Betting Picks

June has finally arrived and the summer months bring with them some very exciting sports action and sports betting as leagues wind down, and a very big tournament gets started.  World Cup betting is available for the biggest sporting event in the world, as the greatest soccer teams descend on South Africa for a month long competition that will be watched around the globe.  Meanwhile, MLB betting is open daily as the dog days of summer hit the big leagues.

The World Cup is less than two weeks away, and a few teams are still making preparations before heading to South Africa. Two contenders, Greece and Paraguay, meet up for a friendly as a last tune up before the big tournament.

The Greeks have struggled of late, and looking for a bit of confidence and coherence before their big trip. They lost to Senegal 2-0, and that was a followed by a disappointing draw against North Korea, 2-2. Greece has drawn a tough group for the World Cup.  In Group B, the Greeks are drawn with powerhouse Argentina, upstart Nigeria, and a surprising South Korea team that easily qualified for the games.

Still, the Greeks are optimistic in only their second World Cup showing. They last made it in 1994, where they made it to the first round. Dimitris Salpingidis scored the key goal in a 1-0 victory over the Ukraine in November to at last propel Greece into the tournament, and keep coach Otta Rehhagel in power. Greece is only play two friendlies in their warm up, while Paraguay has opted for four.

Paraguay edged North Korea, lost to Ireland, and drew against Ivory Coast in their friendly matches. They have high hopes for the tournament, drawing a group with Italy, Slovakia, and New Zealand.  Italy looks to advance, and Paraguay aims to be with them.  They have the Azzurri in their first match.

The Paraguayans biggest issue seems to be their offense. While they have some impressive defensive play, they have struggled scoring and this offensive deficiency may carry over to South Africa. In five friendlies dating back to November, Paraguay has only scored five goals, winning one, drawing three, and losing one. They look for scoring touches from Nelson Haedo Valdez, who netted five goals during the qualifying campaign. He is joined by Salvador Cabanas and Roque Santa Cruz who will look to help on the attack.

Betting lines:  Paraguay will be favoured, and with good reasons. They have fared better in the last few months, easily qualifying for the World Cup and conceding the fewest goals in the competition save for Brazil.  Look for both teams to practice on necessary parts of the game while not taking too many risks physically.  Greece should earn a draw against Paraguay in either a nil-nil or a 1-1 match, gaining some confidence as they head to South Africa.