Jumat, 11 Juni 2010
2010 North Korea World Cup Predictions
Nickname: Chollima
Number of World Cup appearances: 1
Best World Cup finish: Quarterfinals (1966)
Team Breakdown
It’s not a stretch to say North Korea is the most unknown entity among this year’s field. They haven’t appeared on this stage in 44 years, and despite finishing second to South Korea in their final qualifying group, this team is far and wide the least capable team headed to South Africa.Their players mostly are household names domestically, and that alone will not have provided them the necessary experience for what they will be up against from the likes of Brazil, Ivory Coast or Portugal in group play.
Perhaps if you wanted to be ambitious and make a case for why North Korea could find success this summer, look no further than their lone World Cup appearance, and that saw them finish as quarterfinalists.
2010 Korea World Cup Odds
North Korea is currently listed at 1500/1 odds to win the World Cup.
They are 150/1 odds to win Group G.
Key Player To Watch
Midfielder Mun In-Guk is the player most likely to produce for the North Koreans. He led them with two goals scored in qualifying and has made 22 appearances for the national team in his international career, netting five goals for his country. Of course, 10 players or so on any one of the other three group teams will outshine the collection of North Korea players, but In-Guk is a name to keep in the back of your mind.
Best Team Asset
Having been in football hibernation for the past 40 years, North Korea’s unknown status could work somewhat in their favor. That, along with the fact that everyone facing them will come in with the idea that this match, could and should be a cakewalk. But overall there isn’t much to sell you on from FIFA’s 102nd-ranked team.
Key Team Weakness
The talent differential between North Korea and the rest of the ‘Group of Death’ is unparalleled. Probably not one North Korean player could even feature on the roster of this trio of football nations, and quite frankly the score line of their matches could get ugly.
North Korea World Cup Predictions
Three matches will produce three losses, and while trying every bit not to be negative, that is just being realistic. North Korea doesn’t have the talent or the experience to compete in this group or any other group in the 2010 World Cup.
Key First Round Match (best betting opportunity)
The best wagering possibility is to fade North Korea, but not necessarily to lose. The lines against this minnow will be too steep. For instance, Brazil is listed at around -1000 to win their opening match, so that is obviously untouchable. Instead, look at the ‘overs’, as North Korea will allow their fair share of goals, filling the role of Group G punching bag. Their first game June 15 against the Brazilians could see five goals by the favorites alone.
North Korea World Cup Group Play Schedule
v. Brazil, June 15, 2010 – 2:30 p.m. ET at Ellis Park (Johannesburg)
v. Portugal, June 20, 2010 – 7:30 a.m. ET at Green Point (Cape Town)
v. Ivory Coast, June 25, 2010 – 10 a.m. at Mbombela (Nelspruit)
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2010 Ivory Coast World Cup Predictions
Nickname: Les Éléphants (The Elephants)
Number of World Cup appearances: 1
Best World Cup finish: Group stage (2006)
Team Breakdown
Once qualified, many pegged Ivory Coast as the tournament dark horse and Africa’s best hope to raise the trophy on home soil. Once the group pairings were announced, the West African nation found itself yet again in the precarious position as a member of the ‘World Cup Group of Death’. Their World Cup debut in 2006 was a similar story, being stuck with world powers Netherlands and Argentina. This time around they will clash with Brazil and Portugal. Still, despite wanting to harbor bad feelings about their draw, hope and optimism should be echoed from supporters of the Elephants. After sacking Bosnian coach Vahid Halilhodzic after failing to reach the African Nations Cup semi-finals this past January, the Ivorian FA have been looking for an accomplished man to lead their country in South Africa. Guus Hiddink was most desired for this job but he withdrew his name.
Had the ‘King Midas’ of international football been appointed as head coach, it would have further improved this team’s chances of winning the World Cup, as his past successful jobs with Netherlands, South Korea, Australia and Russia had all been a big hit. Philippe Trousier, who coached domestically in the Ivory Coast and had other success with African nations like Nigeria, South Africa and Burkina Faso, is another option to lead the Elephants’ campaign this summer.
2010 Ivory Coast World Cup Odds
Ivory Coast is currently listed at 25/1 to win the World Cup.
They are 7/2 to win Group G.
Key Player To Watch
One of the five best players in the world, striker Didier Drogba, has risen to elite status and is rightfully considered the talisman of a very capable Ivory Coast squad. He is a brilliant finisher and few players are as physically strong as this center forward. He has been known for an inconsistent temperament, as was seen by a red card in a 2006 World Cup match, but his experience and pure abilities are second to none and one of the players set to flourish this summer.
Best Team Asset
Ivory Coast will attack, attack and attack, and when they get a stop on defense this African side will counterattack. Alongside Drogba, weapons like Salomon Kalou, Didier Zokora, Bakari Kone and Yaya Toure make this Ivorian strike force lethal. With 10 goals in six matches during the final round of qualifying, this group’s entertaining brand of football will be a fun thing to watch during group play and hopefully beyond.
