2010 WORLD CUP PREDICTIONS AND ODDS FOR THE OPENING WEEKEND PART ONE

We wait four years for this thing to come around and the fact that it’s only a mere 48 hours away has the sporting world absolutely buzzing for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. We’ve outlined a lot of odds and tips for the group stages and the later stages as well, so today we’ll be delving into the opening weekend matches.

World Cup predictions are always a roll of the dice, especially in the group stages where we always see two upstart teams make it a lot further than they should. I’ve picked these two potential upstarts as Uruguay and South Korea. I expect both of them to progress to the knockout stages and I am tipping Uruguay to top their group.
South Africa vs Mexico Predictions
I’ve already gone into detail about this one and, while I think it’s a winnable fixture for South Africa if they play perfectly, you can’t deny that Mexico are the stronger side with a more potent attacking threat. The bookmakers don’t see much between the two sides with William Hill pricing both at 17/10 and the draw at a 21/10 price. The draw isn’t a bad option truth be told, but I am staking money on a Mexican player to score the first goal at the 2010 World Cup. I’ll be backing Javier Hernandez to get the job done in front of goal anytime at 6/4.
Uruguay vs France Predictions
I’ve got a feeling that this is likely to be the first upset at the 2010 World Cup. Uruguay boast a number of recognizable players to European fans, and they have one of the best attacking partnerships in the tournament with the likes of Diego Forlan and Luis Suarez. Uruguay are priced at 11/4 to win the match with France the nearly odds-on favourites at 11/10. I’m backing Diego Forlan to score first at 11/2 and I’ll be backing a 2-0 correct score result in favour of Uruguay. That’s available at a juicy 16/1. I will likely hedge in play if France look more threatening than I expect and I will be backing a 2-1 result to Uruguay in that case and I’d take it anywhere above 9/1. France have a terrible record against Uruguay- only winning once in five matches with two losses and two draws.
South Korea vs Greece Predictions
Not a huge amount between both of these teams with William Hill giving the slightest of edges to the Greek side. They’re trading at an 8/5 price with South Korea trading at 19/10. I think South Korea will outperform and I’ve never been a big fan of the effective, but utterly boring, Greek style of play. I don’t expect this to be the most action-packed match, but I see South Korea popping up late to sneak the game. I’ll be backing Draw/South Korea in the half-time/full-time market at a 5/1 price.
Argentina vs Nigeria Predictions
Argentina are favoured to roll over Nigeria here and, while I firmly expect Diego Maradona’s boy to get the job done, I don’t think Nigeria will be the easiest opponent they face. I think Argentina at 4/9 are a reasonable price while Nigeria at 13/2 is about right as well. The draw is 16/5, but I don’t see that happening. Argentina should take this one, but I do fancy Nigeria to score at least one. I’ll be backing Gonzalo Higuain to score first at 9/2 if he gets the start and I like a 3-1 result to the Argentines at 10/1
Stay tuned for the second half of our World Cup Opening Weekend Predictions, coming up shortly.