With two days in the books and the USA succeeding in their quest to get a draw with England, here is a look at Sunday’s matchups at the World Cup. Three matches are scheduled for Sunday, with the second contest of the day being the most interesting for bettors.
The day opens with a matchup between Algeria and Slovenia. I don’t think either one of the teams will advance from Group C, as Argentina and Nigeria will most likely dominate their matches against the two underdogs of the group.
The match against each other might be the only way for either way to get some points, so both squads will be motivated to get a win here. Slovenia comes in with a 6-2-2 record in qualifying, but they played in a pretty weak group. They didn’t qualify for the World Cup in Germany and failed to reach the final tournament of Euro 2008 as well.
Algeria looks to be the weakest team in the group, but home-continent advantage could push them to a draw against the European team here.
If you believe Algeria can pull off a win, go to Pinnacle (+258) or 5Dimes (+255). If you think this one will end in a draw, you can get the most money at Pinnacle (+226) and Bodog (+225). If Slovenia is your pick to win the match, go to Pinnacle (+130) or Bookmaker (+125).
The match between Serbia and Ghana is the most interesting today. Serbia goes in as the favorite, but I think Ghana can pull the upset here. The Black Stars played a great tournament at the increasingly competitive African Cup of Nations and lost a heartbreaker to Egypt in the finals.
They showed that they can be successful in group play on soccer’s biggest stage, when they advanced from a group with Italy, the Czech Republic, and the United States. The side is missing their most dangerous player in Michael Essien, but they will have a shot against Serbia.
Serbia comes into the group as the slight favorite to finish second behind the German side. They played great for the majority of the qualifying stage, but they showed they are vulnerable when they lost to lowly Lithunia.
I think Ghana uses their home-continent advantage, as they are used to the temperatures on the Souther hemisphere. I think they pull off the upset here in a close match. If you feel the same way, go to Pinnacle (+265) or 5Dimes (+260) for the best line. Bookmaker offers the best bang for your buck, if you believe in a draw.
The third match of the day features Germany and Australia. Germany is a perennial favorite to go deep or even in the cup. The “Turniermannschaft” always does will in big tournaments and shouldn’t have a problem with the Socceroos.
The German side is missing their playmaker and leader Michael Ballack, who was injured on a foul by Ghana’s Kevin-Prince Boateng in the English FA Cup. However, they have a group of young players who are waiting to step in and take a leadership role.
The Socceroos played well four years ago and almost upset Italy in the Round of 16. They have changed their manager since, and I don’t see them challenging Germany.
