Author Archives: Online Betting King
Group G
World Cup Group G betting preview
World Cup Group G odds, tips and free bets
Group G was immediately tagged with being the ‘group of death’ once the draw was complete. Containing three teams which are well fancied to go far in the competition, it is a certainty that one ‘big’ team will leave the competition at the group stage. Brazil, Portugal and the Ivory Coast will almost certainly be fighting tooth and nail to qualify from this group, with football minnows North Korea seemingly left with little chance of getting any points. Brazil are favourites with the bookies to progress from this group which is understandable given their unquestionable pedigree in the World Cup. They are available at 4/6 to win the group with SKYBET. As usual they have plenty of attacking threats at their disposal with the likes of Kaka, Robinho and Luis Fabiano. Also they have qualified from the group stages for the last five World Cups. However, they will have to try and keep it tight at the back with some very capable attack-minded teams also competing in the group.
Portugal are slight favourites over Ivory Coast to qualify at 20/23 (Totesport). Portugal, like Brazil, have lots of skilful attack-minded players, none more so than Cristiano Ronaldo. He has the ability to almost single-handedly beat any team in the world. He can score and create goals out of nothing and will certainly be one of the players to watch at this tournament. However, despite his importance to the team, Portugal are far from being solely reliant on one player. They also have the likes of Nani and Simao who are capable of similar feats. Although they have such talent in the squad, qualification was only achieved through a play-off having been beaten to top-spot in their group by Denmark. As a result, Portugal may well be the shock early-exit in the tournament. 1/1 is available on them not qualifying for the second round.
Should Portugal or Brazil slip-up at any point, the Ivory Coast will almost certainly there to take their place in progressing. 10/11 can be found on the Ivory Coast progressing to the second round. This may offer good value. The Ivory Coast’s main forward threat is that of their captain, Didier Drogba. Should he fire on all cylinders in South Africa, Ivory Coast have a massive chance of reaching the latter stages of the tournament. They have a very athletic side with players such as the Toure brothers, Emmanuel Eboue and Saloman Kalou which will test any side in the world.
The apparent no-hopers in this tough group are North Korea. Odds as large as 16/1 (bwin.com) can be found on them progressing to the second round. They are pretty much an unknown entity which may be there only advantage, it is very hard to see them picking up any points when drawn in such a difficult group.
Tips for Group G
Brazil to win the group with Ivory Coast 2nd- 9/4 (SKYBET)
North Korea to finish bottom of the group- 1/5 (expekt.com)
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Group F
World Cup Group F betting preview
World Cup Group F odds, tips and free bets
IIn Group F you will find Italy, Paraguay, Slovakia and New Zealand. Italy, current world champions, are undoubtedly the clear favourites to progress to the second round as group leaders. Ladbrokes are offering generous odds of 1/2 on this happening. Italy were solid during the qualification campaign and maintained an unbeaten record throughout. Similarly to when they won the competition, Italy have continued to set themselves up solidly defensively and it has so far worked. However, throughout qualification there were many narrow victories over mediocre sides, when they come up against tougher teams in South Africa their real credentials will be tested. The team has got older and this could prove to be a competition too far for some of them. Despite saying this, anything other than Italy topping Group F will be a big shock.
Paraguay are fairly strong favourites to join Italy in the second round. Odds of 4/7 (SKYBET) are on offer for them to progress to the second round. Paraguay had a very strong qualification campaign finishing above football giants Argentina in the South American group as well as beating Brazil along the way. This shows that they are capable of mixing it up with the best sides in the world on their day, and they may provide a tough test for Italy in the race for top spot in the group. 4/1 (Totesport/SKYBET) for them to win the group may offer good value if Italy slip-up in any of their games.
World Cup debutants, Slovakia, are the bookies tip to finish third. William Hill are offering 6/4 on them to qualify. Slovakia finished top of a fairly tough group in qualifying which included the Czech Republic and Slovenia. They could well turn out to become the surprise package of the 2010 World Cup and certainly won’t go down without a fight. Their most recognisable player to most will be Liverpool’s Martin Skrtel, the combative central defender will certainly do his utmost to help his country progress to the next stage. As well as Skrtel, the squad contains many players that are plying their trade around the top divisions in Europe and they are unlikely to be intimidated by any opposition in this group.
