Betting odds Chile

Manager: Marcelo Bielsa
Captain: Claudio Bravo
FIFA World Ranking: 15
World Cup Appearances: 8
Best World Cup: Third Place – 1962

Chile Team Profile

Chile have a formidable record when it comes to qualifying for World Cup’s, with South Africa 2010 set to be their ninth appearance in the competition often touted as the greatest sporting spectacle on the planet. However, unlike ever before Chile come into the finals in tremendous form and full of optimism after finishing the South American round of qualifying in 2nd position, just one point shy of the World No.1′s Brazil.

Despite only being ranked 15 in the FIFA Rankings, Chile were just a point off Brazil in the South America standings and finished above three others South American nations competing in South Africa this summer; Paraguay, Uruguay and even Argentina. Moreover, only Brazil could better Chile’s scoring exploits of 33 goals in 18 qualifiers in what was a prolific qualification campaign for the Chileans.

Marcelo Bielsa, an Argentine at heart, has worked wonders with the Chilean team and his direct reward was to reach the South African finals in 2010. He has made Chile a more potent attacking force, with Humberto Suazo the star of qualifying with 10 goals in 18 qualifiers, while consistency has also been added to their game, while both attributes will serve them well in South Africa as they pit their wits against some of the World’s best nations on a more regular basis.

Nicknames: La Roja (The Red One) 

Manager

Marcelo Bielsa is a huge favourite with the Chilean public after his efforts to guide Chile to the World Cup in South Africa were successful, even finishing above the country Bielsa originates from, Argentina.

Bielsa does have the necessary international experience to make Chile a big player in South Africa as he was the man who guided Argentina to Olympic Gold at the 2004 Olympics, while that same year he took Argentina to the finals of the Copa America, unfortunately losing the final. The fans were more than happy with the work Bielsa was doing at the Argentina helm, but Bielsa himself decided enough was enough and later resigned from his managerial post.

The highlight of Bielsa’s managerial reign with Chile was of course gaining qualification into South Africa, but the 1-0 win at home to Argentina will certainly be up there. It would also be ironic should Bielsa meet Argentina in South Africa, as were he to mastermind Argentina’s downfall once again, it would surely be meet with a hostile reception back home in his home land of Argentina. 

Chile Key Players

Suazo, because of his predatory instincts, generally receives most of the plaudits because of the sheer amount of goals he’s scores, but both Matias Fernandez and Alexis Sanchez played an ample role in an effective forward unit for Chile.

The three generally set up in a diamond like formation, with Suazo the main striker and Fernandez and Sanchez occupying the wings. Fernandez plays the role of architect to perfection, squeezing balls through to a potent and on-his-toes Suazo, while on the opposite side of the pitch will be Sanchez, an explosive and tricky customer who will look to put his blistering pace and acceleration to good effect by sprinting to the touchline and whipping in some delicious deliveries.

Both Fernandez and Sanchez act mainly as the suppliers, while Suazo’s keen eye for goals and composure in front of the goal makes him the ideal hitman up front for Chile. They each play a pivotal role informing a deadly duo for Chile in the final third.

Strengths

Chile were very prolific throughout qualifying, so we feel their obvious strength is their attacking play. With the help of Humberto Suazo, who scored 10 during the qualifiers, and Matias Fernandez in Midfield who scored 4, Chile were able to find the net on no less than 32 occasions, just one shy of Brazil who managed 33. To fall shy of a Brazilian team packed full of attacking flair and quality, you have to be doing some right in the final third of the pitch, so Chile will be a dangerous opponent and difficult to defend against if there record in qualifying serves them well.  

Weaknesses

Chile’s defence appears to be their achilles heels as they conceded more goals in qualifying than any of the other four South American nations who made South Africa’s cut. Claudio Bravo, a goalkeeper for Real Sociedad in Spain, was in goal for all of Chile’s 18 qualifiers and conceded 22 goals. Bravo is just 27 years-old, and for a goalkeeper that’s pretty young. It also doesn’t bode well that their reserve keepers are also very young, with Bravo’s main contenders for the gloves younger than he is. You always need a man with maturity, authority and experience between the sticks and unfortunately for Chile, they don’t have that in Claudio Bravo.

