WC 2014 Brasil; Starts June 12th 2014

DB74

inforfun wrote: »

Uruguay?
Get real. 5th in the S-Americans qualifiers. If Brazil werent the hosts and had to qualify, Uruguay would have been watching tv this summer.



1 bet that will probably stay the same value for now is: Of which continent will be the winner from: Have to get on South America there.
Common knowledge no European country have even won the WC in S-America and it will not happen this time either i reckon.

Uruguay only finished 5th in the qualifiers for the 2010 WC and made the semi-finals

I take your point about if Brazil were there but qualification means nothing when it comes to the tournament itself

Look at Holland, top scorers and 9 wins from 10 when qualifying for EURO-2012 and then went out in the group stages losing all 3 games and scoring just 2 goals

Also if you really don't fancy Uruguay then you are better off dutching the other 5 CONMEBOL teams as you will get slightly better odds than just taking the continent as a whole.

Smithwicks Man

Lads Walcott is out for a long time apparently and will surely miss the WC.

Ashley Young has shortened greatly to travel to Brazil on B365 and PP but is still 7/1 with William Hill, (5/2 on 365 and 9/4 on PP)

Worth a bet imo and it will shorten soon.

Austria!

I don't think Young has a hope. There's townsend, lennon, lalanna, milner all ahead of him.

Austria!

DB74 wrote: »

Uruguay only finished 5th in the qualifiers for the 2010 WC and made the semi-finals

Look at Holland, top scorers and 9 wins from 10 when qualifying for EURO-2012 and then went out in the group stages losing all 3 games and scoring just 2 goals

You can always pick out the odd case, but Uruguay got past korea and then had to cheat Ghana last world cup.

Holland were in a very difficult group, Denmark was the only game you'd expect them to win.

Personally I think Uruguay won't even get out of the group and have backed it @ 2.75

DB74

Good point about Korea & Ghana - they rode their luck alright

I don't expect them to win it or anything, mainly due to their aging defence as someone else posted above but I think they will get out of the group alright. The fact that it's in Brazil will help them I think.

Dio On The Doubles

Looking at the layout of the group games something tells me there is a huge chance of an England corners bet to be had in the Costa Rica game. They will have just played Italy in massive humidity and then Uruguay. I look forward to a corner fest in the Costa Rica match as they scramble to get out of the group :pac:

Personally I think it's gonna be a Brazil win overall. they are shaping up so well and have gotten rid of the defensive errors that brought in the WDW and BTTS bets in the earlier stages of the Confederations. Home factor will be huge for them with the crowd behind them.

Costa to score an OG in the final too :eek: :pac:

BuilderPlumber

Dio On The Doubles wrote: »

Looking at the layout of the group games something tells me there is a huge chance of an England corners bet to be had in the Costa Rica game. They will have just played Italy in massive humidity and then Uruguay. I look forward to a corner fest in the Costa Rica match as they scramble to get out of the group :pac:

Personally I think it's gonna be a Brazil win overall. they are shaping up so well and have gotten rid of the defensive errors that brought in the WDW and BTTS bets in the earlier stages of the Confederations. Home factor will be huge for them with the crowd behind them.

Costa to score an OG in the final too :eek: :pac:

Brazil on average tend to win the world cup every few times. They are due a win. 2002 was their last win. The fact it is played in Brazil gives them home advantage too and they are in their natural conditions.

I would not be surprised if Brazil win this one. They have a very decent team at the moment and it is clear they want to give Brazilians a double celebration: that the WC is played in Brazil and won by them too.

The record is on their side too. Any time the World Cup was played in Latin America, it was won by either Brazil, Argentina or Uruguay.

BuilderPlumber

Brazil, Spain, Italy, France, Argentina, Germany, Russia and Colombia look set to top their groups. England, Portugal and Holland should also come out of the group stages. After that, it is open to anyone.

Austria!

BuilderPlumber wrote: »

Brazil, Spain, Italy, France, Argentina, Germany, Russia and Colombia look set to top their groups. England, Portugal and Holland should also come out of the group stages. After that, it is open to anyone.

Well looks like you found your bet of the tournament. 3.5 at Ladbrooks

Wouldn't recommend it myself.

Stojkovic

BuilderPlumber wrote: »

The record is on their side too. Any time the World Cup was played in Latin America, it was won by either Brazil, Argentina or Uruguay.

The last time it was played in South America it was in Black & White (almost).

The World has changed immeasurably since then.

The_Kew_Tour

Anybody fancy any outsiders to get to SF or beyond.

I quite liked the look of Chile I have to say, but draw is very tough now.

