World Cup Final: Soccer odds Favor Spain
The Wide World of Sports tag line comes to mind when thinking about Sunday's World Cup Final: "The thrill of victory and the agony of defeat." One team will go home triumphant and the other will head home disappointed when Spain and Netherlands get together at 2:30 p.m. ET. Favored before the tournament opened, the Spanish are favored to take down the Dutch and reign as both Euro and World Cup champions.
The best defensive side in World Cup 2010 meets the only remaining undefeated country when Spain clashes with Netherlands in Sunday’s Final at Soccer City Stadium in Johannesburg (2:30 p.m. ET, ABC).
Both sides have huge monkeys to get off their respective backs. Spain, a perennial underachiever on the international stage, has finally lived up to expectations as the co-tournament favorite, while Netherlands has the chance to avenge its World Cup Final losses in ’74 and ’78.
Normally, I wouldn’t read too much into any of that stuff. Typically, history has nothing to do with a current collection of players. You’ll read that the Spaniards defeated the Dutch in ’83; most of the players on the pitch Sunday weren’t alive when the match took place.
Still, history weighs on the minds of the players because this is the World Cup, and we here on this side of the Atlantic have no real idea of what that really means.
Soccer is a religion in the rest of the world and you can rest assured both La Roja and the Oranje feel the weight of their entire nation on their shoulders. In the grand scheme of things, Sunday’s match makes the Lakers-Celtics NBA Finals seem like a friendly trip to the farmer’s market.
Spain is a +115 moneyline favorite on the soccer betting odds board to win its first World Cup title, while Netherlands is priced as a +235 underdog. The draw is set at +230, while the total is listed at 2.
Given the exploits of co-World Cup leading scorer David Villa (five goals) and the talent surrounding the Barcelona striker, you’d think the Spaniards were an offensive juggernaut. Not so.
Spain has been easily the best defensive side in the tournament. La Roja have allowed only two markers in six matches, and play a possession style more than an attacking one.
The plan for the Spaniards is to control the ball and pace, utilize superb midfielders Xavi, Andres Iniesta, and Xabi Alonso to dictate the proceedings, and for them to set up Villa when the time is right.
If Spain scores first against any side – Netherlands included – there’s no country in the world that can beat it.
Still, if there’s anyone in this World Cup that can take the Spaniards out of rhythm it’s the Dutch. Brazil fell into this category as well, but Netherlands upset the other pre-tourney fave with a 2-1 win in the Quarterfinals.
The Oranje average of two goals per match leads the World Cup. Wesley Sneijder is tied with Villa for the World Cup lead in goals, and Arjen Robben and Robin van Persie are capable of scoring at any time.
The Netherlands’ balance is a real strength, and the lack thereof is a real concern for Spain. Besides Villa, no player has scored more than once for the Spaniards, who have only seven goals in six World Cup matches.
La Roja are the kings of the 1-0 victory, as Germany can surely attest to after Wednesday’s Semifinals in Durban.
If Spain is the tourney’s best and most efficient side, Netherlands simply has a knack for winning soccer. It’s not ‘Total Football’, but the results are the same as those famous Oranje teams from the 70s.
The Dutch have yet to play a complete match in South Africa, and you have to think they need to against the Spaniards. That said, Netherlands has gone through the tournament undefeated, which is something Spain can’t say after its 1-0 loss to Switzerland in its opening match.
That’s something else working against La Roja: No side that dropped their first match has ever gone on to win the World Cup.
The Spaniards are the better side, but the Dutch aren’t far off. Add the intense pressure Spain is sure to be under as the chalk on Sunday, and the match is close to a pick ‘em in real terms. Remember that the Spaniards were supposed to be here: This is their chance.
If you subscribe to my line of thinking, it’s easy to see the value in the Dutch as +235 pups, or in the draw. Given that Netherlands has yet to lose, it’s undervalued for Sunday’s Final.
The Wide World of Sports tag line comes to mind when thinking about Sunday's World Cup Final: "The thrill of victory and the agony of defeat." One team will go home triumphant and the other will head home disappointed when Spain and Netherlands get together at 2:30 p.m. ET. Favored before the tournament opened, the Spanish are favored to take down the Dutch and reign as both Euro and World Cup champions.
The best defensive side in World Cup 2010 meets the only remaining undefeated country when Spain clashes with Netherlands in Sunday’s Final at Soccer City Stadium in Johannesburg (2:30 p.m. ET, ABC).
Both sides have huge monkeys to get off their respective backs. Spain, a perennial underachiever on the international stage, has finally lived up to expectations as the co-tournament favorite, while Netherlands has the chance to avenge its World Cup Final losses in ’74 and ’78.
Normally, I wouldn’t read too much into any of that stuff. Typically, history has nothing to do with a current collection of players. You’ll read that the Spaniards defeated the Dutch in ’83; most of the players on the pitch Sunday weren’t alive when the match took place.
Still, history weighs on the minds of the players because this is the World Cup, and we here on this side of the Atlantic have no real idea of what that really means.
Soccer is a religion in the rest of the world and you can rest assured both La Roja and the Oranje feel the weight of their entire nation on their shoulders. In the grand scheme of things, Sunday’s match makes the Lakers-Celtics NBA Finals seem like a friendly trip to the farmer’s market.
Spain is a +115 moneyline favorite on the soccer betting odds board to win its first World Cup title, while Netherlands is priced as a +235 underdog. The draw is set at +230, while the total is listed at 2.
Given the exploits of co-World Cup leading scorer David Villa (five goals) and the talent surrounding the Barcelona striker, you’d think the Spaniards were an offensive juggernaut. Not so.
Spain has been easily the best defensive side in the tournament. La Roja have allowed only two markers in six matches, and play a possession style more than an attacking one.
The plan for the Spaniards is to control the ball and pace, utilize superb midfielders Xavi, Andres Iniesta, and Xabi Alonso to dictate the proceedings, and for them to set up Villa when the time is right.
If Spain scores first against any side – Netherlands included – there’s no country in the world that can beat it.
Still, if there’s anyone in this World Cup that can take the Spaniards out of rhythm it’s the Dutch. Brazil fell into this category as well, but Netherlands upset the other pre-tourney fave with a 2-1 win in the Quarterfinals.
The Oranje average of two goals per match leads the World Cup. Wesley Sneijder is tied with Villa for the World Cup lead in goals, and Arjen Robben and Robin van Persie are capable of scoring at any time.
The Netherlands’ balance is a real strength, and the lack thereof is a real concern for Spain. Besides Villa, no player has scored more than once for the Spaniards, who have only seven goals in six World Cup matches.
La Roja are the kings of the 1-0 victory, as Germany can surely attest to after Wednesday’s Semifinals in Durban.
If Spain is the tourney’s best and most efficient side, Netherlands simply has a knack for winning soccer. It’s not ‘Total Football’, but the results are the same as those famous Oranje teams from the 70s.
The Dutch have yet to play a complete match in South Africa, and you have to think they need to against the Spaniards. That said, Netherlands has gone through the tournament undefeated, which is something Spain can’t say after its 1-0 loss to Switzerland in its opening match.
That’s something else working against La Roja: No side that dropped their first match has ever gone on to win the World Cup.
The Spaniards are the better side, but the Dutch aren’t far off. Add the intense pressure Spain is sure to be under as the chalk on Sunday, and the match is close to a pick ‘em in real terms. Remember that the Spaniards were supposed to be here: This is their chance.
If you subscribe to my line of thinking, it’s easy to see the value in the Dutch as +235 pups, or in the draw. Given that Netherlands has yet to lose, it’s undervalued for Sunday’s Final.