New Zealand are the outsiders of this group at 16/1 to qualify with expekt.com. This is only New Zealand’s second appearance in the World Cup finals, the last being 1982. They qualified after a memorable play-off victory over Bahrain. Although New Zealand will want to progress as far as they can in the competition, they will just be happy to be there and any points may just be seen as a bonus. Many of their players are not playing in the world’s top leagues, and they may see this as an opportunity to put themselves in the shop-window which may help motivate them. As a result of these factors and the lack of depth in the squad, the chances of New Zealand progressing seem slim.
Tips for Group F
Slovakia to qualify- 6/4 (William Hill)
Italy to win the group- 1/2 (Ladbrokes)
New Zealand to finish bottom- 1/4 (expect.com)
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Group E
World Cup Group E betting preview
World Cup Group E odds, tips and free bets
In Group E, the bookies seem to believe that Holland will qualify with relative ease leaving Cameroon and Denmark to fight over 2nd place, and Japan as huge outsiders. Victor Chandler are offering odds of 4/5 on Holland to qualify for the 2nd round as group leaders which seems like a fairly safe bet. Anything other than that will be a huge shock given their undoubted talents and impeccable qualification campaign. They were one of only two teams from Europe to qualify with a 100% winning record meaning they will not only be favourites to win their group, but also one of the favourites to win the whole competition. Bearing their 100% qualification record, a good bet could be on them maintaining that run and winning every game in the group stages of the finals, this is available at 17/4 (expect.com).
The battle for 2nd spot in this group is a very tough one to call. Both teams can be found at 6/5 to qualify meaning that some bookies are having difficulties trying to split the two sides. Denmark did remarkably well to qualify automatically from such a tough qualification group which included Portugal and intense rivals Sweden. The most impressive result perhaps being a 3-2 win in Portugal. The current squad has a nice blend of youth and experience within it. Thomas Sorensen and Jon Dahl Tomasson have close to 200 caps between them, and this experience combined with some talented younger players such as Daniel Agger and Nicklas Bendter will make Denmark a competitive side in South Africa.
Cameroon qualified for the world cup fairly comfortably and will be particularly delighted to be there given it’s taking place in Africa. This may be a slight advantage to them over their main group rivals Denmark as they will be more familiar with the climate, pitches etc. Similarly to Denmark, Cameroons squad contains a mixture of experience and youth. Samuel Eto’o will always pose a goal threat upfront and will have to be marshalled well by any defence to keep him quiet. Although Cameroon have failed to progress to the second round since 1990, the advantage they may gain from knowing the environment may just give them the edge over Denmark and 6/5 (BETFRED) may prove good value.
The underdogs in group E are certainly Japan. Although they qualified fairly convincingly, they will face much better teams in this group than they did in qualification. Odds of 56/19 (expect.com) may be tempting to some; however their chances of qualification are very slim indeed. They may have the ability to cause one shock but their squad is likely to be too weak to pose any real threat to the other teams in terms of qualification.
Tips for Group E
Holland to qualify with maximum points- 17/4 (expect.com)
Holland to win the group with Cameroon 2nd- 3/1 (SKYBET)
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Group D
World Cup Group D betting preview
World Cup Group D odds, tips and free bets
Group D is certainly one of the harder groups to call with each team having a very realistic chance of qualification. Germany, Serbia, Ghana and Australia all have good players and are capable of beating each other on their day. Despite it being a tight group, Germany have been made favourites to win the group at 10/11 (Victor Chandler) and can be found at 1/5 (BlueSq) simply to qualify. Although the current German side may not be as intimidating as previous generations, they always seem to perform at the major tournaments and manage to grind out the results when needed. They have progressed to at least the quarter-final stage in the previous five world cups and look capable of doing the same again. They had a fairly comfortable route to the finals which included beating the Russians both home and away and should they continue their consistent form, qualification should be achievable.