BuilderPlumber

The_Kew_Tour wrote: »

Anybody fancy any outsiders to get to SF or beyond.

I quite liked the look of Chile I have to say, but draw is very tough now.

Chile could well get there and Colombia. I would not be surprised to see a few more quality South American teams keeping Brazil and Argentina company.

The_Kew_Tour

BuilderPlumber wrote: »

Chile could well get there and Colombia. I would not be surprised to see a few more quality South American teams keeping Brazil and Argentina company.

Was very impressed with Chile against England. Only seen them 3 times over year so not seen enough, but every time they impressed me.

I agree think South American teams might be way to go.

Skippy44

I really cannot wait for this . All the world's best players will be there, bar Zlatan (pity), Lewandowski and a few others I'm sure I've forgotten..Bets wise I'll be having a few quid on Japan and B & H on the exchanges at big prices, lay when/if they reach the last 32/16. I think they are capable of progressing beyond the group stages. If Brazil are to win it then Fred Imo seems to be the no9 and 25/1 or so seems fairish. I wouldn't back Messi as top goalscorer but player of the tournament might be a better bet. With France's midfield 3 of Matuidi-Pogba-Cabaye I think they have a serious chance of rewriting the history books @ 20/1 or better. Pogba is improving at an alarming rate, God knows what he'll be like in 6 months.

SheldonC17

Dzeko top scorer at the World Cup. Worth a few quid each way at 100/1with his current form, Bosnias easy group and him being their leading marksman by quite some distance. International record is also good at 33 in 58.

Copper_pipe

SheldonC17 wrote: »

Dzeko top scorer at the World Cup. Worth a few quid each way at 100/1with his current form, Bosnias easy group and him being their leading marksman by quite some distance. International record is also good at 33 in 58.

He's 150/1 with ladbrokes

BuilderPlumber

SheldonC17 wrote: »

Dzeko top scorer at the World Cup. Worth a few quid each way at 100/1with his current form, Bosnias easy group and him being their leading marksman by quite some distance. International record is also good at 33 in 58.

It would be good to seem some surprise teams do very well. The former Yugoslavia have had some excellent teams in the past who got into the top 4. Croatia in 1998 is a major example.

BuilderPlumber

Skippy44 wrote: »

I really cannot wait for this . All the world's best players will be there, bar Zlatan (pity), Lewandowski and a few others I'm sure I've forgotten..Bets wise I'll be having a few quid on Japan and B & H on the exchanges at big prices, lay when/if they reach the last 32/16. I think they are capable of progressing beyond the group stages. If Brazil are to win it then Fred Imo seems to be the no9 and 25/1 or so seems fairish. I wouldn't back Messi as top goalscorer but player of the tournament might be a better bet. With France's midfield 3 of Matuidi-Pogba-Cabaye I think they have a serious chance of rewriting the history books @ 20/1 or better. Pogba is improving at an alarming rate, God knows what he'll be like in 6 months.

I'd expect both Brazil and Argentina to do very well. They could well win it and will make top 4 anyway. Messi will obviously be close to top goalscorer or player of the tournament (he often is unselfish with scoring and can make goals happen as well as score them himself).

France seem to have a good team too and have the potential to go all the way. Spain are surely going to make a serious attempt to defend the trophy and - while maybe older than the team that won it 4 years ago and the EC two years ago - they are not a team to write off. They more than likely will be top 4. And Germany and Italy will be vying for attention too. Holland, England, Portugal are also teams we cannot rule out. It depends on how well their players perform. Outside surprises include Colombia, Chile, Uruguay, some of the African sides and maybe some total outsider.

World cups can be notorious with regard to upsets. For example:

1986 and 1990: Brazil performed relatively poorly.
1990: While not a complete surprise (as they were one of the top teams of that year), West Germany were not expected to defeat Argentina by many. To me, it felt more 50/50 as both teams were very strong.
1998: This championship was all about France and Brazil. Yes, the final featured both and yes, either side could win. It was anyone's game. However, no one would have guessed a 3 0 to France. I remember having beer in the fridge for the 90 minutes and extra time and had a brandy bottle ready for the penalties!
2002: Early exits for Spain and especially France. Brazil ended up winning but I had expected a Brazil/France rematch in the final.
2006: Again, early exits for Spain and also Brazil. France and Italy final was hardly a surprise, but the controversial nature of it was. I had expected a more free flowing game and less dirt.
2010: Spain winning was hardly a surprise, but Holland's untypical and rather dirty play was and spoiled the final. Normally, a Spain v Holland affair would be classic football. But this Dutch team was an anomaly: perhaps the most successful at the championship in decades, but not a typical exciting Dutch football team like those of the 1988-2006 period. Uruguay were the surprise of the championship (once winners of the world cup, will 2014 see them continue their renaissance as a force in football?).