Key Team Weakness
As much as there is to feel good about for this promising African football nation, one can’t help but consider how their flop in January’s Africa Cup of Nations will effect their physique and ability to produce on the world’s stage when it is all on the line. This team will score, but it will be key to see how they react when allowing goals. They will never be out of a match, but does this team on the rise actually believe they can win the World Cup?
Ivory Coast World Cup Predictions
Despite again being thrown to the wolves in the ‘Group of Death,’ things do look better this time around as opposed to four years ago. Right now they are favored second behind Brazil in Group G. Portugal is right on their heels, but overall it will be considered a disappointment if they don’t advance into the knockout stages. This squad is talented enough to beat both the Brazilians and Portuguese, yet also flimsy enough to fall to both as well. I think a split of these two matches would put them in a good spot to advance and a win over North Korea is a must and likely to happen. The Ivory Coast will find a better result in group play and once in the elimination round this is a team you do not want to see.
Key First Round Match (best betting opportunity)
Value won’t be an issue when looking for betting lines to back the Elephants. With matchups against Portugal and Brazil in their first two matches, we will quickly see where Ivory Coast stands. Prices like +150 and +170 will be available, and so betting both and getting a 1-1 split will yield a profit, and then you can attack a weaker North Korean side in their third match. I would say that is the way to go, as well as considering ‘overs’ in all three matches.
Ivory Coast World Cup Group Play Schedule
v. Portugal, June 15, 2010 – 10 p.m. ET at Nelson Mandela Bay (Port Elizabeth)
v. Brazil, June 20, 2010 – 2:30 p.m. ET at Soccer City (Johannesburg)
v. North Korea, June 25, 2010 – 10 a.m. at Mbombela (Nelspruit)
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2010 Portugal World Cup Predictions
Nickname: Selecção das Quinas
Number of World Cup appearances: 4
Best World Cup finish: Third place (1966)
Team Breakdown
Just like France, Portugal barely found its way through qualifying and booked a spot to South Africa similarly in the second leg of their European playoff against Bosnia-Herzegovina. In 10 qualifying matches they won only five. Granted, four of the five non-wins were draws, but that drew a lot of criticism and would have likely cost head coach Carlos Queiroz his job if his squad failed to advance.Cristiano Ronaldo is synonymous with Portuguese football, as he is with world soccer nowadays. However, his impact was next to nothing throughout the process to get to South Africa. The explosive winger was goalless during qualifying and missed the latter part because of injury. The play of midfielders Deco and Simao Sabrosa was the reason Portugal snuck through, but if they expect to make any noise this summer, not only will they need the gifted Ronaldo back on top of his game, but an entire team effort is also a prerequisite to have any chance to advance out of the ‘Group of Death’ in place of either Brazil or Ivory Coast.
Success, though, will come without the services of defensive stalwart Jose Bosingwa. The right back has been a very important part of Portugal’s defensive prowess along with brilliant centre-back Ricardo Carvalho over the course of the last couple of seasons, but a knee injury has left him unable to participate for his country in June and July.
2010 Portugal World Cup Odds
Portugal is currently listed at 28/1 to win the World Cup.
They are 3/1 to win Group G.
Key Player To Watch
Cristiano Ronaldo is among the elite footballers in the world, and again we get to see him compete on the sport’s largest stage. It really would have been a shame if Portugal failed to qualify, because that would have been like missing a Kobe or LeBron in the NBA Playoffs. Still, the winger is brash and arrogant at times, but flashy and skillful all the time. He is fast in the open field and possesses one of the best set-piece legs in the game. You’ll see his thunderous kicks move like a Tim Wakefield knuckleball, the result of his right foot being placed precisely on the threads of the soccer ball. This is truly a sight to behold, and he is one player who is worth rearranging the day’s schedule to watch him play throughout the tournament.
Best Team Asset
Experience. This definitely is not the Portuguese’s’ most talented team, but they have holdovers from the squad that finished fourth in 2006. Midfielders Deco, Simao and Raul Meireles will be relied upon even more than four years ago, not to mention the fact that Nani, Miguel Veloso and Hugo Almeida will have to show that this team is much more than Cristiano Ronaldo and 10 other guys on the pitch.
Key Team Weakness
Portugal lacks a goal scoring threat atop their formation. Granted, they are just as capable of producing results with their talented midfield, but the Portuguese have yet to see a consistent effort from their strikers. Midfielder Simao led the team with four goals in qualifying. However, that will not cut it in South Africa against the likes of Brazil and Ivory Coast and certainly not against other powers if they happen to advance beyond the group stage. Hugo Almeida and Liedson showed some promise throughout qualifying, combining for three goals, and their production will no doubt need to be that much greater when the results are must-wins this summer.
Portugal World Cup Predictions
Considering all things, Portugal will have tough times besting both Brazil and Ivory Coast and will ultimately fall victim to the ‘Group of Death’ in which they were drawn into. But to that same point, if individual players step their games up, notably Cristiano Ronaldo, then the sky is the limit. That is how vital he can be when playing his best football. But in the end I don’t see all the pieces coming together, and Portugal will be three games and out in the World Cup.
