Soccer Bet Articles
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Olympic Soccer: Redemption Time Sick of the pole vault, shot put and javelin throw? We’ve got the remedy. Soccer is indeed an Olympic sport. This year’s games will be dominated by teams seeking redemption in the form of Olympic gold. Both Portugal and Argentina came within a whisker of glory at Euro 2004 and Copa America this summer. So powerful is their hunger to win that Gabriel Heinze of Argentina and Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal risked incurring the wrath of their club manager, Manchester United’s Alex Ferguson, for missing the first few weeks of the English Premiership. We know who will prevail. Our first piece of advice, however, is: Avoid Greece (10:1): This is not the same team that won Euro 2004; it’s a completely different bunch of players. Regardless, quality coaching is what earned Greece their European crown, not quality players. Without Otto Rehhagel this Greek side will resemble headless chickens compared to their Euro 2004 counterparts. Their Greek coach has failed to instill discipline and organization in the squad – qualities essential for winning games. There will be enormous value opposing Greece in all of their matches. Odds of 10:1 are so ridiculous that it's worth backing all of Greece's opponents in this tournament, including Mali and Korea. The home field will not be a factor; the Greeks are hung over from Euro 2004, they know they’ve got no chance of winning Olympic gold. But most importantly, they have precious little desire to do so either. As hosts, the Greeks didn’t even have to qualify for this tournament. Who will win it then? We like Argentina, Portugal, Paraguay and Australia. Here’s why: Argentina (11:4): On paper, Argentina have the strongest team at the Olympics. Ayala, Coloccini, Heinze, Figueroa, Delgado, Saviola. . . they’re all here. Plus, they’ve got valuable team experience and fitness from Copa America. And, having lost that tournament to Brazil, Argentina are desperate to redeem themselves by taking Olympic gold. These odds are way too short for our liking. But if you back Argentina in each of their quarter-final, semi-final and final matches, you'll end up with more than 11:4. Grouped with Tunisia, Serbia-Montenegro and Australia, the Argentines are also worth a wager to win their group (-200). Portugal (13:2): This is only the third time Portugal have qualified for the Olympics. They've had a solid year, finishing third in the UEFA Under-21 Championships and reaching the final of Euro 2004. Cristiano Ronaldo, Tiago and Helder Postiga are all making the trip to Athens (to the fury of their domestic clubs). Most players are fit from recent preseason training, so the squad is in excellent shape. And they are capable of enduring the searing heat of Athens in August. Significantly, coach José Romão has been working on the team’s psychology – a good move, considering mental weakness has been Portugal’s Achilles heel in years past. Paraguay (6:1): Paraguay fielded their under-23 team at Copa America and still managed to produce impressive results. They beat Brazil and Costa Rica and drew with Chile. But their organization, particularly on defence, was most outstanding. Paraguay are a well-coached side who know they are capable of doing well in this tournament. Drawn in a tough group with Italy, Ghana and Japan, the Paraguayans must take all of their group games seriously. Although a bit shorter than we'd like, the 6:1 on Paraguay is well worth taking. Australia (50:1): The Aussies have one of the best youth programs of any country in the world. Like the USA, Australia is a rapidly improving soccer nation and a team who are infinitely better than they were ten years ago. We expect many of their no-name players to turn heads at the Olympics and get noticed by the big European clubs. Although admittedly a long shot, they don't deserve to be anywhere near 50:1. (Those averse to taking big outsiders should keep in mind Greece were 100:1 to win Euro 2004. Those who aren’t can always back Iraq to win Olympic gold at 100:1.) Other props we like are Portugal to win Group D (-200), Mexico to win Group A (+350), Paraguay to win Group B (+200) and Japan to win Group B (+1000). Japan just won the Asian Cup so their Olympic effort will lack some urgency. But with a roster full of strong, young players, we can’t ignore Japan at 10:1 to top their group. We’ve had a busy and profitable summer with Euro 2004, Copa America and now the Olympics; it’s hard to believe it’s nearly over. Dimers earned nearly $9,000 from our Euro 2004 program. A 7-4 run at Copa America added another $4,880 to the money pile, for a grand total of $13,880. Next week the real soccer season starts, with the English Premier League kicking off on Saturday. |
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