Uruguay World Cup Betting Preview

Uruguay odds and free bets for 2010 World Cup

Uruguay are a nation steeped in World Cup history. They won the first ever World Cup on home soil back in 1930 and followed that with another win, in Brazil, 20 years later. However, those glory days have long since passed for Uruguay.

The CONMEBOL qualification format differs from the European method in that all the nations are in the same group, with all ten teams playing each other twice. Half of the teams get a shot at the World Cup; the top 4 automatically and the 5th team qualifies for a playoff against a team from North America (CONCACAF). Uruguay finished in that 5th spot (behind Brazil, Chile, Paraguay and Argentina) which rewarded them with a playoff opportunity against Costa Rica. Uruguay edged the two-legged tie 2-1 to claim a place in their eleventh World Cup.

Uruguay are slightly underestimated because a lot of their players have had their success outside of the major leagues, whether it be in South America or Eastern Europe. An example of this would be Uruguay’s captain, Diego Lugano, who has had success in Turkey. The undoubted star of the Uruguay team is Diego Forlán who, since a move to Spain, has become recognised as one of the most lethal strikers in Europe, having twice won European Golden Boot. If Uruguay are to be successful in South Africa then Forlán needs to be on top form. He was their leading scorer during qualification, netting 7 goals, but any bet on Forlán to finish as the World Cup’s leading goal scorer is brave. However, if Uruguay were to qualify from their group that would give them at least 4 matches. Considering the top scorer at the 2006 World Cup scored only 5 goals then that makes Forlán just about viable at 80/1.

Group A is one of the most open. Assuming Uruguay will beat hosts South Africa and lose to France, it comes down to a straight fight between Uruguay and Mexico for the 2nd qualification spot.  Both of Uruguay’s World Cup triumphs came south of the equator and this is the first time the tournament has been in the southern hemisphere since Argentina in 1978 and for that reason money on Uruguay to qualify could be well placed. Uruguay are available with odds of 11/10 to qualify or 10/11 not to qualify. This thin line shows how unpredictable the group is. The best odds available are if you look at exact final position. Uruguay to finish 2nd in the group is available with odds of 13/5, to finish 3rd at 11/5 or to finish 4th at 28/13. It all comes down to how well you expect South Africa to play and whether Uruguay can defeat Mexico.

Reccomended bets: Uruguay to finish third in Group A (11/5 with expekt.com)

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World Cup Top Goalscorer betting

Top goalscorer 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 10/1 and 14/1 on each being the Golden Boot of 2010.

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

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:

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South Korea World Cup Betting Preview

South Korea odds and free bets for 2010 World Cup

South Korea hosted the World Cup back in 2002 and famously did extremely well, knocking out both Italy and Spain on their way to the semi finals, before losing to runners up Germany 1-0. They then faced Turkey in a third place playoff as well, but lost and therefore finished 4th, which was still the best result in the country’s history. In fact, it still remains the only time South Korea have progressed past the group stages of a World Cup.

In the final round of Asian qualifying for the World Cup, South Korea were drawn in a group alongside Korea DPR, Iran, Saudi Arabia and UAE. South Korea ran away with the group, remaining undefeated in a tricky group (won 4, drawn 4) and thus qualified for the 2010 World Cup; their seventh consecutive tournament.

South Korea’s top scorers during the qualification process were Monaco striker Park Chu-Young who scored a total of 4 goals and Man Utd midfielder Park Ji-Sung who scored 5. Park Ji-Sung is the undoubted star man and talisman of the team. He has 84 caps for his country and is also the national team’s captain. Park is the only South Korean player ever to win the Champions League, having won in with Manchester United and was always incredibly influential in PSV Eindhoven’s run the semi finals of the competition in 2005.

South Korea have a difficult group at the 2010 World Cup, with Argentina, Nigeria and Greece forming their competition. Although they will definitely be attempting to finish 2nd in the group, they are certainly not favourites. They have never progressed from a World Cup group outside of their home nation and Nigeria and Greece will create some stiff opposition for the runners up spot this time round. The best available odds on South Korea to not qualify are 2/9, which shows the mountainous task they face in trying to qualify. The odds on them to qualify are 7/2 and to win the group they are priced as outsiders as 12/1. South Korea will probably realistically finish either 3rd or 4th in the group. They are priced at 24/13 to finish 3rd and 6/5 to finish 4th. Judging purely on their record at previous World Cups, South Korea aren’t likely to have much success in South Africa and as such, the safest bet is probably to go for them to finish 4th in the group.

