World Cup
2010-06-15 - Slovakia vs New Zealand
A Sports Betting Pick by Gooner
Football : FIFA World Cup 2010 : Group F
Tuesday 15th June 2010 - Kickoff 12:30 GMT
Slovakia (FIFA Rank 34)
While it's technically true that Slovakia have been represented at the World Cup before - that was as a joined country in Czechoslovakia - and so this appearance in South Africa does represent a big step forward for Slovakian football.
The fact that it was achieved at the expense of the Czech Republic (beating the Czechs 2-1 in Prage as well) makes the occasion doubly sweet ... but it does also underline that this is uncharted territory for Slovakia.
Slovakia edged UEFA Group 3 by a couple of points from Slovenia (who also eventually qualified), but much of the good work was done early in the campaign, and results in the last 12 months have been a bit edgy for Slovakia.
Slovakia World Cup Warm-up Form :
Nov 14 2009 W 1-0 H v United StatesSlovakia's best players are Stanislav Sestak who plays for German side Bochum and who grabbed 6 goals during qualifying, while Liverpool defender Martin Skrtel is also a threat at set-pieces.
Nov 17 2009 L 1-2 H v Chile
Mar 03 2010 L 0-1 H v Norway
May 29 2010 D 1-1 N v Cameroon (in Austria)
Jun 05 2010 W 3-0 H v Costa Rica
Slovakia coach Vladimir Weiss is determined his side will adopt an attacking approach against New Zealand.
New Zealand (FIFA Rank 78)
New Zealand qualified for their second ever World Cup finals with a 1-0 aggregate victory over little Bahrain in a cross confederation playoff between Asia and Oceania - but it would be fair to say that New Zealand owe their qualification as much to geography and FIFA's desire for global representation as much as anything else.
(Of course that is also true of the host side South Africa, and CONCACAF representative Honduras, so it's a fact of FIFA football - and it's the last time I'll mention it)
It should be pointed out that the Kiwis have benefited from their exposure to better football at both an international level and club level with the Wellington Phoenix playing in the Australian A-League and the only professional outfit in New Zealand.
So a combination of factors means that New Zealand have their strongest side ever, and the first choice side has professional players of international quality, playing a direct brand of football - emphasised by an attacking 3-4-3 formation.
New Zealand World Cup Warm-up Form :
Mar 03 2010 L 0-2 A v MexicoThe Kiwis 3-man defence is anchored by Blackburn Rovers captain Ryan Nelsen, and up front Rory Fallon is a very effective targetman with A-League top scorer Shane Smeltz waiting to pounce.
May 24 2010 L 1-2 A v Australia
May 29 2010 W 1-0 N v Serbia (in Austria)
Jun 04 2010 L 1-3 A v Slovenia
The Betting Verdict :
Both sides will be looking at this game as their best chance of winning a group game, and indeed both teams have also probably worked out that three points will be needed from this fixture if they are to have hopes of progressing - with PAraguay and Italy to come.
Both nations seem to prefer a direct way of playing, and if FIFA have the sense to appoint a referee that lets the game flow then this fixture could actually be a quite entertaining start to the day.
New Zealand's 1-0 win over Serbia and the recent run of scoring a goal in each of the last three games against similar calibre opposition will give the Oceanian underdogs some confidence.
But Slovakia are the better all-round team, and it would be a major surprise if the European side did not end up with all three points.
The Pick :
Slovakia 2-1 New Zealand
BEST BETTING TIP :
Sure - I think SLOVAKIA will win but the price is poor and a little under fair value.I'm surprised to see that OVER 2.5 GOALS is priced at even money - as I think it's the favoured outcome. I'll take that as my bet.
UPDATE :
The reaction to low goals so far is overdone- with the over 2.5 price now at 2.20 to 2.30. New Zealand playing a 3-4-3 formation and is likely to score/concede more than most sides at this cup.
Take it.
