World Cup Betting: Netherlands Meets Uruguay
Down 1-0 to Brazil at the half in their quarterfinals match, the Dutch appeared to be on their way home before rallying in the final 45 minutes for the 2-1 victory. Now the Netherlands will carry strong soccer chalk into the semifinals against Uruguay who will be missing Luis Suarez who was red-carded for a handball in the win over Ghana. The match kicks off at 2:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday in Cape Town with ESPN broadcasting the action.
Uruguay and Netherlands are both without key players for Tuesday’s World Cup Semifinal match at Green Point Stadium in Cape Town (2:30 p.m. ET, ESPN).
Expect the dogged Uruguayans to suffer the brunt of the losses, too, and for it to be the difference on Tuesday.
Striker Luis Suarez, the leading scorer in Europe last season, is out after taking a red card in Uruguay’s win over Ghana on penalty kicks in the Quarterfinals, while defender Jorge Fucile is gone after picking up his second yellow card against the Black Stars.
Suarez, of course, was nailed for a handball on what would have been the winning goal for Ghana in the last minute of extra time on Friday in Johannesburg. Asamoah Gyan hit the crossbar on the ensuing penalty kick, and La Celeste went on to down Ghana 4-2 in the shootout.
Diego Forlan scored on a beautiful free kick in the 55th minute for Uruguay, and he’ll need to be at his best to give his side a chance with Suarez out of the formation. Besides Suarez, Forlan is the only Uruguayan player that can scare an opposing defense. Edinson Cavani also needs to step up on Tuesday.
Perhaps a bigger loss is Fucile, Uruguay’s top defender. Fucile would have drawn the assignment on Netherlands striker Robin van Persie, but without him, Uruguay is hard pressed to shut down the Oranje attack for 90 minutes.
On top of those huge losses, captain Diego Lugano (right knee) is doubtful for the Uruguayans, who do have defender Diego Godin returning to the mix on Tuesday.
It won’t be enough for Uruguay, which is on the soccer betting odds board as a tantalizing +525 moneyline underdog for the Semifinals. Thing is, there’s reason La Celeste are offering such a payday: There’s little chance it hangs with Netherlands with Suarez and Fucile on the sidelines.
Soccer oddsmakers have the Dutch as -165 chalk, with the draw set at +255. The total is listed at 2, and Netherlands is a 1-goal favorite on the spread, where it’s priced at +125.
Bettors should look at World Cup props to find value for the match. Netherlands by one goal at +225 is a nice play, as is an exact score of 1-0 (+400) or 2-1 (+800) for the Oranje.
If you’re backing the pups for Tuesday’s Semifinals, do yourself – and your bankroll – a favor by parlaying a Uruguay victory with an exact score of 1-0 (+1000) or 2-1 (+1800). A La Celeste win is already enough of of a longshot, so why not go big if you’re throwing caution to the wind?
There’s some hope for the Uruguayans on Tuesday. Defender Gregory van der Wiel and midfielder Nigel de Jong are both out after picking up their second yellows in the Netherlands’ surprising 2-1 triumph over World Cup favorite Brazil in the Quarterfinals on Friday in Port Elizabeth.
Both are key performers for the Dutch, and there’s little doubt they’ll be missed. Still, Netherlands has the depth to beat a team of Uruguay’s caliber without them; especially with van Persie (elbow) and defender Jovis Mathijsen (knee) being declared fit for the match.
Persie left in the 85th minute against the Brazilians, and had his elbow heavily taped after leaving the pitch. His inclusion in the lineup can only help leading scorer Wesley Sneijder and fellow striker Arjen Robben have more freedom against a depleted Uruguay backline.
The Uruguayans and Dutch are the only two undefeated sides remaining, but that doesn’t mean the underdogs are on the same level as the Oranje. Uruguay has yet to face an elite country after winning a Group A that included France, South Africa, and Mexico.
La Celeste then got past South Korea before escaping against Ghana. While Netherlands’ Group E competition wasn’t particularly strong (Denmark, Japan, Cameroon), the Dutch shook off a pesky Slovakian side before knocking off pre-tournament chalk Brazil.
Bettors looking for a Netherlands letdown should reconsider. The Dutch aren’t about to let a golden opportunity slip away, especially with their loss to Russia in the Euro 2008 quarterfinals fresh in their minds.
If you weren’t sold on the Netherlands’ second-half performance against Brazil on Friday, you shouldn’t be betting the World Cup.