Reccomended bets: South Korea to finish 4th in their group (6/5 with expekt.com)

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South Africa World Cup Betting Preview

South Africa odds and free bets for 2010 World Cup

South Africa will be the hosts of the 2010 World Cup and this adds extra pressure to an already fading side. It has only been 18 years since South Africa returned to the international stage, following a 30 year FIFA ban.

South Africa have had very little World Cup success. 1994 was the first year they ever attempted to qualify for a World Cup, but they did not succeed in qualifying. Since then, however, they have missed only one of the last four World Cups (including 2010). Both in France and Korea & Japan, South Africa failed to qualify from the first round group. After missing the 2006 World Cup, South Africa will be looking at attempting to secure their best ever result in 2010, a tournament which they host and thus, automatically qualify for. Due to this, we cannot gauge their current form on their qualifying performance. Instead we can evaluate their recent form in the African Cup of Nations. South Africa have performed poorly in Africa’s premier international tournament in recent years. After being eliminated in the first round the previous 3 tournaments, South Africa failed to qualify completely for the 2010 tournament in Angola. An interesting fact to note, however, is that South Africa’s only success in the tournament came as hosts, back in 1996.

South Africa’ s World Cup squad is likely to feature a few Premier League players. Portsmouth’s captain, Aaron Mokoena is also the national team’s captain and South Africa’s most capped player. Mokoena is one cap away from his 100th for South Africa.  South Africa’s record goalscorer, Benni Mccarthy, may also be in the squad. Mccarthy has 35 goals for his country, but has fallen out of favour recently and will be hoping a January move to West Ham will help him gain a place in the squad.

In World Cup history the host nation has won 6 of the 19 World Cup tournaments. Taking a look at the last 3 tournaments shows us the success that home teams have. Germany finished 3rd in 2006, South Korea finished 4th in 2002 and France won in 1998. South Africa, however, may well be the team to break the great run of success that host nations have been having. In none of the nineteen previous World Cup’s has the host nation been eliminated in the first round, but South Africa are odds on to be the first, priced at 4/11 not to qualify. They are available at 8/5 to finish bottom of the group, but it’d be a surprise to see them come away without any results. On the other hand, a tricky group means South Africa could fail to take any points whatsoever, which is available at 21/2. The best bet available would be South Africa to finish with less than 3.5 points, which is available at a price of 18/19. A bet on South Africa to be the top African at 16/1 would be very much an outside bet, with teams like Ivory Coast and Ghana must more favoured.

Reccomended bets: South Africa to score less than 3.5 points (18/19 with expekt.com)

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Slovakia World Cup Betting Preview

Slovakia odds and free bets for 2010 World Cup

This will be Slovakia’s first appearance at a major tournament since they broke away from the successful Czechoslovakian side in 1993. The team are not considered to be a major threat at the World Cup finals in South Africa, however they are a team that demonstrates a willingness to graft in order to gain a result. The shortest odds for a Slovakia triumph are 150/1 which is offered by Ladbrokes; William Hill offers far more attractive odds at 250/1. These odds demonstrate the fact that the Slovaks are not considered to be a serious threat.

Drawn into Group F with holders Italy, Paraguay and New Zealand; Slovakia are not considered favorites to qualify from the group. They are predicted to finish the group third after Italy and Paraguay. If Slovakia graft they have every chance of qualifying from Group F, Victor Chandler offer the best odds at 7/4 for qualification. Coral offer odds of 9/1 for Slovakia to finish the group as winners, this could be a good bet as there is every chance of this happening if Italy fail to perform. It is widely considered that Slovakia could qualify from the group, BetFred offer odds of 15/8 for Slovakia to be eliminated in the Second Round. BetFred also offer odds of 12/1 for Slovakia to be eliminated at the Quarter Final stage (This could be worth a bet; stranger things have happened).

