Special Edition: The Golden Nuggets - World Cup 2010 (Group Phase Part 1)

By Sports Magician

Welcome to the first of a three part article series covering the group phase of the World Cup. In this edition we shall be pulling the trigger on selections over the course of the first week of the tournament. The Golden Nuggets expect much of the value to be gone on these selections by the time the tournament kicks off, so the time to strike is now. The Golden Nuggets has already identified numerous opportunities for the festival of football in South Africa and we will continue to cover the World Cup comprehensively throughout the group phase and beyond.

France v Uruguay



Friday June 11th 19.30 (GMT)

This will surely be Raymond Domenech’s last stand as the French coach. Despite reaching the World Cup final in 2006 Domenech’s reign has been largely appalling. The French side were poor during Euro 2008 and even worse during qualification. France may enjoy playing at a neutral venue for the tournament given that when they play at home they are roundly booed within minutes of the match starting. Uruguay are a tough side to beat with no shortage of quality upfront through Diego Forlan and Luis Suarez. The Golden Nuggets have already backed Uruguay to qualify at 2.1 and there is no reason why they cannot make life very difficult for the French on the first evening of the tournament.

PICK: 1.5*(DRAW NO BET) URUGUAY BEAT FRANCE @ 3.00 (VCBET / WILLIAM HILL)


Argentina v Nigeria



Saturday June 12th 15.00 (GMT)

Diego Maradona has gone through more than 100 players since taking the job as Argentina coach, but when forced to whittle that number down to 30, and then 23, sense has finally prevailed. Recent performances against Germany and Spain suggest that Argentina look to finally be heading in the right direction under his guidance. Lionel Messi has the chance to do what Maradona did in 1986, and despite not playing in the same role he does for Barcelona, has the capability to do so. Nigeria are determined not to let Messi beat them, but that just means there will be more space for the likes of Angel Di Maria to expose the Nigerian defence.

PICK: 4*ARGENTINA BEAT NIGERIA @ 1.67 (SKY BET)


Italy v Paraguay



Monday June 14th 19.30 (GMT)

The two sides most likely to qualify from the group face each other to begin their World Cup campaigns. Don’t expect many goals in this one as the ageing Italians and the cautious Paraguayans won’t be keen to give too much away early in the tournament. Paraguay will be without Salvador Cabanas who was the victim of a shooting in Mexico where he plays his club football. Fortunately, Cabanas is on the road to recovery, but not well enough to take part in the World Cup. Paraguay will miss his playmaking ability, but can call on Oscar Cardozo to partner Roque Santa Cruz upfront while Nelson Valdez buzzes around behind them.

PICK: 1*(DRAW NO BET) PARAGUAY BEAT ITALY @ 3.25 (BET 365)


Ivory Coast v Portugal



Tuesday June 15th 15.00 (GMT)

The Ivorians are tipped by many to be Africa’s strongest team in this World Cup, but first they must negotiate the group of death. Defeat for either side in their opening game will be disastrous and leave the loser with a mountain to climb to qualify. With the stakes so high we are likely to be witness to a nervy affair as both teams try to find their feet in the competition. Portugal were poor during qualification, as were the Ivory Coast during the African Cup of Nations. What has changed since then? For Portugal, not much. The Ivorians have called on Sven-Goran Eriksson to piece together the remains of the Cup of Nations disaster. The Golden Nuggets are backing the Ivory Coast with a 0 start on the Asian Handicap, which is essentially a draw no bet selection.

PICK: 2.5*(ASIAN HANDICAP) IVORY COAST (0) BEAT PORTUGAL @ 2.18 (LADBROKES)


Brazil v North Korea



Tuesday June 15th 19.30 (GMT)

North Korea should be looking forward to the World Cup, but it must be hard with such a tough group to contend with. Brazil will be pleased to start the tournament with three points virtually guaranteed and the chance to find some confidence and form against tame opposition. A comfortable Brazilian win will be expected and Dunga’s side, who are far more about pragmatism and counter attacking football rather than the beautiful game, should deliver.

PICK: 5*BRAZIL BEAT NORTH KOREA (HALF-TIME/FULL-TIME) @ 1.44 (SKY BET)

PICK: 3*(ASIAN HANDICAP) BRAZIL (-3.5) BEAT NORTH KOREA @ 3.20 (BET 365)


Chile v Honduras



Wednesday June 16th 12.30 (GMT)

I’m looking forward to watching Chile during this tournament, coached by a genius in Marcelo Bielsa. Many of you may remember Bielsa as the coach who led 2002 favourites Argentina to a group stage exit. However, closer inspection will open your eyes to a coach who turned Argentina into one of the most attack minded teams of all time. The system failed in 2002 due to poor finishing, but the rest of his time as Argentina coach was outstanding, and he has taken those qualities and instilled them into the Chilean team. Matias Fernandez and Alexis Sanchez will be two of the Chilean players to watch and it’s a shame they are in such a tough section of the draw, should they qualify from the group.

PICK: 3*CHILE BEAT HONDURAS @ 1.67 (SKY BET / BOYLESPORTS)


Spain v Switzerland



Wednesday June 16th 15.00 (GMT)

World Cup favourites Spain begin their quest to win their first World Cup against a Switzerland side who will be fearing the worst. The Swiss are a very average side who will be happy to get this game out of the way as soon as possible. Spain will not go into the tournament without some problems, Fernando Torres, Xavi, Andres Iniesta and Cesc Fabregas all go into the competition as injury doubts. Fabregas was unlikely to start, but the other three are crucial players for Spain, especially the Barcelona duo of Xavi and Iniesta. That being said, Spain still have plenty of strength in depth to begin their tournament with a comfortable win.

PICK: 5*SPAIN BEAT SWITZERLAND @ 1.40 (SKY BET)

PICK: 3*(MATCH HANDICAP) SPAIN (-1) BEAT SWITZERLAND @ 2.10 (SKY BET)

Sports Magician