Slight favourites to qualify along with Germany are fellow Europeans, Serbia, at 5/4 (Victor Chandler). Serbia have been in great form during qualification, only losing 1 game, despite a fairly tough group. They have a very physical side and will prove a tough test for any team in South Africa, and 6ft8 Valencia striker Nikola Zigic will be an intimidating prospect for any defender. They also have Man Utd centre-back Nemanja Vidic marshalling the defence so are likely to be a well-organised unit. Given this 5/4 may offer good value.
The African representative in group D are the ‘Black Stars’, Ghana. They are another team who had a fantastic qualification campaign and subsequently reached the African Cup of Nations’ final. Confidence will certainly be high in the Ghana camp and they will fancy their chances of qualification to the second round. Serbian manager Milovan Rajevac will also have the added incentive of overcoming his home country in their game. Ghana’s chances however may be heavily dependant on the form of star midfielder, Michael Essien. His drive and ability certainly has a massive influence on how they play, should he suffer any injuries before or during the tournament, Ghana’s chances of qualification may well be significantly reduced.
Australia are the bookmakers outsiders for this group at 5/2 (SKYBET) to qualify. They also had a very solid qualification campaign all be it in a slightly easier region. One statistic of note is that they managed to keep 10 clean sheets out of 14 games showing they may well prove a tough-nut to crack. This coupled with attacking threats, especially off set-pieces, with players such as Tim Cahill and Harry Kewell may give Australia a chance of qualifying from this well-matched group.
Tips for Group D
Germany to win the group with Ghana 2nd- 18/5 (expekt.com)
Germany to win the group with Serbia 2nd- 14/5 (expect.com)
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Group C
World Cup Group C betting preview
World Cup Group C odds, tips and free bets
England, USA, Slovenia and Algeria make up Group C. England are the clear favourites to win this group with the best odds around being 4/11 available with Skybet and Paddy Power. England’s qualification into the world cup finals was almost perfect winning every game until defeat in Ukraine after they had already qualified. This incredible winning run included a memorable 4-1 victory away to Croatia. Fabio Capello has certainly instilled a winning mentality into this talented group of players. England have the ability to beat anyone on their day, and with players such as Rooney and Gerrard, England should have the ability to break down even the most stubborn defences eventually. A good bet may therefore on England to pick up maximum points at 2/1 (bwin.com).
The bookies strongly expect the USA to be the team to qualify alongside England with 7/10 (bwin.com) offered on them finishing either 1st or 2nd. They also had a fairly comfortable qualifying campaign and always looked like qualifying. They have qualified from the group stage at the last 2 World Cup finals’ and therefore clearly have the capability to do so again. They have some good players such as Tim Howard and Landon Donovan, however, given the quality England have and it looks likely that they will qualify in 2nd place.
Slovenia are certainly outsiders to qualify compared to England and USA. This is only their 3rd major international finals and they are yet to win a game in such a tournament so their ambitions are likely to be fairly low. Bwin.com are offering 9/4 on them qualifying from group C which doesn’t seem great value considering their previous experience in major tournaments. On the other hand, they did manage to beat a very capable Russia side over 2 legs in a play-off to qualify and they can be a tough team to break down, however the quality of England and USA should be too much over the duration of the group.
Algeria, the final team in group C also look like no hopers in this group. 4/1 is being offered on their progression to the next round by the majority of bookmakers. Although Algeria had a decent qualification campaign, including a surprise victory against African Cup of Nations champions, Egypt. They will surely struggle against the likes of England and USA though. Few of their players have played at the top level and they may suffer from inexperience against top teams. Nadil Belhadj (Portsmouth) and Madjid Bougherra (Rangers) will have to try and share their experience amongst the rest of the squad. A good bet regarding Algeria could be on them getting fewer than 2.5 points at 20/19 with expekt.com.