We must say that Chile’s defence did perform a lot better when playing at home, but they won’t have the luxury of playing on home soil in South Africa, so their defence will need to sharpen up soon before they clash with teams which will provide their defence with a thorough examination.

Chile Qualification for the World Cup

Sector: South America
Finishing Position: 2nd
Win-Draw-Lose: 10-3-5
Goals Scored: 32
Goals Conceded: 22

Chile Qualifying Statistics

• Chile score a total of 32 goals in 18 qualifiers, the second best offensive record in the South American qualifying zone.
• The Chileans boast the worst defensive record out of the four automatic qualifying nations from South America, conceding 22 goals in 18 games.
• Humberto Suazo finished as South America’s deadliest striker, scoring 10 goals in 18 appearances during qualifying.
• Chile received the most amount of penalties during qualifying – make of that what you will – with referees handing them four penalties in total.

World Cup Potential: 3/5

The Chileans won’t be a team the bigger nations will ideally look forward to playing, while the group they were drawn in, Group H, means they have a fantastic opportunity of making the last-sixteen. Their main strength is their forward play, spearheaded by South America’s most prolific forward during qualifying, Humberto Suazo, but their defence could be their downfall as their desire to commit men to attack often leaves them exposed and lightweight at the back. If they can get the right balance, Chile could be one of the tournament’s surprise packages. They are definite value and could quite easily make light of their 66/1 quote.

Chile World Cup Betting Odds

Chile to win the World Cup: 50/1 – Bet365 

Before the World Cup the odds on Chile were 66/1 

Official Chile World Cup Squad

Goalkeepers

Claudio Bravo (Real San Sebastian)

Miguel Pinto (Universidad de Chile)

Luis Marin (Union Espanola)

Defenders

Waldo Ponce (Universidad Catolica)

Ismael Fuentes (Universidad Catolica)

Gonzalo Jara (West Bromwich Albion)

Gary Medel (Boca Juniors)

Mauricio Isla (Udinese Calcio)

Arturo Vidal (Bayer Leverkusen)

Pablo Contreras (PAOK Thessaloniki)

Marco Estrada (Universidad de Chile)

Midfielders

Carlos Carmona (Reggina Calcio)

Rodrigo Millar (Colo Colo)

Jorge Valdivia (Al Ain)

Matias Fernandez (Sporting Lisbon)

Rodrigo Tello (Besiktas Istanbul)

Gonzalo Fierro (Flamengo)

Juan Beausejour (America)

Strikers

Humberto Suazo (Real Zaragoza)

Alexis Sanchez (Udinese Calcio)

Mark Gonzalez (CSKA Moscow)

Esteban Paredes (Colo Colo)

Fabian Orellana (Xerez)

last update: 18 June 2010

World Cup 2010 Chile Fixtures – Group H

28/06 – 19.30 – Round of the last 16: Chile – Brazil: 0-3

World Cup 2010 Group H - Table

World Cup Fixtures and Results

Chile

Chile were one of the most impressive teams in the first round of matches, even though they could not go on and put a bit more gloss on their victory over Honduras. Marcelo Bielsa’s side went on to win 1-0 and were good value for their money after dominating the match against the Central American’s and the score line could have, and should have, been a lot bigger. But regardless, it is three points in the bag for Chile, and now they have the chance to push home a strong advantage by doing what favourites Spain could not, and beat Switzerland. Chile have a fantastic balance to their side, and they look as if they have been playing together for years under the same system. They have not of course, but that is what Bielsa, one of the most respected coaches in the world, has done for the South Americans. He has taken them in his firm grip, instilled a new sense of discipline and tactics to make them stronger at the back, without diluting any of that great South American flair.

Chile are a strong side, who can zip quick passes around the pitch, and leave the opposition bewildered. They are similar to Spain, perhaps not as controlled or accomplished, but they can hold the ball and pull opponents all over the field with their quick movement. The Germans aside, Chile showed the most attack minded approach than any other nation in their opening matches, and the positivity was a sheer joy to watch. The only thing was lacking was more goals, and against better teams, Chile will know that if they squander chances as they did against Honduras, they will get punished. If Bielsa can take three points from Switzerland, then they will be firm favourites to win the group, and it will be a vital three points, as Chile still have to face the Spaniards in their final group match. That won’t be any easy task, although it is one of the most mouth-watering fixtures of the last round of group matches. That will be two passing heavyweights going up against one another. Going into the World Cup, Chile were tipped as a dark horse, and they showed why in the first place. Now they need to watch the long balls from Switzerland, and simply play their natural attacking game and they should prevail. They will have seen how tough the Swiss defence held themselves together, but they will also have seen the chances Spain created and should have put away.

