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Guide to 2018 World Cup
Betting |
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Image Souce :
TayebMEZAHDIA |
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Kicking off on Thursday
14th June, the 2018 World Cup in Russia will not only be the biggest
sporting event on the planet, but it will also be a betting mans dream.
The sixty-four matchesall televised are only the start. There are
numerous other types of wagers to be had, including the golden boot, golden
glove, group winners, last sixteen, etc. Many of these markets offer value for
the canny punter who is willing to do a little research. First things first,
though
If you are not too familiar with the different varieties of bets
that are available for football, then this guide
will quickly get you up to speed.
Other than the plethora of
betting opportunities stemming from the actual games and groups, one can also
take advantage of the myriad of betting offers and bonuses that companies throw
around when a major tournament rolls into town. For example, BetStars are
running a competition whereby you predict the winners of each game through to
the final; its £100
Million Challenge comes with massive prizes up for
grabs.
Traditional betting on the ultimate tournament winner (or
World Cup outrights) is usually where most people start. The
majority of money will go on Brazil and Germany, but the odds reflect this and,
in truth, represent poor value for a tournament with so many variables. France
look to be the best bet of the four most fancied teams, with talent-stacked
Belgium also looking attractive at 10/1.
The best value is found with
the teams that are not expected to progress out of the group stage but, in
reality, have very good chances of doing so. Take Group A, for example. Uruguay
are favourites to top the group, and with good reason. Hosts Russia are second
favourites, but both their team and form coming into the tournament really do
not reflect that. Their squad (which is already fairly weak) has been decimated
with injuries, and although the pressure of being hosts could work in their
favour, it is just as likely to work against them. The obvious team to take the
second spot is Egypt. What makes this even more fascinating is the injury to
their star player Mo Salah. Salah was injured in the Champions League Final,
and his World Cup was in doubt. Recent reports are more encouraging for the Liverpool
front man, and if he is firing on all cylinders in Russia, it is hard to see
past his team squeezing out Russia.
Group C is another one where the
odds might not reflect reality. Once again there is a clear favourite in
France, with Australia unlikely to make an impact in the tournament. This
leaves Peru and Denmark to fight it out for second spot. They face each other
first, with the winner almost certain to progress to the next round. The odds
on that game are extremely close, whereas the ones for the team to come in
second very much point towards Denmark being the side to advance. However,
anyone who has been following Perus recent progress would be very tempted
to put their money on the South American side.
Betting on the
tournaments top scorer is another market where one can find value,
especially because it can feature players from unfancied teams. To become the
top scorer, you need approximately 6 goals on average. A player in a group with
two relatively weak teams has a huge advantage. It also helps if that player is
guaranteed to start and if his team plays a formation that maximizes his
scoring opportunities. Englands Harry Kane ticks all of those boxes. At
6th favourite and odds of 16 to 1, he is the most attractive and is
capable of bagging 6 goals in the first 4 games alone. |
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