Day 5 of the World Cup features two matches with heavy favorites that should have no problems of coming through. There is also one very interesting matchup that offers you as a bettor some great value.
The day starts off early with a match between Slovakia and New Zealand. Slovakia plays an exciting style of soccer, so this should be fun to watch. They won’t have any business of advancing from the group, as they are far inferior to Italy and Paraguay. However, they go into the matchup with New Zealand as the favorite.
The Slovakian side won seven of their ten matches in qualifiers, but didn’t do well in their friendlies to tune up for the World Cup. They still shouldn’t have any problem defeating New Zealand.
New Zealand play in their second World Cup and finished with a 5-0-1 record in their weak qualifying group. On the way to the World Cup they lost to inferior teams such as Fiji, Tanzania, and Thailand. This should be an easy one for the favorite, and the small reward is not worth risking any money.
The second match of the day is the most interesting, as Protugal faces the Ivory Coast. Portugal finished in fourth four years ago at the World Cup in Germany. They also came in second in Euro 2008 and are considered one of the elite teams in Europe.
However, the Ivory Coast is Africa’s best team and they are playing with home-continent advantage. They have one of the most dangerous strikers on their side in Didier Drogba. The team captain broke his arm in a friendly against Japan on June 4, and he is questionable for the side’s opener against Portugal.
The striker will be with the squad and his teammates said he can help them even if he isn’t at 100 percent. Manager Sven-Goran Eriksson stressed even before the injury that the team was trying to spread out the scoring among its players, and this effort might come in handy in case Drogba can’t play or is limited.
Despite the question mark concerning Drogba, the Elephants have a good chance of at least getting a draw against Portugal, and a win is not out of the question. Both teams play an exciting, offensive style and this could be a real shootout. It will definitely be fun to watch.
If you think the Elephants can come out on top, go to Pinnacle (+254) or 5Dimes (+251). Bookmaker offers the best line at +230, if you think this will end in a draw.
The third matchup of the day will most likely be a blowout, as Brazil takes on North Korea. The Selecao are the only side to have won the World Cup five times. They are a perennial power and they shouldn’t have any problems disposing of North Korea.
The Samba Kings have one of the World’s best midfielders on their side in Kaka. The 28-year-old is known for his deadly passes, but he can score too. He has scored 27 times in 78 caps and leads the Brazilian squad in goals. Attackers Luis Fabiano and Robinho are dangerous as well.
We will see a lopsided contest and the sportsbooks got this one right. The Selecao are the heavy favorite at up to -1600 (Bodog). A bet on a draw will win you $1,000 on a $100 bet, but there is no way this is going to happen.
The Brazilians are just too good for North Korea and I’m expecting a score along the lines of 5-0 or 6-0 in favor of the Samba Kings.