Chile World Cup Betting. Tough to bet against them in this match, even though teams have a habit of blowing hot and cold in tournaments. One thing which stands out about Chile is the positive attitude they have in playing their own way, and apparently enjoying it. They look a strong team unit, and are ready to battle it out at the back. It will be worth backing them as outright winners for this match, even with Switzerland’s impressive clean sheet record at the World Cup. Something has to give soon, and Chile, with the right attitude and application, should be able to do it.

Chile World Cup 2010 Stats
Played: P1, W1, D0, L0
GF/GA: 1/0
Cards: Y2, R0
Most Shots: Alexis Sanchez, 4
Top Scorer: Jean Beausejour, 1
Shots/On Goal: 20/5
Fouls Committed: 21
Total Passes: 526
Pass Completion: 73%
Last 5 Form: WDLWW
 

Switzerland

Switzerland have wounded the Spanish giants, and can they now back up all of their good hard work by getting something out of Chile as well? Before the start of the tournament, they weren’t expected to have three points going into their second match, but that is what they have, and with another unlikely win, would put themselves in the driving seat to top the group. The Swiss have a great work ethic and ready to battle and fight for each other, which is impressive. No, their football is not particularly pretty, but it is effective to a large degree. They are used to sitting back and soaking up pressure from teams better than them, and then hitting long balls behind the defence to sneak goals. Chile will have to be aware of that, but one has to wonder how much their effort against Spain took out of the Swiss? Will they be more of a tired side, facing the daunting prospect of being on the back foot for another 90 minutes against the slick, speedy Chileans?

Any points from this match will be crucial for Switzerland, as they will also be banking on taking three points of Honduras in their final match. This is an unexpected position for them, but now they have to make sure that they don’t let all of their hard work count for nothing by not getting to the second round. They still have tough battles on their hands, and Chile are not going to be an easy side for them to contain. But that is five clean sheets in a row now for Switzerland at the World Cup, and that is what will keep them going. Their defence and organisation is their strengths, and they will run and chase and block all day long. This will be a fascinating match between the two sides in Group H with three points going into it. While a point for Switzerland would be fairly satisfactory, they will know that Chile will be pressing hard for all three, as they still have to deal with Spain. Will the Swiss defence succumb to any air of complacency thinking that all of the hard work in the group has already been done?

Switzerland World Cup Betting. Finding odds on them to get a draw would be well worth investigating to be honest. The only thing that should concern punters about backing Switzerland, is if Chile get their noses in front early. Will losing their record of clean sheets mentally and physically break the Swiss, letting Chile run up more goals? That is the danger of the Swiss having to chase a game, opposed to having to hold on to a lead. Any Asian handicap which backs them in the plus and pays a win for the Swiss drawing would be good value to look at. Tough to see them winning, but a draw, with Switzerland, is always on the cards.

Switzerland World Cup 2010 Stats
Played: P1, W1, D0, L0
GF/GA: 1/0
Cards: Y4, R0
Most Shots: Eren Derdiyok, Tranquillo Barnetta, 2
Top Scorer: Gelson Fernandes, 1
Shots/On Goal: 8/3
Fouls Committed: 21
Total Passes: 318
Pass Completion: 57%
Last 5 Form: LLLDW

Chile v Switzerland Betting Odds

Chile to win: 11/8 at Boylesports
Draw: 9/4 at Totesport
Switzerland to win: 5/2 at Coral

Asian Handicap Betting Tip: Well, Chile look favourites to edge this one, even though the odds which the bookmakers are putting forth for this one, seems to pointing towards parity. Theirs is a big swing in favour to Switzerland keeping out the Chileans, so that just means if you think otherwise, then you are going to get good odds, like this:
Chile -0.25 for Evens at Bet365

Chile V Switzerland Odds:

There is generally a team which comes out of the shadows of the major players at the World Cup, to bring some unexpected joy to the greatest football tournament on Earth. Naturally betting will lean towards the World Cup favourites of Spain and Brazil, and that is understandable, considering that realistically, the winners of the tournament will only come from a very short list of about half a dozen teams. It is hard to look beyond Spain, brazil, Argentina, England, Germany and Italy to find a winner of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, as however strong the dark horses may be, it is generally never strong enough to reach the final and then win it. So what do you do with dark horse betting at the World Cup? What makes a team a dark horse? A dark horse in betting is a team or competitor who possesses a lot of potential talent to beat top opposition, but there is usually some flaw which stops them being a major favourite. When it comes to international football, that flaw could be inexperience, the reliance upon one or two major stars only or something like historic big match stage fright. So if you are looking at a World Cup betting promotion and wondering if its worth backing a dark horse, here are some things to consider:

If you draw a dark horse out of your 2010 FIFA World Cup sweepstakes, then fine, you will be relatively happy with an outside shot. But is it worth backing one of these dark horses as outright winners, over the likes of Brazil or Spain? Probably not, as history won’t back up that bet very well. There have only been seven different winners of the World Cup, that shows how hard it is to win it. To do so remember, you have to beat the World, and if you aren’t favourite going into the tournament, then you already have an uphill struggle. As strong as the large contingent from Europe seem, like Portugal, Holland, England and Germany, even these are relative outside bets when looking at the Outright Winner of the World Cup. So imagine how far back a dark horse would be. But that does not mean that they should be ignored, as there are plenty of other betting markets available to back these unknown quantities. Here are the top three World Cup bets on dark horses.

Serbia
Individual World Cup Fixtures betting can turn up some great odds, if  you can pick a World Cup dark horse out of the crowd. Serbia are quietly regarded as being one of the strongest dark horses of the World Cup, and being in a group with Germany, Ghana and Australia, there is a realistic chance of them qualifying, even topping the group. Why? Because group favourite Germany are by no means infallible in this group, even though they have great pedigree and usually come through unscathed on the world stage. Remember that Serbia finished ahead of France in their qualification group. It is the group betting which provides great opportunities on World Cup dark horse odds. Serbia are in a prime position to take advantage in a group where the teams on paper look evenly matched. Of all the teams which are considered dark horses here, the most has been said, albeit understated, about the chances of Serbia. England fans should take note of Serbia, because they could potentially meet England in the second round. Led by Radomir Antic, Serbia favour an attacking style of play, something which paid dividends during qualifying. The technical ability is there too, and a defence led by Manchester United’s Nemanja Vidic and Chelsea’s Branislav Ivanovic, they are solid in all aspects of the game. They also have a tall Peter Crouch type weapon up front in Nikola Zigic.

Chile
Ran a great qualification campaign to finish second to Brazil in the South American zone. Coached by Marcelo Biesla, the Chile national team has come on leaps and bounds since he took over. It has been plain sailing though, as the Biesla introduced a new style of play, once which has made them phenomenally strong all over the pitch. They have the flair expected from a South American team, but they also can battle and dig deep when needed. They were overshadowed by Brazil in both of their qualification encounters, but again looking at a World Cup dark horse betting from a point of view from, they are a good outside bet in the group stages. They are in a group with Spain, Switzerland and Honduras, and not suggesting that they could beat European Champions to top spot, but they would make a solid bet to qualify. They have a great team ethic and at stages during South American qualification, they really were rolling on a wave of great form. They have only won seven of their previous twenty five World Cup matches, but they should be more than capable of chalking up a few more in the win column this year round. The draw has not been that kind to them, and they do have a lot of young talent, which is why they are not worth backing for Outright winner, for they would need to probably beat Spain and Brazil in order to get to the quarter finals.

The Ivory Coast
What difference will Sven Goran-Eriksson make to the national side? Will this increase their chances of progressing from a tough group? They have a wealth of talent available to them, including talisman and winner of the Premier League’s Golden Boot, Didier Drogba. Their strength is in their star players, which come from all across Europe, but that has also been their downfall, in a largely underachieving side. One criticism about the Ivory Coast, clearly on display at the African Cup of Nations, is that they were not able to play together well as a team. Whether this is simply a case of superstars not being able to play together, or the fault of the previous manager in not being able to get them to play together, could be revealed at the World Cup. Their opening salvo must be a firm one against the slightly unpredictable Portuguese. A win there could set them up for progress through to the second round, as long as they can subdue any egos and be efficient against the minnows of the group, Korea DPR. They are not likely to pose a threat to Brazil winning the group, but they make an interesting World Cup dark horse bet, simply because there is the added unknown quantity of the new coach involved. Even if they finish second, then they will probably run into Spain. Not a great position for them, but watch out for them, nonetheless.