Key First Round Match (best betting opportunity)
In their first game June 15 v. Ivory Coast, Portugal’s best bet of the group stage will be the ‘over’. Ivory Coast has shown a knack for being offensive-minded and that provides goal-scoring opportunities, for both them and their opponents in the counterattacking area. And that is one area where the Portuguese can flourish, pouncing on opponents when they leave their back four vulnerable. Look for three goals or more in this match.
Portugal World Cup Group Play Schedule
v. Ivory Coast, June 15, 2010 – 10 p.m. ET at Nelson Mandela Bay (Port Elizabeth)
v. Brazil, June 21, 2010 – 7:30 a.m. ET at Green Point (Cape Town)
v. North Korea, June 25, 2010 – 10 a.m. at Durban (Durban)
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2010 Brazil World Cup Predictions
Nickname: Seleçao
Number of World Cup appearances: 18
Best World Cup finish: Winners (1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, 2002)
Team Breakdown
Brazil is the most accomplished football nation with five World Cup titles. The 2010 edition of The Select is again pegged for a deep run, and they will look to build off their 2009 Confederations Cup trophy, as that tournament played out last year in South Africa and always serves as a precursor a year before each World Cup.This tournament outlook is the same for Brazil as it always is: trophy or bust. When you boast the combination of pedigree, skill and respect from opponents, only the best matters and that means a possible sixth title on the horizon.
The Brazilian game is beautiful. England may have invented soccer but they say Brazil perfected it. Spain may be the favorite across the betting board but Brazil knows they are the favorite. There is a certain swagger this team brings to the field when they play on the highest stage. Their swagger is confidence 2.0, dressed up in a jersey. No team believes more in their abilities or comes into a World Cup with more expectations than Brazil. This year’s team is no different and the talent they will bring to South Africa will speak loudly to the success they will find here.
2010 Brazil World Cup Odds
Brazil is currently listed at 5/1 to win the World Cup.
They are 2/3 favorites to win Group G.
Key Player To Watch
Luis Fabiano has jumped up the ranks among Brazil football lore and is now one of the team’s best players and also a frontrunner for top goal scorer of this tournament. He led Brazil with nine goals during the qualifying stages and was the top poacher in South Africa last year during the 2009 Confederations Cup. He has made his name in Spain’s top-flight league for Sevilla over the course of the past five seasons and has been every bit as good a finisher domestically (56 goals in 119 appearances) as he has at the international level.
Best Team Asset
Just like with other top teams at this tournament, Brazil can throw a handful of names at you and versatility is at a surplus for them. So potent on the attack, the aforementioned Luis Fabiano is just one name you must account for, also considering Kaka, Ramires, Lucas, Diego and Blumer Elano. Their best team asset is the ability to mix and match different pieces and keep opponents guessing. If one concoction doesn’t work, they can plug in another top talent and see if he can spark them.
Key Team Weakness
Brazil’s biggest problem is one most coaches would welcome. Head coach Dunga will need to find playing time for all his world-class players. Stars like Kaka and Luis Fabiano are set to shine, but how will the man in charge find minutes for all the capable weapons on the roster? And even more, the right mix that will work? Two interesting pieces are Ronaldinho and Ribinho, two of the sport’s greatest talents two or three years ago. This duo has fallen out of favor due to injury, lack of commitment and because of the abundance of budding stars coming up the Brazilian ranks. Ronaldinho was left off the roster for the Summer tournament while Ribinho did manage to land a spot on the 23-man roster.
Brazil World Cup Predictions
Brazil will make amends for its disappointing 2006 World Cup result. Granted, a quarterfinalist finish is hardly something to snarl about, but when you are Brazil that isn’t good enough. One situation that could be bad news for them and the entire tournament is if they or Spain finished second in the group and the other won their respective quartet. Group G and H will collide in the Round of 16 and if one wins their group and the other is the runners-up, then a potential matchup early in the knockout stage would be Brazil and Spain and the top two favorites would battle it out with one going home. Let’s hope both take care of business, as both are expected to do, and we avoid such a clash of titans until much later.
Key First Round Match (best betting opportunity)
You won’t see many 1-0 scores from Brazil in the group stages, mainly because they are too talented offensively to be limited like that, but also because Ivory Coast and Portugal are top teams as well. That is how impressive this group is offensively. Look at the ‘over’ between Brazil and Ivory Coast on June 20. It will likely be listed a ‘2.5 or three goals’ but there is good reason to think these two powerful sides can account for the necessary goals to push this one ‘over’.
Brazil World Cup Group Play Schedule
v. North Korea, June 15, 2010 – 2:30 p.m. ET at Ellis Park (Johannesburg)
v. Ivory Coast, June 20, 2010 – 2:30 p.m. ET at Soccer City (Johannesburg)
v. Portugal, June 25, 2010 – 10 a.m. at Durban (Durban)
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