Slovakia topped their qualification group; however it was not a straightforward qualification campaign. The Slovaks had a difficult group to qualify from but on October 14th 2009 they defied all their doubters and qualified for their first World Cup finals as an independent nation. The campaign saw Slovakia lose twice to closest rivals Slovenia, however with seven wins and one draw against teams such as the Czech Republic and Poland saw Slovakia finish the group with twenty two points.

There are several key players in the Slovakian squad who if on form could lead the team to qualify from Group F. Liverpool central defender Martin Skrtel was one of several players who helped the team to qualify for South Africa with his brave and assured defending. Strikers Marek Hamsik and Satnislav Sestak. Both of which have proved to be goal scorers at both club and international level. The latter finished as Slovakia’s top scorer in qualification with six goals, expert.com price him at 300/1 to be the tournament’s top goal scorer.

Reccomended bets: Although unlikely to be a major player at this year’s finals Slovakia have the potential to at least qualify from the group. One bet worth making would be for a Slovakian victory or a draw with group favourites Italy. Sk Bet offer the best odds for both these outcomes, a Slovakia win is priced at 11/2 and a draw at 11/4

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Serbia World Cup Betting Preview

Serbia odds and free bets for 2010 World Cup

Serbia have a complicated history as they were formally part of two now disbanded national teams ; Yugoslavia who appeared at nine world cup finals up to 2002 and Serbia Montenegro who appeared at the 2006 World Cup finals in Germany. As an independent nation; Serbia played and won their first match away to the Czech Republic in August, 2006. This will be Serbia’s first world cup finals as an independent nation and most bookmakers including Coral have priced them as 66/1 to win the competition.

Serbia were drawn into Group D, this will be a tough group for the Beli Orlavi (white eagles) as they will face the efficient and tournament specialists Germany, the strong African side Ghana and Australia. Sky Bet prices the Serbs at 10/11 to qualify from the group. Sky Bet also prices them at 4/1 to win the group outright. Totesport offer the best odds for Serbia to qualify at 21/5. If qualification form is anything to go by then the Serbs have every chance of topping Group D at the expense of the fancied Germans.

Serbia were perhaps the surprise nation during the European campaign for World Cup qualification. Serbia topped there group which included group favourites France who had to rely on dubious playoff win at the expense of the Irish to qualify. There was nothing about Serbia’s qualification campaign however; needing a win from the penultimate game against Romania to top the group and guarantee World Cup football Serbia showed their intent with an emphatic 5-0 victory. The Serbs are fancied to reach the Quarter Final stage and Totesport’s odds at 6/1 reflect this.

There are several players in Serbia’s ranks who could lead the team to having a successful World Cup campaign. Firstly at the heart of defence Manchester United’s acclaimed defender Nemanja Vidic will be looking to take his premiership form to the World Cup to aid his nation. The versatile Inter Milan midfielder Dejan Stankovic captains the side and has proved to be a top asset at both club and international football during his illustrious career. Liverpool target Nemanja Jovanovic will lead the line and the striker is priced at 150/1 by William Hill to finish the tournament as top goal scorer. Coach Radomir Antic has managed both Real Madrid and Barcelona; his impressive credentials will be a huge factor in how Serbia perform in South Africa.

Reccomended bets: Pick of the bets for Serbia is offered by Sky Bet at 7/2 for a Serbia victory over Group D favorites Germany.

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Cristiano Ronaldo Golden Boot betting

Cristiano Ronaldo odds for 2010 World Cup

Being perhaps the best-known player in the world right now, the spotlight is most certainly going to be placed on Cristiano Ronaldo this summer. The Real Madrid and Portuguese star has been recognised as one of the best players in the world in recent years. His Fifa World Player of the Year (2008) and astonishing £80 million transfer from Manchester Utd to Real Madrid certainly reflect that. Odds of 20/1 (bwin.com) are available on him winning the golden boot award.

It has been fairly underwhelming first season in Madrid for Ronaldo, he has struggled with injuries and seen his side knocked out of the Champions League unexpectedly at the hands of Lyon in the second round. However, despite his team’s poor performance, Ronaldo has still managed to score 25 goals in 31 appearances which shows he hasn’t lost any of the ability he showed in a Manchester Utd shirt.

