World Cup Betting
Although Australia’s return to World Cup action in 2006 after a thirty two year absence was via a play-off with a South American side, the Socceroos made the decision to switch to the potentially more tricky Asian qualifying groups for the 2010 campaign.
Qualification proved to be much more straightforward, however, and the Socceroos were one of the first countries to qualify for the 2010 tournament.
2006 saw a great performance by Australia whose win over Japan and dramatic draw with Croatia (famous for Graham Poll’s three yellow cards) saw them qualify for the last sixteen where only a controversial injury time foul by Lucas Neill on Fabio Grosso (and the resultant successful penalty) denied Guus Hiddink’s side a place in the quarter finals.
This time Australia will be looking for a repeat of their 2006 performance and the Socceroos face Germany, Serbia and Ghana in Group D.
Australia are the outsiders in the group at 6/1 to win Group D and 13/8 to qualify for the last sixteen. Another popular market, however, is on who will finish the tournament as the county’s leading goalscorer.
The Socceroos scored five goals on their way to the last sixteen in 2006. Famously, three of these were in the last eight minutes of their group match with Japan as the Socceroos came from 1-0 down to beat their Asian rivals 3-1. Tim Cahill scored twice in Kaiserslauten with ex-Coventry City striker John Aloisi bagging the third goal in injury time.
A 2-0 defeat to Brazil followed before the 2-2 draw with Croatia where captain Craig Moore scored a penalty before Harry Kewell’s 79th minute equaliser.
With no real ‘out and out’ goalscorer in the side, it is the well-known attacking midfielders who once again lead the betting. Cahill is 10/3 to be Australia’s top goalscorer in South Africa with Kewell a 4/1 chance.
Harry Kewell has flourished since his move to Turkish side Galatasaray in 2008. Forced to play as a striker in the 2009/10 season (thanks to an injury to former Liverpool team mate Milan Baros) Kewell has scored fourteen goals in twenty six appearances. Interestingly, it is likely that a fit Kewell will also be Australia’s penalty taker in South Africa. The ex-Leeds winger has scored penalties in recent wins over both Holland and Uzbekistan and so this will immediately give him an advantage in this market if the Socceroos earn a penalty in South Africa.
Tim Cahill has averaged a goal every other game for Australia in his international career. Whilst this is as good a record as many strikers, it is worth bearing in mind that half these goals came against the likes of Fiji, Tahiti, Qatar and the Solomon Islands, although the Everton midfielder has also scored against Holland and Norway as well as a brace against the Republic of Ireland in 2009.
Australia’s biggest problem at the World Cup could be a lack of goalscoring threat now Mark Viduka is no longer part of the squad. If you consider that the strikers for their recent Asian Cup qualifying match against Kuwait were Archie Thompson, Bruce Dijte, Alex Brosque and Nikita Rukavytsya it gives you some idea of Pim Verbeek’s troubles. They can call on Grampus Eight’s Joshua Kennedy and the giant centre forward is 4/1 to top score in South Africa. They also have Celtic’s Scott MacDonald and whilst the Scottish-based player may make some appeal at 9/2, he has yet to find the net in fifteen international appearances.
The talented AZ striker Brett Holman is another that could lead the line for the Socceroos in South Africa but with one goal in 29 international matches the 27 year old is hardly prolific either.
The betting is completed with talented midfielders Brett Emerton and Mark Bresciano at 5/1 and 6/1 respectively. Both, however, are more industrious, hard-working water-carriers than box-to-box attackers in the Cahill mould.
I actually think Australia are good value to repeat their 2006 exploits and escape from Group D, probably at the expense of Serbia and Ghana. Tim Cahill is the obvious choice to top score for the Socceroos, but with Harry Kewell likely to be asked to reprise his club striking role, and with the winger being the Aussie’s likely penalty taker, I would be tempted by the former Liverpool star at 4/1.