Tips for Group C
England to top the group with USA 2nd- 11/8 (SKYBET)
England to finish on maximum points- 2/1 (bwin.com)
Algeria to finish on fewer than 2.5 points- 20/19 (expekt.com)
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Group B
World Cup Group B betting preview
World Cup Group B odds, tips and free bets
Group B contains Nigeria, South Korea, Greece and hotly tipped Argentina. Argentina are clear favourites to win this group with 8/15 being the best price with Bet365. Although people say there are no givens in international football, surely Argentina will finish at the top of this group? They have a plethora of international superstars available to them such as Lionel Messi, Sergio Aguero and Javier Mascherano to name but a few. However, despite the talent available to Maradonna, Argentina only just scraped through South American qualification winning only 8 of their 18 games. This poor qualification included a humiliating 6-1 defeat at the hands of Bolivia. The pressure is certainly going to be on Maradonna given this relatively poor qualification, as well as Argentina’s recent underwhelming World Cup campaigns. Argentina have not progressed past the quarter-final stage since 1990. Despite this, should they play anywhere near what they are capable of; they should qualify with ease at the top of the group.
The team expected to qualify along with Argentina are the African representatives, Nigeria. In the past, Nigeria have shown that they are definitely capable of shocking supposed bigger sides, particularly in the group stages. This year, the ‘Super Eagles’ could offer more of the same given the physicality and ability within the side. Nigeria have a few players, who on their day, are capable of getting a goal out of very little. Obafemi Martins (formerly of Newcastle) and Everton star Yakubu have both proven they can perform against top teams in the Premier League. As well as this attacking threat they have solid defensive minded players such as John Obi Mikel and Joseph Yobo who could make them difficult to break down. Odds of 5/1 are available on them to win the group, but with the threat of Argentina, the smarter bet might be on them to qualify in second place, behind Argentina at 5/2 with SKYBET.
Shock 2004 European Championship winners, Greece, are the third favourites with the majority of bookies. They are available at 13/10 (Paddy Power) to qualify in either 1st or 2nd. They qualified for the finals after coming 2nd in what was one of the easier European qualifying groups and beating Ukraine 1-0 on aggregate in the play-off. This is only their 2nd appearance in the world cup finals and they may suffer from inexperience as a result. However, 2004 was only their 2nd appearance in the European Championship finals, could a highly unlikely lightning bolt strike twice? They also have a squad with plenty of Champions League experience which could help them.
South Korea complete group B. The 2002 hosts and semi-finalists had a fairly decent qualifying campaign, however in order to progress to the 2nd round of the finals they will have to beat much better opponents than they did in qualifying. The current best price on the qualifying from the group is 7/2 with SKYBET. They don’t lack experience in the competition though having qualified for the previous 7 world cup finals’. They also have some decent footballers such as Man UTD attacker Park Ji-Sung.
Tips for Group B
Argentina to finish 1st and Nigeria to finish 2nd- 5/2 (SKYBET)
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Group A
World Cup Group A betting preview
World Cup Group A odds, tips and free bets
Group A consists of four fairly well-matched teams; France, Uruguay, Mexico and hosts South Africa making it a tough group to call. Saying this, the clear favourites to progress as group leaders are 2006 finalists France at 11/10. In recent times, France have regularly been seen as one of the main contenders for any major international tournament. However, the current French side seem to lack the intimidation factor held by some of their predecessors. They struggled through qualification despite being drawn in, on paper, a fairly mediocre group and only just scraped through in the infamous play-off against Ireland. Odds of 3/1 are available on France not qualifying from the group which may be worth a couple of quid.
Mexico are slight favourites over Uruguay to qualify from group A with odds of 10/11 available, compared to Uruguay’s best price of 11/10. Uruguay, similarly to France, only just scraped through qualification with the help of a play-off match, beating Costa Rica 2-1 on aggregate. Their qualification campaign wasn’t the greatest with only 6 wins out of their 18 group games. The only positive, other than qualifying, they may take out of the campaign could be the fairly impressive 28 goals they scored, only bettered by Brazil and Chile. This is in no small part down to star striker, Diego Forlan, whose goals may well be vital in progressing into the second round.
Mexico finished 2nd in their final group in the North, Central America and Caribbean qualifying section. Again though, they were only 3 points clear of 4th placed Costa Rica who had to play in a play-off. Despite mixed fortunes in the qualification campaign, Mexico are always a dangerous side at the big tournaments. This was again proven in the last world cup where they pushed the favourites at the time, Argentina, all the way to extra-time in the 2nd round. Odds of 4/1 to win Group A may well offer great value given France and Uruguay’s recent problems.