Picking out a dark horse for the World Cup simply does not mean picking a team to win the tournament outright. Explore World Cup Betting at Bet365 for example, and you will see the magnitude of bets already available. While there is nothing wrong with plumping for the underdog, don’t be blinded by the long odds on teams like this to be victories at South Africa 2010, but do investigate Group Outright, To Qualify and of course individual match betting. These are the kind of teams which may not grab the headlines, but are great shots for taking second place in the group, and then beyond that, who knows?

Group H World Cup Betting Preview: The favourites for the 2010 FIFA World Cup go in Group H of the competition, which has a very Hispanic flavour to it.

World Cup Teams: Spain, Switzerland, Honduras, Chile

This could possibly be one of the most entertaining groups of South Africa 2010, simply because of the style of football which will be played throughout. Spain have long been favourites to break their duck and lift the World Cup, as they have grown in stature over the past couple of years, winning Euro 2008 and cruising through their European Qualification group. In 2008 they hit the top of the FIFA World Rankings for the first time ever and have not looked back. The Spaniards barely broke a sweat, or so it seemed at times, in reaching the historic tournament in South Africa, with star striker David Villa chipping in with a healthy tally of seven goals. Betting on Spain at the World Cup looks like a fairly safe bet, as they ooze quality throughout their side, and it is hard to see any weaknesses there. They went through qualification in what could have been a tricky group, without dropping a single point. Their ten wins from ten games, came along with 28 goals scored (second highest behind England’s 34) and conceding just five. Only Holland, in their abridged group, qualified with a 100% record. Arsenal’s star midfielder Cesc Fabregas is expected to be fit in time for the Spanish World Cup campaign, and when you plug him into a team which can field Xabi Alonso, Andres Iniesta, Fernando Torres, Sergio Ramos, Carles Puyol, Gerard Pique and Xavi, to name a few, the sheer talent on display looks formidable. They travelled to the Stade de France to take on France in a friendly in March, running out 2-0 winners and making the French look terribly unorganised and unprepared for a major tournament. Spain will begin their World Cup Fixtures, under the guidance of coach Vicente del Bosque, against European side Switzerland. Where in the past there have always been questions over consistency and big match mentality, Spain are firm favourites in World Cup Betting to take home the trophy. The closest they have gotten before is three Quarter Final exits. Standing in their way first is Switzerland, who sprang something of a surprise in winning their qualification group ahead of Greece. Switzerland may unleash a wealth of young talent in their quest to qualify from the group behind Spain, and they have the advantage of having a master technician leading them, in the guise of coach Ottmar Hitzfeld. The tough qualification group will have instilled the Swiss with a good sense of determination, grit and fight, as the battle pretty much went down to the wire. The Swiss only lost one match in winning the group, and should be tough opponents as they take on the European Champions in their opening fixture. They do have a chance of getting out of the group, but if they lose the first game heavily, it could destroy their confidence. Chile are seen as a much stronger threat to Spain, and rightly so. The South American side pushed Brazil all the way in qualification, finishing just one point behind them, and finishing just one goal shy of Brazil’s tally as well. This makes Chile a threat, possibly one of the strongest dark horses. There is a strong contingent coming from South America, with Brazil, Chile, Paraguay and Argentina all heading to South Africa. Chile’s second place finish in qualification may have been a bit of surprise, but they are certainly not a team to be discounted, with Humberto Suazo a deadly threat up front. Honduras are only making their second appearance at the world cup, after scraping into the third automatic qualification spot in the CONCACAF zone behind the USA and Mexico. Probably the weakest side in the group, but their fans will be buoyant as they look to impress on the greatest stage of World football.

