World Cup Betting

[Uppercut]

Current odds on skybet:

Brazil 3/1
Argentina 9/2
Spain 11/2
Germany 11/2
Belgium 18/1
France 22/1
England 25/1
Portugal 25/1
Holland 25/1
Colombia 25/1
Italy 25/1
Uruguay 33/1
Chile 40/1
Russia 100/1
Ivory Coast 125/1

You can get better odds almost everywhere else but that gives you the idea. Spain at 13/2 looks the best bet to me. A lot of people seem to think tiki-taka has been solved but I'm not convinced many international teams can deal with it, especially not in that heat and with an actual striker this time.

Argentina are an OK bet too considering it's their home continent, they have a lot of brilliant players and the coach seems to have it together for once.

 

[Tom Halsey]

Belgium 5th favs is absolute madness.

 

[Pothas]

Yep I have already put a bet on Spain. Don't normally bet on football and hardly ever have success if I do but as it is the World Cup so I thought I may as well.

Kind of tempted by France, have seen them at about 30-1 before which I think it worth a punt.

 

[Uppercut]

France were horrible in qualifying, really unimpressive at the Euros too. Actually I can't remember the last time they weren't terrible. 2006?

 

[sledger]

2006 was just Zidane being amazing though. And they were crap in 2004 as well.

Edit: and in 2002.

 

[Cabinet96]

It's weird. Their team looks really good.

 

[Pothas]

Yeah it really does. The only time I have seen them since the Euros is the second game against Ukraine in which they were good. Just going on the team and the draw they have got.

 

[sledger]

I dunno, their team/squad looks quite good on paper, but there's nothing there that really jumps out at me. That might have quite a lot to do with the fact that I've never really rated Benzema or Ribery though, and I don't rate Cabaye quite as highly as some others do either. Lloris, Varane and Pogba are the only names that really catch my attention. And Griezmann.

 

[Pothas]

Yeah I rate Cabaye very highly, Benzema has been much better this season as well.

They are unlikely to win for sure but I rate their players as the best of those outside the fancied 4 teams. If they actually play well is of course another matter.

 

[Cabinet96]

I dunno, their team/squad looks quite good on paper, but there's nothing there that really jumps out at me. That might have quite a lot to do with the fact that I've never really rated Benzema or Ribery though, and I don't rate Cabaye quite as highly as some others do either. Lloris, Varane and Pogba are the only names that really catch my attention. And Griezmann.

There don't seem major weak links in their side though, so it kind of works both ways. Maybe I overrate their defence though.

 

[sledger]

There don't seem major weak links in their side though, so it kind of works both ways. Maybe I overrate their defence though.

Yeah, I'd go along with that. There's no area that appears to be weak in a glaringly obvious way. Like you say, there may be some questions asked about some of the defence, but nothing too alarming.

 

[Uppercut]

There don't seem major weak links in their side though, so it kind of works both ways. Maybe I overrate their defence though.

They tend to play badly for France. Koscielny especially gaffe-prone considering how good he is for Arsenal.

They just add up to much less than the sum of their parts, which wouldn't even be spectacular.

 

[NUFAN]

Hard to find much value from the odds in the OP. Perhaps Uruguary at 33-1 is decent, but generally I'm going to be betting on group matches more so than overall winner.

On Sportsbet, its slightly depressing to see that no goalscorer is second in the line of betting ($5.00) for Australia's leading goalscorer. Cahill is first at $3.60.

In the first round, Belgium at $1.44 against Algeria is pretty generous. I know it's not huge value, but pretty confident they'll win that.

 

[BoyBrumby]

Can get 6/1 (or 7.00 if one's of the criminal persuasion) on England/Italy being goalless. Very tempting given the conditions and the way both sides play.

 

[Furball]

France were horrible in qualifying, really unimpressive at the Euros too. Actually I can't remember the last time they weren't terrible. 2006?

Euro 2000. They were ****e in 2002 and 2004, Zidane carried them singlehandedly in 2006 and they've been **** since.

 

[Salamuddin]

Euro 2000. They were ****e in 2002 and 2004, Zidane carried them singlehandedly in 2006 and they've been **** since.

In the Zidane era (1996-2006), France were really only poor at WC 2002.
They were pretty decent in the group stages in Euro 2004 , they topped their pool - just had an off game against Greece in the knockout.

And while Zizou was undoubtedly brilliant in 2006 ( better imo than in 1998), It's stupid to suggest that he was the sole reason that France got to the final.
Malouda and Ribery were both very good in that tournament - and the defense led by Makalele and Thuram was quite impressive.

The rot really set in post 2006.
I do think that Deschamps is assembling a pretty good squad though - the team came through a tricky qualifier against an underrated Ukraine and they have started to really gel of late.

 

[GIMH]

Bit of revisionism going on about Zidane in 06. He was turd in the group stages, immense in the knockouts and then arguably cost them the final

 

[Pothas]

He was basically manager as well though.

 

[Salamuddin]

Bit of revisionism going on about Zidane in 06. He was turd in the group stages, immense in the knockouts and then arguably cost them the final

If anything, it's his role in the 1998 triumph that's bit overstated. I think Zizou was better in 2006 and Euro 2000 than he was in 1998.

IN 2006, he practically owned Spain and Brazil in the knockouts and was solid against Portugal in the semi.
Even in the final against the Italians, he was excellent up till he was sent off.

 

[GIMH]

If anything, it's his role in the 1998 triumph that's bit overstated. I think Zizou was better in 2006 and Euro 2000 than he was in 1998.

IN 2006, he practically owned Spain and Brazil in the knockouts and was solid against Portugal in the semi.
Even in the final against the Italians, he was excellent up till he was sent off.

None of that negates anything I said, though iirc he served a 2 match ban in 98 so won't disagree on that