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 rendspotting |
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| Kevin Pullein
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| Thurs Sep 5, 2008 |
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Putting a value on home
pride
The advantage of playing at home can vary significantly from place
to place, and punters should remember this over the next five days if betting
on qualifiers for the 2010 World Cup. In Europe, countries derive no greater
benefit from playing within their own borders than top clubs do from playing
inside their own town. In England, Spain and Italy, home teams win around 45%
of all games. In European qualifiers for the last three World Cups, home teams
also won 45% of all games.
The figure was more than 10% higher in South
America. Since the beginning of qualifying for 1998, the nations have played
each other home and away in a league, with the highest finishers progressing to
the World Cup. In that time, hosts have won 57% of all games. |
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The reason is not only because some
countries gain a natural advantage from their high altitude. Over the last two
qualifying campaigns, Brazil won 14 of their home games and drew the other
four. Away from home, however, they won only two games out of nine in the 2002
and 2006 campaigns. So far in the 2010 preliminaries, Brazil have lost in
Paraguay and drawn in Peru, while Argentina have lost in Colombia. Brazil visit
Chile on Sunday, while Argentina travel to Peru on Wednesday.
In
Africa, the venue is every bit as important as it is in South America. In
African qualifiers for the last World Cup, home teams won 57% of games. In Asia
51% and in the Central & North America region it was 50%. There may be no
place like home, but no two homes are quite the same.
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