Down 1-0 to Brazil at the half in their quarterfinals match, the Dutch appeared to be on their way home before rallying in the final 45 minutes for the 2-1 victory. Now the Netherlands will carry strong soccer chalk into the semifinals against Uruguay who will be missing Luis Suarez who was red-carded for a handball in the win over Ghana. The match kicks off at 2:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday in Cape Town with ESPN broadcasting the action.
Uruguay and Netherlands are both without key players for Tuesday’s World Cup Semifinal match at Green Point Stadium in Cape Town (2:30 p.m. ET, ESPN).
Expect the dogged Uruguayans to suffer the brunt of the losses, too, and for it to be the difference on Tuesday.
Striker Luis Suarez, the leading scorer in Europe last season, is out after taking a red card in Uruguay’s win over Ghana on penalty kicks in the Quarterfinals, while defender Jorge Fucile is gone after picking up his second yellow card against the Black Stars.
Suarez, of course, was nailed for a handball on what would have been the winning goal for Ghana in the last minute of extra time on Friday in Johannesburg. Asamoah Gyan hit the crossbar on the ensuing penalty kick, and La Celeste went on to down Ghana 4-2 in the shootout.
Diego Forlan scored on a beautiful free kick in the 55th minute for Uruguay, and he’ll need to be at his best to give his side a chance with Suarez out of the formation. Besides Suarez, Forlan is the only Uruguayan player that can scare an opposing defense. Edinson Cavani also needs to step up on Tuesday.
Perhaps a bigger loss is Fucile, Uruguay’s top defender. Fucile would have drawn the assignment on Netherlands striker Robin van Persie, but without him, Uruguay is hard pressed to shut down the Oranje attack for 90 minutes.
On top of those huge losses, captain Diego Lugano (right knee) is doubtful for the Uruguayans, who do have defender Diego Godin returning to the mix on Tuesday.
It won’t be enough for Uruguay, which is on the soccer betting odds board as a tantalizing +525 moneyline underdog for the Semifinals. Thing is, there’s reason La Celeste are offering such a payday: There’s little chance it hangs with Netherlands with Suarez and Fucile on the sidelines.
Soccer oddsmakers have the Dutch as -165 chalk, with the draw set at +255. The total is listed at 2, and Netherlands is a 1-goal favorite on the spread, where it’s priced at +125.
Bettors should look at World Cup props to find value for the match. Netherlands by one goal at +225 is a nice play, as is an exact score of 1-0 (+400) or 2-1 (+800) for the Oranje.
If you’re backing the pups for Tuesday’s Semifinals, do yourself – and your bankroll – a favor by parlaying a Uruguay victory with an exact score of 1-0 (+1000) or 2-1 (+1800). A La Celeste win is already enough of of a longshot, so why not go big if you’re throwing caution to the wind?
There’s some hope for the Uruguayans on Tuesday. Defender Gregory van der Wiel and midfielder Nigel de Jong are both out after picking up their second yellows in the Netherlands’ surprising 2-1 triumph over World Cup favorite Brazil in the Quarterfinals on Friday in Port Elizabeth.
Both are key performers for the Dutch, and there’s little doubt they’ll be missed. Still, Netherlands has the depth to beat a team of Uruguay’s caliber without them; especially with van Persie (elbow) and defender Jovis Mathijsen (knee) being declared fit for the match.
Persie left in the 85th minute against the Brazilians, and had his elbow heavily taped after leaving the pitch. His inclusion in the lineup can only help leading scorer Wesley Sneijder and fellow striker Arjen Robben have more freedom against a depleted Uruguay backline.
The Uruguayans and Dutch are the only two undefeated sides remaining, but that doesn’t mean the underdogs are on the same level as the Oranje. Uruguay has yet to face an elite country after winning a Group A that included France, South Africa, and Mexico.
La Celeste then got past South Korea before escaping against Ghana. While Netherlands’ Group E competition wasn’t particularly strong (Denmark, Japan, Cameroon), the Dutch shook off a pesky Slovakian side before knocking off pre-tournament chalk Brazil.
Bettors looking for a Netherlands letdown should reconsider. The Dutch aren’t about to let a golden opportunity slip away, especially with their loss to Russia in the Euro 2008 quarterfinals fresh in their minds.
If you weren’t sold on the Netherlands’ second-half performance against Brazil on Friday, you shouldn’t be betting the World Cup.