Betting on Spain at the World Cup 2010

The 2008 European Champions, Spain, maybe the favourites to clinch a quick-fire double in South Africa by landing the World Cup crown, but it looks as though injuries will provide them with some unnecessary hurdles that they must first jump in order to continue hitting their peak.

In the English Premier League, Arsenal’s Cesc Fabregas was ruled out for the rest of the season, which in reality was only about a month or so, with a broken leg – suffering from a small crack in his right fibula, but the harsh reality for Spain was Fabregas would then have to spend at least six weeks on the sidelines, leaving him with a mountainous task of regaining his fitness in time for the trip to South Africa.

The second star to be involved in the Premier League for Spain is of course their highly talented and regular goalscorer Fernando Torres. Liverpool’s talismanic forward has been plagued with injuries all season long and has struggled to get a consistent run of games for the Reds. His latest setback, one which ensured he would end Liverpool’s drab season on the sidelines, was a knee injury, although the fact Torres has surgery in advance means he should be fit in time for the finals, but he’ll be short on some crucial match fitness and sharpness as a result.

One of the other notable injury concerns, a player who has also been tied up with injuries, is Barcelona’s Andres Iniesta. The Spain play-maker has been sidelined since the middle of April with a hamstring injury, and while many expect Iniesta to return before the finals kick off, Iniesta has suffered several setbacks along the way to his recovery which has set his return back further than initially planned.

Last, and certainly not least, is another Barcelona engine room worker, Xavi Hernandez. Iniesta’s partner in crime, both for club and country, is apparently playing through the pain barrier for his club in order to end the season with the La Liga title. The reports are that Xavi has a tear in his calf muscle and fears are that he could miss South Africa altogether should he sustain further damage to his calf. Xavi has shrugged off the concerns by saying he has a number of knocks, none of which are a worry to him, but as the physio room begins to fill for Spain, will punters early warmth towards the Spanish side begin to dampen?

Spain to WIN FIFA World Cup in South Africa – 5.00 (4/1) Bet365

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:Vicente Del Bosque
Captain: Iker Casillas
FIFA World Ranking: 2
World Cup Appearances: 12
Best World Cup: Fourth Place – 1950

Spain Team Profile

Ah, the silky Spaniards. The favourites to win South Africa’s show-piece event, the side no-one in their right mind will look forward to playing, as the former World No. 1 now turned World No. 2 seek out a sensational double after winning the 2008 European Championships in their last major tournament.

The Spanish will try to complete a double of major honours as they prepare for South Africa 2010 with the objective being to become the first European nation to back a European Championship success up with victory in the World Cup. However, to do so Spain will need to make their first ever World Cup final to even stand a chance of making even more records under Vicente Del Bosque. In fact the further Spain have ever got in a World Cup is the semi-finals, and even then it was on just the one occasions over a decade ago.

Times have changed though since 1950, the one and only time Spain made the semi-finals of a World Cup, and 2010 is surely the year when Spain at least break their duct of having never reached a World Cup final. Their squad is lined with world-beaters, some of football’s biggest names, and under the wise old knowledge and guidance of Del Bosque, this Spanish team is arguably the best there has ever been. They sailed through qualifying with an immaculate record, winning all 10 of their qualifiers – The only team with a perfect 100% record going to South Africa, while it was only last year their run of 35 games without loss came crashing to an end at the FIFA Confederations Cup.

Spain were widely known for being one of the biggest underachievers in International football but their success in the 2008 European Championships has put that unwanted tag to bed for the time being. However, big things are expected of the Spanish once again, and with one of the best squads in the tournament, the underachieving tag could come out of the closet should Spain not make serious inroads during their stay in South Africa.

Nicknames: La Furia Roja (The Red Fury), La Roja (The Red One)

Manager

Vicente Del Bosque is a veteran in his managerial career and is not short of a success or two either. In his playing career, he spent all his days as a defender, winning five Spanish La Liga titles with Spanish giants Real Madrid. He then went on to manage Real Madrid after he hung up his playing boots and led the club to their most successful period between 1999-2003, winning a brace of Champions League titles along with two La Liga titles.

Del Bosque‘s also has bags of experience when it comes to managing ‘big players’. Luis Figo, Zinedine Zidane and Ronaldo were all under his guidance while at Real Madrid and moulded the three legends of football into a world class act. He will be aiming to do the same with Spain and he certainly has a host of quality players at his disposal.

Spain Key Players

Iker Casillas

There has been an ongoing debate for some time about who is the best goalkeeper in the world but for the last decade or so, Iker Casillas has always been in the frame. He has been Real Madrid’s best ever goalkeeper and arguably Spain’s greatest ever, also. Lightening fast reactions, quick reflexes and his immense presence in his own penalty area makes for one of the worlds finest goalkeepers and when Casillas is on top of his game, it really does take something extraordinary to beat him.

