2010 WORLD CUP PREDICTIONS AND TIPS FOR THE GROUP STAGES PART TWO

The second leg of my massive 2010 World Cup prediction rundown starts with the Group that most of us will be focusing on in the early stages- Group C. I like to think that my expectations are realistic, but England are blessed with such an easy group I expect them to stroll through here. I actually have a feeling that the last match could be a bit of a dead-rubber as all England really need to do is take maximum points over the United States and then produce two competent displays- which should be enough to topple Slovenia and Algeria.

England/USA is priced at 11/8, which is a bit short but definitely the most plausible outcome. I think England/Slovenia wouldn’t be particularly shocking, especially if the yanks cock-up their second fixture. They will need to win both of their other matches if they lose to England. England Slovenia is priced at 10/3. The USA to not go through will pay out at 11/10. I do think Landon Donovan and the boys can pull it off, but Algeria may give them a real surprise.
In Group F, I expect the Italians to progress with minimal fuss, but I do think the fact that they tend to start slowly in tournaments may open up some lucrative betting opportunities. Italy tends to improve as the tournament goes on and I think the biggest threat to them here is Paraguay. A Paraguay/Italy forecast pays out at a solid 4/1 margin, while Italy/Paraguay trades at a slim 13/10.
Group G betting looks to be one of the most wild and woolly markets in the group stages of the 2010 World Cup. Brazil are a solid 1/2 to win their group and you would normally say they will walk this group, but the issue for me is that this isn’t the stereotypical Brazil side that we usually see. Portugal are favoured to go through with a 4/7 price for qualification, and a Didier Drogba-less Ivory Coast has drifted to 5/1 to win their group with an 11/10 price to qualify.
North Korea is the interesting outsider here and if they can sneak a single win it may be enough to go through to the next stage. They are an unknown quantity and play some very organized stuff. I am tipping South Korea to outperform, but I have a feeling that “best” Korea (their words, not mine) will be a miracle shot to get through to the next stage. They are 16/1 to qualify ahead of Portugal and Ivory Coast, but the thing is- those two may draw each other and then both lose to Brazil. This one may come down to goal difference and North Korea look the tidiest price if it gets that close. Brazil/North Korea is a whopping 33/1.
Group H looks to be all about Spain and it’s a pretty simple one to be honest. Not a huge amount of competition here, so it looks to be a race for second place. Chile are 4/6 to progress while Switzerland are at 6/4 and Honduras trade at 5/1. I think there’s an outside chance that Honduras squeak through here as they are a more capable side than some other observers might think. Spain/Honduras trades at a 17/2 price and I think Chile to finish rock bottom at 11/2 is an interesting shot. Chile are a decent team, but I just get the feeling that they will underperform.
Group E looks to be all about Holland, but some pundits are tipping them to be the favourite that crashed out. Personally, I don’t see it, but I wouldn’t put my money on them to win any penalty shoot-outs. The shadow of Euro 2000 still looms 10 years later. Denmark will be looking at Holland as a massive scalp and it’s a possible victory, but I think the orange side will just have too much firepower and versatility to be seriously troubled here. Cameroon look interesting but their defensive liability leaves me wondering whether they progress. This one should be a straightforward Holland/Denmark result at 11/4.
There are even more interesting markets out there with William Hill and we’ll be delving into some of those in the third part of our massive World Cup 2010 Predictions run-down. 
RECOMMENDED BETS
England/Slovenia Forecast in Group C at 10/3
USA to crash out in the Group Stage at 11/10
Paraguay/Italy Forecast in Group F at 4/1
Chile to finish rock bottom of their group at 11/2
Spain/Honduras Forecast in Group H at 17/2
Holland/Denmark Forecast in Group E at 11/4