The Eagles Punt – World Cup 2014 Preview

 

The first of several special editions of our regular feature ‘The Eagles Punt’ that we have planned for the World Cup courtesy of our regular tipster Paul Darville.

Disclaimer: Gambling is for over 18’s (says the 23 year old who has been gambling for about 16-17 years), and only bet money that you can afford to lose.

 

Group Winner selections:

  • Group A should be a Brazil whitewash.
  • Group B is more difficult, but if Spain can take victory against the Netherlands, I would fancy them to get at least a point against Chile who won’t have to adapt the South American climate. They are an underrated team in this tournament and may cause the Dutch a few problems.
  • Group F is a relatively simple group for the Argentinians and their attack is one of the strongest in depth in recent history.
  • Group G contains Germany and if they can contain Cristiano Ronaldo, the group is theirs.
  • Group H is a weaker group on paper, and Belgium should be more than good enough to dispose of Russia and force their way through.

Banker bet: To win their groups: Brazil, Spain, Argentina, Germany and Belgium pays 6.17/1 with Coral.

  • Group C is a tough one to call. The Ivorians are the strongest African team, but they aren’t as strong a force as recent years. I fancy the Colombians to sneak through as group winners.
  • Group D is the hardest group of all. The Italians always find a way to get there, England on paper have an exciting team and Uruguay have the Premier League’s best player from 2013/14 and Serie A’s best striker from 2012/13 in Suarez and Cavani. They should score goals and I fancy them to steal a win against one of the European teams and take the group.
  • Group E is a nice group to be in for the French. The only reason I wouldn’t include them in my banker bet is the fact that they can enter tournaments and flop.

Outside bet: To win their groups: France, Colombia and Uruguay pays 8.64/1


Top Goalscorer selections:

I am going to look outside the obvious few (Messi, Ronaldo, Neymar) and look for a bit of value in the market.

  • Jackson Martinez (Colombia) – 80/1 Coral. Ok, hear me out! There’s every chance that Colombia will go out of the tournament in the 2nd round to the Group D Runner Up or in the quarters against Brazil, but Martinez has been on fire in the Portuguese Leagues averaging two goals in every three games.
  • Sergio Aguero (Argentina) – 16/1 Ladbrokes. Aguero is Man City’s best attacking player (when fit anyway!). He is the man that teams focus on when they face City. With the dearth of attacking talent available for La Albiceleste, teams won’t be focusing on Aguero with Messi floating around up front. It also helps that they have a relatively simple group and should face the runner up of Group E.
  • Romelu Lukaku (Belgium) – 33/1 Paddy Power. Jose Mourinho’s least favourite Chelsea striker is a genuine outside threat to the big guns. With a relatively simple group, and creative players around him in the Belgium team, Lukaku has found goalscoring form in their recent friendlies, and who knows how far this Belgium team can get in the tournament.

 

World Cup Winning Selections:

  • Spain – 13/2 Coral. The big factor regarding this World Cup has been about the heat and how teams will handle it. The Spanish play a passing game suited to the conditions and they have a very consistent team with even more depth than in recent tournaments. This year, they also have the bonus factor of ‘Brazilian Spaniard’ Diego Costa. Adding a goalscorer to their team brings them back to the late 00’s teams which had the previous incarnation of Fernando Torres and a younger David Villa. The Spanish are flying under the radar, but I think they have every chance of winning their way through to the final.
  • Argentina – 5/1 SportingBet. As previously mentioned, Argentina have a frightening attack, and their defence seems to have improved on previous tournaments. Any team that can line up a combination of Messi, Aguero, Higuain, Lavezzi and Palacio as their attacking instruments is going to score goals. That doesn’t even include the midfield brilliance of Angel Di Maria after man of the match performances in the Champions League semi and final. Maybe this is the year that the modern golden generation finally put it all together and win it all in their home continent.

 

If you want to read more about Horse Racing and tipping, then visit my weekly column at Your Local Guardian. You can comment, praise or slate me on Twitter.

I am taking part in my third London to Brighton bike ride on 15th June. If you have ever won any money from any of my tips and want to do something good for the British Heart Foundation then please go to Just Giving page. Every bit of money helps towards the cause.

 

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