World Cup Final -Spain v Netherlands
Sunday 11th July, 7.30pm

And then there were two... So we've reached the final after what most people would admit has been a disappointing tournament (unless you were selling the total goals spread of course). The great thing about the biggest game in football is that there's always loads of markets to look at!

So what about the spread markets -is there anything worth investigating?

a) Hotshots (Van Persie, Sneijder, Villa, Iniesta) 26-29 @ Sporting Index
These are the men most likely to find the back of the net for the two teams -with both Sneijder and Villa will be looking to capture the Golden Boot crown. One of these four guys will score...
Buy at 29 and look forward to a five goal thriller!

b) Fouls Total 28-31 @ Sporting Index
Spain's last game didn't have a foul for the first fifteen minutes -maybe because Germany couldn't get close to Xavi and Iniesta. The half-time total was 5 and the final total just 16. Even the Uruguay v Netherlands match (which was far more fiesty) only just reached 28 fouls.
Sell at 28 and watch the Dutch chase shadows.

c) Shocking Decision Ref (Disallowed Goals) 0.45-0.55 @ Sporting Index
There have been 24 disallowed goals so far in this World Cup and since these two sides have been caught offside 31 times bteween them then we think there is a good chance that the ball will find its way into the net and get ruled out.
Buy at 0.55 and wait for that linesman's flag to go up!

d) Penalty Performance (10pts for saved pen, 25pts for scored pen in 90 mins) 5-6.5
The referees will be keeping a careful eye on all the nonsense that takes place at corners and free kicks -with this in mind we believe that there will be a spot kick or two in this clash.
Buy at 6.5 and hope Howard Webb has eagle eyes in the box!

 

Sporting Index Trading Talk - South Africa 2010 World Cup Preview

Spread bettors up and down the country are united in their anticipation for the 2010 World Cup. Punters are no doubt itching to get stuck in on Sporting Index's myriad spread markets on every single game as well as the tournament as a whole. To whet the appetite, the firm have already got a number of spread markets live, including the outright index which awards 100pts to the tournament winner, 75pts to the runner-up, 50pts to the losing semi-finalists, 25pts to the losing quarter-finalists and 10pts for reaching the last 16.

Spain are favourites according to their outright spread of 43-46pts and buyers will hope that the side can keep star strikers Fernando Torres and David Villa fit. Sellers will be hoping that Vincente del Bosque's side are unable to emulate France and win consecutive major international tournaments, following up their 2008 European Championships triumph. Spread sellers will also be pleased that no European team has ever lifted the trophy outside their own continent. Second favourites Brazil, currently at 40-43pts on the outright index spread, have had no such problems. The Samba Kings have claimed World football's top prize in Europe and Asia as well as North, Central and South America. Spread buyers will hope Dunga's side can add another with victory in Africa.

Sporting Index have also made their eight outright group markets live this far in advance of the tournament allowing spread punters to challenge their traders' predictions on which teams will escape from the three-game group stage to the last 16 knockout. In these spread markets, 25pts are awarded to the group winner, 10pts to the runner-up and 5pts to third place, and few would dispute the index spreads assigned to most teams. There are a number of tough groups though and spread buyers and sellers will be relying on these for the best returns. Group A features the hosts South Africa alongside Mexico and France. With an index spread of 15-16.5pts, Les Bleus are favourites to win the group, but spread sellers will remember a disastrous attempt at the defence of their crown in 2002, when they finished bottom of their group. Mexico, with a spread of 8.5-10pts, have reached the knockout stages in each of the last four tournaments.

Brazil share the best candidate for 'group of death', Group G, with North Korea (0.5-2pts), Ivory Coast (9.5-11pts) and Portugal (10-11.5pts). Assuming Brazil are most likely to top the group, spread buyers and sellers are fairly evenly split on the other group members.

In England at least, the World Cup can hardly get mentioned without the image of a white-shirted captain (whoever it may be) flitting across spread bettors' minds for the briefest of moments. Sellers of Capello's side's outright spread at 39 hope the team will again get no further than the quarter-final stage - the round which they have reached in the previous two competitions. Sporting Index are also offering a number of England tournament specials to satisfy patriotic (or otherwise) spread punters including spreads on the total number of goals the team will score, currently at 10.3-11, and their number of wins, set at 3.4-3.7.

For previews on each individual group, go to our Trading Talk page -where you can see the thoughts of the traders from Sporting Index and all the market movements...