Although his club form has remained impressive, his form for Portugal hasn’t matched it, and he failed to score in their World Cup qualifying campaign despite making 7 starts. Scoring has been a major problem for Portugal throughout the qualifiers, and without Ronaldo on top form they struggled. They did eventually scrape through to the finals after a play-off win against Bosnia Herzegovina. However, this shows that the current Portugal side is not as good as in previous years and they may struggle in South Africa. Being drawn in the ‘group of death’ alongside Ivory Coast and Brazil may mean they will leave the competition at the group stages. Should this be the case, it will be nearly impossible for the flamboyant winger to win the golden boot.

Although seeming generous to many, the odds of 20/1 in my eyes do not reflect much value given the chances of Portugal falling at the group stages. And despite the obvious talent of Ronaldo, I see him having little chance of finishing the competition as leading goal scorer.

Cristiano Ronaldo Golden Boot betting odds

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World Cup Player of Tournament betting

Player of tournament odds for 2010 World Cup

The Golden Ball is presented to the player who is voted as the tournament’s best player. The award has much sought after and has been won by some of the world’s greatest ever players, such as Zinedine Zidane, Diego Maradona and Pele.

The battle for the Golden Ball in South Africa is an intriguing one, with both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo battling over who is currently the best player in the world. Both would love to add the Golden Ball to their C.Vs to further argue their case. However, there are several other world class players ready to pounce should the opportunity arise.

For a start, there are several Spanish players who could win the award. Either one of their strikers, David Villa or Fernando Torres could be amongst the main contenders for the award should either of them recapture their form from Euro 2008.  At the opposite end, Real Madrid’s Iker Casillas is one of the best goalkeepers in the world. Casillas is one of the only goalkeepers in the world that can be a regular match winner and he’d love to repeat the achievements of German ‘keeper Oliver Kahn who became the first goalkeeper to win the award, in 2002. Of the Spaniards, Villa and Torres are the most likely to win the award, but Xavi has received a lot of praise over the past season and doesn’t have anything to show for it yet. The Golden Ball would be the perfect way to cap off his season and he seems like a very good outside bet.

Brazilian’s have won the award more times than any other nationality, having won the award at seven of the eighteen tournaments so far. Due to Brazil’s unique brand of attacking football, the most likely candidate for them is Real Madrid’s €70 million man, Kaka. The last two Brazilian winners have been Romario and Ronaldo. Two potent strikers in their prime, but coming into 2010, Brazil look short of quality strikers which may hinder their chances of winning the award. Kaka hasn’t had his greatest ever season but he’s the sort of man who can turn a match with a single touch. Although an outsider, he still might give himself a chance.

Many people have talked about Wayne Rooney as a man who can almost single handedly win England the world cup in 2010, and his form for Manchester United this season backs that up. Rooney has been named PFA Players’ Player of the Year this season and is in exceptional scoring form at the minute, recognised as one of Europe’s most feared strikers. It all comes down to whether England win the tournament, because England lifting the World Cup and Rooney winning the Golden Ball are likely to go hand in hand. Expect to see both, or neither.

However, regardless of how many other great talents there will be on display in South Africa, many are expecting the battle for the Golden Ball to be a direct shootout between Ronaldo and Messi; without doubt, the two best players in the world at the moment. Portugal had Eusebio, Argentina Maradona. Now they have two new stars with a shot at greatness.

Player of Tournament betting odds

Recommended Bet: Lionel Messi has been lighting up Europe this season and everyone’s eyes are going to be on him which gives him a real chance to shine. If Messi can handle the pressure of the World Cup and recreate his club form then he should win the Golden Ball.

Outside Bet: Xavi has been undoubtedly the best midfield player in Europe. A fellow club mate of Messi, Xavi’s phenomenal statistics are often highlighted. During the 2nd leg of the Champions League semi final, Xavi completed more passes that the entire Inter Milan team. The media love these sorts of stats and if Xavi can pass Spain to glory this summer then he has a great chance of winning the Golden Ball.

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Paraguay World Cup Betting Preview

Paraguay odds and free bets for 2010 World Cup

This is Paraguay’s fourth consecutive appearance at the World Cup Finals. The squad will want to build on the progress made in 1998 and 2002 when they reached the last 16 both times. The Paraguayans do not want a repeat of their first round elimination at the 2006 finals in Germany. The current squad is strong and relies on both defence and attack. Their new found resilience could be key for Paraguay to be a major threat in South Africa. The shortest odds for a Paraguay triumph are offered by Paddy Power at 40/1. Coral however offer odds of 66/1 for the same bet.

