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Group D is my favourite group in the World Cup from a betting perspective – why? Simple – because England are in it! Nothing against England but their odds are always over-inflated for every tournament simply because of the betting market and how many people from England are placing bets on them.
England make up the group with Italy, Uruguay and Costa Rica.
England got here by winning Group H. They won 6 out of 10 games, dominating everyone at home and then looking very poor and struggling away. Italy made it here with 6 wins out of 10 in Group B, although against much tougher competition.
Uruguay struggled during qualification needing a playoff to get here, while Costa Rica were quite impressive at home in qualification but weak way.
Quick Summary: I’m going with the Italians to do the business and win the group. I would hold off on who to qualify. I think if Suarez is fit, Uruguay come 2nd. If he isn’t – I believe England will.
Let’s see the Group D Betting Odds for the 2014 World Cup:
World Cup 2014 Group D Betting Odds:
To Win: Costa Rica 50/1, England 21/10, Italy 13/8, Uruguay 7/4.
To Qualify: Costa Rica 9/1, England 4/7, Italy 2/5, Uruguay 1/2.
Such an interesting group. Look how tight the odds are for the winners and to qualify.
We’ll first of all count out Costa Rica. Sorry to any Costa Rican fans reading this – enjoy the World Cup, all 3 games of it.
Next we’ll go with the winners of the group – Italy.
I’m not sure why Italy are getting a bad rap this year – but they are. Yeah they had a poor 2010 World Cup but they bounced back in 2012, and during the qualification stages look like they played more as a team.
I don’t think they will go all the way – but we’ll see how that goes past the group stages. Depending on how they play they might be able to make it.
The qualification for 2nd place is the interesting one – and I am completely unsure. England play a very flat game and they’re going to be caught out amongst the more dynamic sides. They do have some individual brilliance but we rarely see it as they are usually stuck in a rigid formation. If Hodgson goes with players like Sterling in the same role as Liverpool then that could be something – but I get the feeling we won’t see that.
Uruguay have a quality team, and if Suarez is in I think they will be 2nd for sure. Jury is still out on that, so I’d wait and see on that one. If Suarez is in go for Uruguay to qualify. At the very least they should get 2nd.
Quick Summary: I’m going with the Italians to do the business and win the group. I would hold off on who to qualify. I think if Suarez is fit, Uruguay come 2nd. If he isn’t – I believe England will.