Hosts South Africa complete Group A. At 81st in FIFA’s world rankings, it seems that South Africa have little chance of qualification to the 2nd round. However, they do have one major advantage over the other teams competing, the fact that every game is effectively a home game. Hosts of major international tournaments always seem to over-achieve. A perfect example of this was when football minnows, South Korea, reached the semi-finals in the 2002 world cup (hosted by South Korea and Japan). Given this, South Africa may well be dangerous opponents and could provide some shocks in this group. Odds of 9/4 on South Africa qualifying for the 2nd round can be found.
Tips for Group A
Mexico group winners- 4/1 (Coral)
France not to qualify- 3/1 (888sport)
Top 3 in following order, Mexico/France/Uruguay- 17/2 (SKYBET)
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Germany vs Spain
Germany vs Spain betting preview
World Cup odds – Germany vs Spain
A Fernando Torres strike inside a capacity Ernst Happel Stadion in Austria ended Spain’s 44 year long wait without a major title against the Germans in the final of Euro 2008. Seven hundred and thirty-nine days on and the pair prepare to lock horns in the semi-finals of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. This time, the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban plays host to the all European tie but will Vicente Del Bosque’s side come out on top once more or can Germany continue their impressive march towards the final?
Best odds for Germany vs Spain:
Germany – 9/5 Bet 365
Draw – 11/5 Betfred
Spain – 8/5 Stan James
Outclassed, Outthought and outplayed. These are just some of the words to describe both England and Argentina after Joachim Loew’s Germany kicked them both into touch in the knockout stages. Incredibly, Die Mannschaft hit eight goals in the process and conceded just one, making it the third game in which they have scored four goals in the ninety minutes of play. Quite an achievement considering they were listed as slight underdogs to win both ties, and William Hill’s 19/10 for Germany to conquer favourites Spain will interest several punters who believe they can defy the odds for a third game running.
This young German team have built up a creditable head of steam and confidence in the camp must be soaring. Three of these youngsters in particular; Mesut Ozil, Sami Khedira and Thomas Mueller have displayed real quality and guile which has become synonymous with this German side, after making the step up from the ‘Under 21’ fold. However, the latter will miss Wednesday’s semi-final through suspension which comes as huge blow after the
Bayern Munich star has aided his country’s World Cup assault with four goals.
While Germany have blitzed into the last four, the opposite can be said of a rather sluggish Spanish team that have crept into the business end of the tournament. Indeed, the European champions had quite a scare last time out against Paraguay and had it not been for Iker Casillas’ penalty save, Spain looked all set to become the latest big name casualty exiting South Africa. And despite Xabi Alonso’s re-taken spot-kick miss, it was left to
David Villa to grab the winner and break Paraguayan hearts. But this slender victory was not too dissimilar from the last 16 success over neighbours Portugal, both ending in unconvincing one nil score lines. For sure, Del Bosque’s side will have to improve against Germany and 13/8 (Bet365) says they hit top form in Durban. Spain didn’t exactly enjoy their last visit to Durban almost three weeks ago; Switzerland turned them over in a shock
1-0 reverse in their opener.
Germany vs Spain betting tips
If Germany’s flurry of goals in these finals is to continue against Spain, the over 2.5 goals bet with Bet365 is tempting at 6/5 considering Joachim Loew’s side have scored thirteen times in their five matches. Get £200 worh of free bets at Bet 365
The longshot wager could be Germany to win both halves as they did against both England and Maradona’s men, at Paddy Power’s overpriced 10/1. Get a £10 free bet at Paddy Power.