A poor ball, a bad ref decision, a reckless foul leading to a penalty, a penalty shootout miss, sheer bad luck or an underperforming individual can all have their impacts and have seen the greatest of teams crash out very early.

Blatter

http://m.oddschecker.com/football/world-cup/team-specials/england/to-make-world-cup-squad

Adam Johnson is as high as 24/1 to make the England WC squad. He is playing very well at the minute and I was a fan of his from his City days, always thought he had very good ability. If he keeps going the way he is, he's a shoe in imo. If he drops off a bit but continues to play well, he still has a good chance. Even more so considering Walcott is out. Even 10/1 on this is value imo.

The_Kew_Tour

Great Spot there.

baddebt

breaking news :
Falcao out of the world cup due to ruptured Achilles
any outside chance Colombia had is now gone

The_Kew_Tour

baddebt wrote: »

breaking news :
Falcao out of the world cup due to ruptured Achilles
any outside chance Colombia had is now gone

Big loss alright no question.

Still have quality of Muriel, Martinez and Gutierrez so its not all doom and gloom.

inforfun

baddebt wrote: »

breaking news :
Falcao out of the world cup due to ruptured Achilles
any outside chance Colombia had is now gone

Not tha it matters much but it isnt the Achilles.
It is his knee.

Skippy44

The_Kew_Tour wrote: »

Big loss alright no question.

Still have quality of Muriel, Martinez and Gutierrez so its not all doom and gloom.

Honourable mentions for Carlos Bacca and Fredy Montero too, not quite as good as Falcao admittedly.

Hamadeusentman

I placed a few bob on Brazil when groups were announced. I think they can go all the way. I reckon it'll be Spain v Brazil final with home advantage seeing the hosts over the line.

Brazil v Spain final is 13/1

I too like the look of Dzeko or even Ibisevic as top-scorer but a cheeky outside bet for me is Ronaldo top-scorer and Brazil champions 40/1.

Smithwicks Man

Hamadeusentman wrote: »

I placed a few bob on Brazil when groups were announced. I think they can go all the way. I reckon it'll be Spain v Brazil final with home advantage seeing the hosts over the line.

Brazil v Spain final is 13/1

I too like the look of Dzeko or even Ibisevic as top-scorer but a cheeky outside bet for me is Ronaldo top-scorer and Brazil champions 40/1.

60/1 with BetVictor

BuilderPlumber

Hamadeusentman wrote: »

I placed a few bob on Brazil when groups were announced. I think they can go all the way. I reckon it'll be Spain v Brazil final with home advantage seeing the hosts over the line.

Brazil v Spain final is 13/1

I too like the look of Dzeko or even Ibisevic as top-scorer but a cheeky outside bet for me is Ronaldo top-scorer and Brazil champions 40/1.

I'd say both these teams will be in the shakeup for certain and it could well be the final. Other candidates include the usuals like Germany, Italy, Argentina, Holland, and Portugal as well as perhaps one or two surprises.

Smithwicks Man

BuilderPlumber wrote: »

I'd say both these teams will be in the shakeup for certain and it could well be the final. Other candidates include the usuals like Germany, Italy, Argentina, Holland, and Portugal as well as perhaps one or two surprises.

Don't think Holland or Portugal stand a chance tbh. Not good enough defensively and don't have enough firepower to out gun the top teams.

Brazil, Spain and Germany the favourites imo with Italy and Argentina capable of winning it. Holland, Portugal, Belgium, France and Colombia all potential land-mines but none of them strong enough to pull off an upset I don't think.

Austria!

Smithwicks Man wrote: »

Don't think Holland or Portugal stand a chance tbh. Not good enough defensively and don't have enough firepower to out gun the top teams.

Brazil, Spain and Germany the favourites imo with Italy and Argentina capable of winning it. Holland, Portugal, Belgium, France and Colombia all potential land-mines but none of them strong enough to pull off an upset I don't think.

Two can play at that game. I think both France and Belgium are more likely than Italy and Argentina.

Smithwicks Man

Austria! wrote: »

Two can play at that game. I think both France and Belgium are more likely than Italy and Argentina.

I'd favour Italy ahead of Belgium mainly due to experience plus the fact that Belgium will have a tough last 16 game against either Germany or Portugal.

The 4 are all very close in terms of their chance to win it and are capable of beating anybody, a bit of luck both in the draw and during play may be decisive.