likes of Algeria apart. Should England find their form in this match there is only one way this game is going to go, a huge England victory. With this in mind, it may be worth having a punt on some correct scores to zero. 3-0 to England is available at 7/1, 4-0 at 12s and 5-0 at 25/1 (all with Paddy Power), having a bet on each of these scores may offer a decent return.
Despite England looking so dominant for this game, Algeria do have some capable players and must have something about them to have qualified in the first place, 11/1 (Paddy Power) is available on them getting a shock victory. They qualified from the African group C with 5 victories out of the 7 games. This included an impressive victory against African Cup of Nations champions Egypt, in the final group game. However, England will be a completely different proposition to what they faced in qualification. They do have some players who have played in the top-flight of English football such as Nadir Belhadj (Portsmouth) and Kamel Ghilas (Hull City) and without setting the league alight, they do look like energetic and committed players who could cause England some problems. Another possible thing in favour of Algeria could be the fact they will be use to the conditions and quality of pitches in Africa. However, this is clutching at straws really, England will have had the USA match to get a feel for the conditions and FIFA will do everything they can in order to get the pitches playing perfectly.
Overall, the only smart money is on an England win. Should England hit anywhere near their top-form Algeria will struggle to hold them. Algeria will probably be hoping to snatch a draw (9/2- 888sport) should complacency creep into England’s game as has happened in the past. However that was under previous regimes and I’m certain that Fabio Capello will not let this happen and fully expect a comprehensive England victory in this first meeting between these two sides.
England vs Algeria betting tips
England to win- 1/3 with Skybet. Visit Skybet
England to win 3-0- 7/1 with Paddy Power. Visit Paddy Power
England to win 4-0- 12/1 with Paddy Power. Visit Paddy Power
England to win 5-0- 25/1 with Paddy Power. Visit Paddy Power
Click here to view all World Cup free bets from online bookmakers
Online Betting King © 2023