Germany vs Spain free bets
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Wayne Rooney
Wayne Rooney World Cup Betting odds
Golden boot odds for Wayne Rooney
Wayne Rooney is certain to be one of the players under the spotlight in South Africa. As a result, there are many betting opportunities available on his individual performance. Perhaps the most popular market with regards to Wayne Rooney will be his chances of bringing home the golden boot as top scorer in the tournament. Boylesports are offering 14/1 on this. Given his recent scintillating form at both international and club level, Rooney is likely to be one of the top strikers in the competition. His 25 goals in 34 games this season for United show that he is capable of hitting the back of the net regularly and he will take great confidence from this. However, winning the golden boot will not be easy. Firstly, there are a number of other top strikers who will be hopeful of claiming the accolade. Spanish duo Fernando Torres and David Villa will provide stiff competition to Rooney, as will Luis Fabiano and Cristiano Ronaldo of Brazil and Portugal respectively. Also, a major influence on the recipient of the golden boot is the performance of the team as a whole and how far they progress. Spain are favourites to go all the way to the final along with Brazil which may give the likes of Torres, Villa and Fabiano an advantage over Rooney. However, saying this, England are also expected to reach the latter stages of the World Cup and with some mediocre sides in England’s group, Rooney may be able to build up a strong tally of goals in the early stages. SKYBET are offering 33/1 on England winning the world cup and Rooney taking home the golden boot which may be worth a punt.
As well as betting on Rooney to win the golden boot, a smart bet might be on him being England’s top goal scorer come the end of the tournament. Boylesports are again offering the best price at 11/4 which seems very good value. Rooney scored 9 goals in qualifying and was England’s top scorer and it looks likely that he will repeat the feat in the finals, should he stay fit. However, Rooney is yet to score in the World Cup finals having failed to score in his only World Cup to date in Germany. Also players like Frank Lampard, Jermaine Defoe and Steven Gerrard are more than capable of scoring regularly at international level as has been shown in the past. Prices on one these three finishing England’s top scorer vary between 6/1 and 8/1..
Reccomended bets: Wayne Rooney to be the World Cup Golden Boot at odds of 12/1 with Sky Bet who offer the best odds on rooney being top goalscorer.
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USA Betting Preview
USA World Cup Betting Preview
USA odds and free bets for 2010 World Cup
U.S.A are the number one ranked team in North America and, surprisingly, the 14th ranked team in the world. The 2010 World Cup will be their 6th consecutive appearance in the tournament and they have made 8 previous World Cup appearances. Their best ever position was third in the inaugural tournament, in Uruguay back in 1930.
In the CONCACAF qualification, the 6 teams in the final group were; U.S.A, Mexico, Honduras, Costa Rica, Trinidad and Tobago and El Salvador. U.S.A were always favourites, along with Mexico, to qualify, and they lived up to these expectations by finishing top of the group. Of the 10 games they played, U.S.A only lost 2; 3-1 to Costa Rica and 2-1 to Mexico. They finished the group on 20 points, one point ahead of rivals Mexico.
U.S.A’s top scorer in the qualification process was on loan Hull striker, Jozy Altidore, who scored 6 goals, just edging Fulham’s Clint Dempsey, who scored 5. Altidore, however, is generally not renowned as a consistent goalscorer and odds of 200/1 on him finishing as the top goal scorer in South Africa reflect this. A more likely goalscorer for U.S.A would be on loan Everton forward and national talisman, Landon Donovan who is available at 180/1. Donovan is the U.S.A’s all time record goalscorer, having scored 42 goals in 120 appearances. A lot of U.S.A’s players will be familiar to fans of English football and one of their stars is Everton goalkeeper, Tim Howard. Howard is just the next in a long line of excellent American keepers, such as Kasey Keller, Brad Friedel and Marcus Hahnemann, and big things will be expected from Howard in South Africa.
The U.S.A will open the tournament with a match against England in Rustenburg on June 12th. The other two teams in group C are Algeria and Slovenia, which makes the U.S.A definite favourites to finish the group in second position behind England. Odds of 23/17 are available for U.S.A to finish as runners up in group B or 7/10 to qualify in either position. The U.S.A are unlikely to struggle too much against Slovenia or Algeria, so long as they play somewhere near their potential. An interesting bet involving the U.S.A is for both Mexico and themselves to qualify from their respective groups. This is available at 21/10 which is reasonable good value, seeing as U.S.A would be expected to qualify and Mexico have a good chance of qualifying from their group as well (France, Uruguay, South Africa). Although it would be considered unlikely for U.S.A to be eliminated at the group stage, it is still a possibility, as Algeria are tough opposition, having just finished 4th in the African Cup of Nations. The best price available on U.S.A to be knocked out at the group stage is 11/8.
Reccomended bets: U.S.A and Mexico to reach last 16 (21/10 with Victor Chandler)
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