David Villa & Fernando Torres

For most countries, one world-class striker is hard to come by. Spain, though, they have two of the World’s best forwards on the planet in Valencia’s prolific David Villa; a predator in and around the opposing penalty area, and Liverpool’s own Fernando Torres; a player with immense talent and the composure of mind to crate and score a goal from a seemingly impossible position. These two are menacing together, almost unstoppable when partnered, and it bodes well for Spain that two of the favourites for the Golden Shoe are in their team.

Fernando Torres has scored 23 goals in 72 games for Spain, which is actually on the slim side, but Villa more than makes up for Torres’ sloppy looking international record, scoring a staggering 36 goals in 55 caps for his country. To say these two have goals in them would be stating the obvious.

Xavi & Iniesta

The World’s most skilful players often enjoy the limelight in football today but if you ask any football purist who they think the best player in the world is, we bet these two would get an awful lot of mentions. The pair have the ability to not only control a match but also dictate the tempo at which it will be played. They take the game by the scruff of the neck and make things happen with their swift one-two’s and their inch-perfect through balls. The duet are a lethal combination at both club and international level, and because they both play for Barcelona, the chemistry between the two is perfection. If you want to halt the Spanish express, you’ll need to find a way to stop the source; Xavi & Iniesta.

Strengths

Spain‘s biggest asset is their ability to retain the ball. Quick and slick should be their motto. Their crisp passing doesn’t just get them out of sticky situations but it also creates chance after chance and it’s a defenders nightmare keeping up with the pace of Spain‘s passing. They switch the flank at every opportunity in a bid to expose the opposing full-backs and their own full-backs forward and they will look to bombard the defence with crosses. The good thing about Spain’s play is they can vary their style of play. One moment they will be feeling out the oppositions defence with the short, crisp passing while the next they’ll be flinging the ball out to Sergio Ramos & Capdevilla to whip the ball into the forwards. This makes reading the play very hard and is one of the reasons why Spain have become so successful in recent years.

Weaknesses

Spain‘s passing maybe close to perfection but they’re a side who can pass the ball around too much in a bid to score the ‘perfect goal’. Spain generally don’t have a problem against sides that attack them, despite their defence not being the strongest, but when a team sets up in a defensive manner and puts 10 men behind the ball, Spain can often struggle to break these teams down. Too much time is wasted in the centre of the park and were a big side to go one-nil up, it’s feasible that they could then hold out the Spanish attacks and use Spain’s strength to their advantage.

Spain Qualification for the World Cup

Sector: Europe
Group: 5
Position: 1st
Win-Draw-Lose: 10-0-0
Goals Scored: 28
Goals Conceded: 5

World Cup Potential: 5/5

Spain, with the array of talent within their midst, really should be targeting at least a semi-final, of not a final appearance as their squad is just too strong not to make serious progression in South Africa. The pressure, though, on Spain is massive and it remains to be seen just how the Spain players deal with the intense pressure and the expectations of a nation. They’ve generally faltered on the biggest stage of the lot, in the World Cup, and the fact they’ve never even made a final before is a big concern, although Spain have never had a team as good as this and it would be criminal were they not to go close during the summer.

The Spanish are the favourites to win and rightly so; there odds to win outright underline this, but whether their class will equate into a World Cup victory remains to be seen. For one reason or another, we have our doubts. Remember, this is a country which hasn’t just never won the World Cup before they’ve never even made the final of a World Cup. Even so, stronger claims for the crown than most.

Spain World Cup Betting Odds

Spain to win the World Cup (before the final):      1/2 – Bwin

Before the World Cup the odds on Spain were 17/4 

Official Spain World Cup Squad

Goalkeepers

Iker Casillas (Real Madrid)

Jose Manuel Reina (Liverpool)

Victor Valdes (Barcelona)

Defenders

Raul Albiol (Real Madrid)

Alvaro Arbeloa (Real Madrid)

Joan Capdevila (Villarreal)

Carlos Marchena (Valencia)

Gerard Pique (Barcelona)

Carles Puyol (Barcelona)

Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid)

Midfielders

Xabi Alonso (Real Madrid)

Sergio Busquets (Barcelona)

Francesc Fabregas (Arsenal)

Andres Iniesta (Barcelona)

Javier Martínez (Athletic Bilbao)

David Silva (Valencia)

Xavi (Barcelona)

Jesus Navas (Sevilla)

Strikers

Fernando Torres (Liverpool)

David Villa (Valencia)

Fernando Llorente (Athletic Bilbao)

Juan Manuel Mata (FC Valencia)

Pedro (FC Barcelona)

last update: 18 June 2010

World Cup 2010 Spain Fixtures – Group H

29 June – 19.30 – Round of the last 16: Spain v Portugal: 1-0

03 July – 19.30 – Quarter Finals: Spain v Paraguay: 1-0

07 July – 19.30 – Semi Finals: Spain v Germany

11 July – 19.30 – World Cup Final: Spain v Holland

World Cup Group H - Table

 World Cup Fixtures and Results

World Cup Group of Spain