Group H| Betting Stats (World Cup History form in brackets)
(Final outcomes of Golden Goal, Extra Time and Penalty Shoot Out results count as wins or losses)

Spain: Super strong and clear favourites to win in South Africa. They have beaten Switzerland twice before at the World Cup, drew once with Honduras in ‘82, and have beaten Chile in their only encounter. So one of the rare occasions where a team has encountered all of their group opposition before in World Cup history. Does not look to be anything to fear. (P49, W23, D9, L17)

Switzerland: The Helvetians will be hoping for better things against Spain than their previous two World Cup encounters, which both ended in defeats. They have also lost to Chile once, back in 1962. Have not encountered Honduras before. (P26, W8, D4, L14)

Chile: They finished in third place in 1962 if you were thinking the South Americans didn’t have any great World Cup history. Haven’t come close to repeating it though. Will fancy their chances as they have beaten Switzerland before, which could be the crunch match this time around. Never played Honduras at the World Cup, and have lost once to Spain. (P25, W7, D6, L12)

Honduras: Only their second appearance, and have only encountered Spain before out of their 2010 group rivals. Held Spain to a 1-1 after going ahead in the match in 1982. Looking to win their first World Cup match. (P3, W0, D2, L1)

World Cup Group H - Table

Group Stage Fixture List

World Cup Betting at Stan James for Outright Winner of Group H, has Chile at 4/1, Switzerland at 9/1, Honduras at 22/1 and Spain are favourites at 1/3 (and 7/2 to Win the World Cup Outright).

Manager: Marcelo Bielsa
Captain: Claudio Bravo
FIFA World Ranking: 15
World Cup Appearances: 8
Best World Cup: Third Place – 1962

Chile Team Profile

Chile have a formidable record when it comes to qualifying for World Cup’s, with South Africa 2010 set to be their ninth appearance in the competition often touted as the greatest sporting spectacle on the planet. However, unlike ever before Chile come into the finals in tremendous form and full of optimism after finishing the South American round of qualifying in 2nd position, just one point shy of the World No.1′s Brazil.

Despite only being ranked 15 in the FIFA Rankings, Chile were just a point off Brazil in the South America standings and finished above three others South American nations competing in South Africa this summer; Paraguay, Uruguay and even Argentina. Moreover, only Brazil could better Chile’s scoring exploits of 33 goals in 18 qualifiers in what was a prolific qualification campaign for the Chileans.

Marcelo Bielsa, an Argentine at heart, has worked wonders with the Chilean team and his direct reward was to reach the South African finals in 2010. He has made Chile a more potent attacking force, with Humberto Suazo the star of qualifying with 10 goals in 18 qualifiers, while consistency has also been added to their game, while both attributes will serve them well in South Africa as they pit their wits against some of the World’s best nations on a more regular basis.

Nicknames: La Roja (The Red One) 

Manager

Marcelo Bielsa is a huge favourite with the Chilean public after his efforts to guide Chile to the World Cup in South Africa were successful, even finishing above the country Bielsa originates from, Argentina.

Bielsa does have the necessary international experience to make Chile a big player in South Africa as he was the man who guided Argentina to Olympic Gold at the 2004 Olympics, while that same year he took Argentina to the finals of the Copa America, unfortunately losing the final. The fans were more than happy with the work Bielsa was doing at the Argentina helm, but Bielsa himself decided enough was enough and later resigned from his managerial post.

The highlight of Bielsa’s managerial reign with Chile was of course gaining qualification into South Africa, but the 1-0 win at home to Argentina will certainly be up there. It would also be ironic should Bielsa meet Argentina in South Africa, as were he to mastermind Argentina’s downfall once again, it would surely be meet with a hostile reception back home in his home land of Argentina. 

Chile Key Players

Suazo, because of his predatory instincts, generally receives most of the plaudits because of the sheer amount of goals he’s scores, but both Matias Fernandez and Alexis Sanchez played an ample role in an effective forward unit for Chile.

The three generally set up in a diamond like formation, with Suazo the main striker and Fernandez and Sanchez occupying the wings. Fernandez plays the role of architect to perfection, squeezing balls through to a potent and on-his-toes Suazo, while on the opposite side of the pitch will be Sanchez, an explosive and tricky customer who will look to put his blistering pace and acceleration to good effect by sprinting to the touchline and whipping in some delicious deliveries.