Paraguay are situated in Group F along with holders Italy, Slovakia and New Zealand. It is widely believed that Slovakia and Paraguay will be vying for second spot behind the Italians. However an upset is possible and Paraguay are priced at 4/1 by SkyBet to win the group. Bwin prices Paraguay at 6/11 to qualify from the group and BlueSq price Paraguay at 7/4 for a failure to qualify from the group stages.

Paraguay qualified for the World Cup finals with their best ever points tally in a hugely impressive campaign. The Paraguayans notched up thirty three points and finished third behind Chile and Brazil. Paraguay secured qualification by beating Argentina 1-0 in their final game. The president of Paraguay was so proud of his players that he declared a national holiday.

The Paraguay squad is strong; it boasts key players in all areas. The strongest players are in Paraguay’s attack. Roque Santa Cruz who plays for Manchester City and had a very successful spell with Blackburn Rovers is the strongest striker however injury prevented him from playing for most of the qualifiers. If fit for the finals; Santa Cruz is priced at 125/1 by expert.com to finish as the tournament’s top goal scorer.

Reccomended bets: With both Argentina and Brazil in the tournament it is unlikely that Paraguay will be the South American team to go the furthest in the finals however Brazil and Argentina have stuttered at late and if Paraguay have a strong campaign there is a chance that they will be the highest placed South American team, SkyBet price this event at 14/1. Another bet worth taking would be that Paraguay are eliminated at the Quarter Final stage with BetFred pricing this at 9/2. BetFred also prices the Paraguayans at 13/8 to get eliminated at the Last Sixteen.

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Nigeria World Cup Betting Preview

Nigeria odds and free bets for 2010 World Cup

Nigeria are often considered to be one of the strongest African teams and the fact that they have reached the semi finals at 5 of the last 6 African Cup of Nations reflects this. At the most recent tournament Nigeria finished third, only losing to eventual runners-up Ghana 1-0 in the semis. The 2010 tournament will be Nigeria’s fourth tournament and they have qualified from their group at 2 of their 3 previous attempts.

At the final stage of the qualification for the 2010 World Cup Nigeria were drawn in a group alongside Tunisia, Mozambique and Kenya. They went through the group undefeated (3 wins, 3 draws) but only won the group from Tunisia by 1 point. By winning their group, Nigeria qualified for the 2010 tournament in South Africa.

Nigeria’s qualification was aided by the goalscoring of Ikechukwu Uche and Victor Obinna who both scored 4 goals each to help propel Nigeria to South Africa, although neither player will be considered to be a major threat for the golden boot award in the summer. In fact, neither player is likely to start for Nigeria. Nigeria, instead, have a potentially lethal strike-force, of pacey, former Newcastle striker, Obafemi Martins and powerful, Everton striker Yakubu. The Nigeria midfield could feature three Premiership players in Dickson Etuhu, Seyi Olofinjana and John Obi Mikel. Mikel is considered to be the main focal point of the side and the real star of the team. Everton defender Joseph Yobo should also feature at the back for Nigeria. Both Martins and Yakubu are available at a price of 125/1 to finish the tournament as the top goalscorer.

Nigeria will have their sights set firmly on second place in Group B. To beat Argentina would obviously be a huge bonus, but Nigeria’s aim will be to beat Greece and South Korea. Nigeria are available at 5/1 to win the group or 11/10 to qualify. While if they do qualify it is likely to be as runners up (9/5) the odds of 11/10 to qualify in either position reflects good enough odds to not need to take the extra risk. Nigeria are likely to be competing with Ivory Coast and Ghana for the accolade of top African team. However, Nigeria probably have the best chance of qualifying from their group as Ivory Coast face Portugal and Brazil and Ghana must play Germany, Australia and Serbia. This means Nigeria present tremendous value at 11/2, as they may well be the only African team to qualify from their group. The tournament being hosted in Africa can only be a bonus to an already experienced and talented Nigeria side.

Recommended bets: Nigeria to finish as top African team (11/2 with totesport)

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