The 2014 World Cup continues! We’ve moved from the round of eight to the final four and only the cream of the crop are left standing. As we speak Germany is putting a hurting on their Brazilian competition – a massive 5-0 lead and we aren’t even halfway through the game. Some would call that shocking given that the Brazilian squad is a favorite to win the Cup every four years, and they are the most successful national team in the Cup’s history, with a record five titles to their name. The flip side of that coin is that their last success at this stage was over a decade ago in 2002, and while Brazil’s name and players are indelibly stamped on this sport (Pelé is synonymous with football worldwide) the level of competition has risen worldwide to meet the standard Brazil set. We’re seeing that now from the likes of players like Toni Kroos and Miroslav Klose, who are wizards on the green for Germany, and even the United States coach is a product of German excellence. They are well engineered to take this one home and advance to the finals. The big question now is who will the Germans face, barring a miraculous beyond belief comeback from the Brazilian side, and the two options for that final game are Argentina and the Netherlands. If you look at 90 minutes plus stoppage time on the latest betting line the money line choices aren’t crystal clear: +144 Argentina, +239 Netherlands, +219 a draw. Things shake out a little better when you boil it all down to one simple question: “Who advances after Wednesday’s game?” There you will find Argentina to be a slim -140 over the Netherlands at +125. This once again shows how competitive the oddsmakers find these final four teams to be, which ought to make betting the dog in any game going forward tempting. The fun to be had is in the proposition bets for the game, with some lines that are both savvy and highly speculative. If you’re really feeling lucky, a 3-0 nothing victory by Argentina is a whopping +2350 – it has to end in regulation by that score to pay – and any OTHER result in the same game is a substantial -4700 favorite. That’s far from the biggest prop though – a 3-3 tie is a humungous +7350 with -19400 against. At times like that you really have to step back and consider the # you’re looking at and how unlikely the outcome is – there’s a better chance you’ll be hit like lightning than collect on that bet – but much like MMA you never know the outcome until they square off and battle it out. It’s perhaps more tempting to bet on a 0-0 tie in regulation + stoppage time at +560, or “any other result” at -820. Of course the first goal that’s scored you’d tear up your ticket, which has to be an insanely tense way to watch a World Cup game. Here’s one more fun line – it’s +2525 for either team to score 3 or more and a whopping -5100 that NEITHER does. As always remember these previews are for entertainment purposes only and to wager responsibly!
