2010 WORLD CUP LATEST ODDS AND SPECIAL BETS FOR ENGLAND

Fabio Capello has announced the provisional 30 man squad for the upcoming 2010 World Cup in South Africa. Unfortunately there was no place for Owen Hargreaves or Bobby Zamora and it turns out that Paul Scholes rejected a late plea from Capello to come out of International retirement at the age of 35. This has seen Joe Cole and Scott Parker included as the outside options- Darren Bent of Sunderland is also in the squad and his solid goal haul for a mediocre Premiership side looks to be enough to get him into the final squad.

There are a number of really solid pre-World Cup bets that you can make now if you want to lock in the absolute best prices. For the markets where England or English players are favoured, you will likely see the prices shorten as we get closer to the opening ceremonies as a large glut of betting volume always comes in late, prompting bookmakers to shorten the odds. By wagering now, you’ll be locking in the best possible prices.
One of the most interesting betting options for English fans this year is Wayne Rooney to be named World Cup 2010 Top Goalscorer with a 10/1 price that puts him as the co-second favourite to Lionel Messi. David Villa is considered the slim favourite to take the World Cup Golden Boot with a 9/1 price just ahead of Rooney and Messi. Fernando Torres can be backed at 12/1- the same price as Luis Fabiano. Cristiano Ronaldo’s odds to be named top tournament goalscorer are trading at around 14/1. Gonzalo Higuain can be backed at 16/1. Jermaine Defoe is 50/1 to score more goals than anybody else in the World Cup while Peter Crouch trades at 66/1. Darren Bent’s odds to score more goals than anybody in the World Cup trade at 100/1, which is the same price as Emile Heskey.
England are considered 3rd favourites to win the 2010 World Cup with William Hill. They are priced at 6/1- just behind tournament favourites Spain at a 4/1 price and perennial challengers Brazil at 5/1. Argentina, who barely squeaked into the tournament are priced at 7/1. These four are in the top pack of contenders although some neutrals may argue that England are short-priced to offset volume by English bookmakers. Holland are priced at 12/1 with Italy and Germany both commanding excellent prices of 14/1. Italy and Germany are both very plausible winners. France are at 16/1 while Portugal trades at 22/1. The Ivory Coast are available at 28/1 and the odds then take a big jump to Chile at 50/1.
You can back a double on Tournament Winner/Top Goalscorer and I suspect England/Rooney is going to be a popular option and you’ll find that priced at an enticing 28/1 listing should it come through. The favoured selection is Spain/Villa at 18/1.
In regards to England’s odds in Group C- they are heavy favourites to progress as Group Winner with a short price of 3/10 to beat out the USA, Slovenia and Algeria. Should they progress to the next stage by any means you’re looking at a miniscule 1/16 price tag. If you are favouring England/USA to go through in that order you can get paid out at a 6/5 price. USA/England is listed at 5/1.
From this vantage point, it looks like England vs USA is going to be the biggest fixture of the group and the one that could define how the tournament goes for the Three Lions. William Hill already has over 96 different markets for that match and you’ll find England trading at 4/9 with the USA listed at 5/1. The draw is priced at 11/4 and you can rest assured that it’s going to be an absolutely scintillating matchup.