Both Fernandez and Sanchez act mainly as the suppliers, while Suazo’s keen eye for goals and composure in front of the goal makes him the ideal hitman up front for Chile. They each play a pivotal role informing a deadly duo for Chile in the final third.

Strengths

Chile were very prolific throughout qualifying, so we feel their obvious strength is their attacking play. With the help of Humberto Suazo, who scored 10 during the qualifiers, and Matias Fernandez in Midfield who scored 4, Chile were able to find the net on no less than 32 occasions, just one shy of Brazil who managed 33. To fall shy of a Brazilian team packed full of attacking flair and quality, you have to be doing some right in the final third of the pitch, so Chile will be a dangerous opponent and difficult to defend against if there record in qualifying serves them well.  

Weaknesses

Chile’s defence appears to be their achilles heels as they conceded more goals in qualifying than any of the other four South American nations who made South Africa’s cut. Claudio Bravo, a goalkeeper for Real Sociedad in Spain, was in goal for all of Chile’s 18 qualifiers and conceded 22 goals. Bravo is just 27 years-old, and for a goalkeeper that’s pretty young. It also doesn’t bode well that their reserve keepers are also very young, with Bravo’s main contenders for the gloves younger than he is. You always need a man with maturity, authority and experience between the sticks and unfortunately for Chile, they don’t have that in Claudio Bravo.

We must say that Chile’s defence did perform a lot better when playing at home, but they won’t have the luxury of playing on home soil in South Africa, so their defence will need to sharpen up soon before they clash with teams which will provide their defence with a thorough examination.

Chile Qualification for the World Cup

Sector: South America
Finishing Position: 2nd
Win-Draw-Lose: 10-3-5
Goals Scored: 32
Goals Conceded: 22

Chile Qualifying Statistics

• Chile score a total of 32 goals in 18 qualifiers, the second best offensive record in the South American qualifying zone.
• The Chileans boast the worst defensive record out of the four automatic qualifying nations from South America, conceding 22 goals in 18 games.
• Humberto Suazo finished as South America’s deadliest striker, scoring 10 goals in 18 appearances during qualifying.
• Chile received the most amount of penalties during qualifying – make of that what you will – with referees handing them four penalties in total.

World Cup Potential: 3/5

The Chileans won’t be a team the bigger nations will ideally look forward to playing, while the group they were drawn in, Group H, means they have a fantastic opportunity of making the last-sixteen. Their main strength is their forward play, spearheaded by South America’s most prolific forward during qualifying, Humberto Suazo, but their defence could be their downfall as their desire to commit men to attack often leaves them exposed and lightweight at the back. If they can get the right balance, Chile could be one of the tournament’s surprise packages. They are definite value and could quite easily make light of their 66/1 quote.

Chile World Cup Betting Odds

Chile to win the World Cup: 50/1 – Bet365 

Before the World Cup the odds on Chile were 66/1 

Official Chile World Cup Squad

Goalkeepers

Claudio Bravo (Real San Sebastian)

Miguel Pinto (Universidad de Chile)

Luis Marin (Union Espanola)

Defenders

Waldo Ponce (Universidad Catolica)

Ismael Fuentes (Universidad Catolica)

Gonzalo Jara (West Bromwich Albion)

Gary Medel (Boca Juniors)

Mauricio Isla (Udinese Calcio)

Arturo Vidal (Bayer Leverkusen)

Pablo Contreras (PAOK Thessaloniki)

Marco Estrada (Universidad de Chile)

Midfielders

Carlos Carmona (Reggina Calcio)

Rodrigo Millar (Colo Colo)

Jorge Valdivia (Al Ain)

Matias Fernandez (Sporting Lisbon)

Rodrigo Tello (Besiktas Istanbul)

Gonzalo Fierro (Flamengo)

Juan Beausejour (America)

Strikers

Humberto Suazo (Real Zaragoza)

Alexis Sanchez (Udinese Calcio)

Mark Gonzalez (CSKA Moscow)

Esteban Paredes (Colo Colo)

Fabian Orellana (Xerez)

last update: 18 June 2010

World Cup 2010 Chile Fixtures – Group H

28/06 – 19.30 – Round of the last 16: Chile – Brazil: 0-3

World Cup Group H - Table

World Cup Fixtures and Results

World Cup Group of Chile