World Cup Betting
With all seven previous World Champions arriving in South Africa this summer, we thought it would be fun to look at the odds of 2010’s final being a repeat of some of the classic encounters we have seen over the long history of the tournament.
England v Germany (1966) – 28/1
Other than the fact that England will probably have to beat either Brazil or Spain, and that Germany will have to overcome two of Argentina, France or Italy, a repeat of the 1966 Final is one of the favoured outcomes in South Africa.
Could Fabio Capello emulate Sir Alf Ramsey by playing a defensive stopper and a narrow three man midfield rather than using wide players? Will England’s most creative midfielder be asked to do a ‘man-marking’ job on the German dangerman as in 1966? And will there be an Azerbaijani linesman on hand to award a controversial third goal for England in extra time?
Brazil v Italy (1970 and 1994) – 22/1
The 1970 World Cup final is heralded of the most memorable matches in football’s rich history. The 1994 World Cup final is generally considered one of the worst matches in living memory.
If Italy and Brazil win Groups F and G respectively, they can’t meet until the final. Considering Italy’s group contains Paraguay, New Zealand and Slovakia I expect them to do well; indeed I think the Azzuri could be a force to be reckoned with in South Africa. Brazil are my top tip for the tournament and so I think the 22/1 about a repeat of the 1970 and 1994 finals, between the tournament’s two most successful teams, is a distinct possibility.
Germany v Holland (1974) – 50/1
1974 was the one that got away as far as Holland are concerned. Their brand of superb ‘total football’ looked set to rule the world in the 1970s before West Germany broke their hearts in the final in Munich in 1974.
A repeat of the 1974 Final would actually be a mouthwatering game. Should both teams top their groups then they can only meet in Johannesburg on 11th July, although Holland have the trickier route to the final. Their first knockout round should be straightforward enough, although they will then probably face Brazil in the quarters and France or England in the semi-finals. Many neutrals would love to see Holland reach the final and finally win the World Cup their contribution to world football so richly deserves.
Italy v France (2006) – 40/1
It doesn’t seem more than a few days since Zinedine Zidane planted his forehead into Marco Materazzi’s chest and left France with an uphill task to beat Italy in 2006’s World Cup Final.
Only once in the tournament’s history have consecutive finals been contested by the same two nations (Germany and Argentina in 1986 and 1990) and both teams here seem to be in worse form than four years ago.
Italy continue to boast one of the most balanced midfield quartets in world football and you can never discount them at World Cup time. However, they have no world class forward and to reach the Final they face potentially tricky matches against the likes of Denmark, Spain, Argentina or Germany. France are likely to meet England in the quarter finals and Holland or Brazil in the semis and so the 40/1 on a repeat final looks a long shot.
Germany v Argentina (1986 and 1990) – 33/1
A wonderful, dramatic 3-2 win in Mexico and a dour 1-0 triumph in Italy saw Argentina and Germany share the World Cup spoils between 1986 and 1990.
It’s 33/1 that these two great champions meet in Johannesburg in July although to do this one or other would have to fail to win their group. Argentina face Nigeria, South Korea and Greece and with their maverick genius Diego Maradona in charge, anything could happen. I expect Germany to win Group D, however, and so I think it’s much more likely these two will meet in the quarter-finals than in the final.
Germany v Brazil (2002) – 25/1
Amazingly, Germany and Brazil had never met at a World Cup before the 2002 final in Yokohama. Ronaldo’s two goals gave Brazil the win in the battle between the two giants of world football on that occasion and it is 25/1 that we will see a repeat of the 2002 Final.
As I have said elsewhere, I expect Brazil to perform strongly in South Africa. To meet them in the Final, Germany would probably have to beat the USA, Argentina and Spain although bearing in mind their terrific performance in Moscow to qualify for South Africa, they are more than capable of doing so.
Uruguay v Argentina (1930) – 175/1
If you’re looking for a real outside bet, it’s a 175/1 chance that we’ll see a repeat of the first World Cup Final of 80 years ago. If Uruguay and Argentina top Groups A and B respectively they can meet in the final and so if you think we are about to see a return to the glory days of South American football, this 175/1 shot could be your choice.
