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2014 World Cup – Group F Betting Preview & Soccer Lines

World Cup Futures Betting: Group F

By being placed in this group Argentina is almost guaranteed to advance past the group stage. They would have been one of the favourites to win the whole tournament regardless of what group they are in, but amongst this collection of nations they are likely to be unchallenged until the knockout stage.

Argentina is +450 to win the whole thing with the next best team Bosnia-Herzegovina at +15000.

That is a huge gap that will play out accordingly on the pitch.  There is not likely to be much value on their matches in the group stage.

Argentina -500

Odds to win (to win group) [dfads params=’groups=63740&limit=1&return_javascript=0′]

Argentina is no stranger to the World Cup having won the event twice in 1978 and 1986.  They are a trendy pick to win the tournament because of the quality of their team and the location of the event on their home continent (Brazil is the odds on favourite).

They have a roster littered with talented players and depending on who you ask Lionel Messi may be the best player in the world.

A key difference from the last World Cup will be the leadership of coach Alejandro Sabella as compared to the legendary Diego Maradona. Sabella favours offensive football and there is no shortage of talent for him to work with on this team.

There is no value in picking them to come win the group at the current odds. Perhaps a draw will create a stir.

Bosnia-Herzegovina

Odds to win (+700)

This is their first trip to the World Cup which is not really a surprise given they have not been a sovereign nation for all that long.  Despite that fact it does not mean that they do not have big game experience. Man City scorer Edin Dzeko will have a lot of pressure on him to perform as will goalie Asmir Begovic who plays for West Brom.
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According to the odds they should advance past the group stage but it will be a respectable performance as long as they do not lose to Iran which would be very unlikely.

Their game against Argentina should be very exciting as both teams love to go on the attack.

Iran

Odds to win (+5000)

Iran is tied for the biggest longshot odds in the event at +100000.

This is their fourth time qualifying for the World Cup but they have never made it out of the Group Stage. They have a Portuguese coach in Carlos Queiroz and they are dedicated to a very defensive style because they have limited offensive talent.

It worked though as they only gave up a couple of goals in qualifying through the Asia Football Confederation.

Their star player should be Javad Nekounam who was their leading scorer in qualifying matches and played for Osasuna in Spain for a number of years.  He has represented his country more than 100 times and will have pressure upon him even though no one really expect the Persian Stars to even take a game in within this group.

Nigeria

Odds to win (+700)

Nigeria does not have a long history of success on the pitch but they have been here before and made the knockout stage of the tournament in 1994 and 1998. Though the country may have its problems and they trickle down to the team a little you can expect a spirited, competitive team.

Their style is to play rock solid defense and then counterattack. If they get down then it forces them to play in a way that is not very comfortable for them which could lead to some ugly scores for this sound squad.

They are not a threat to win but they should not embarrass themselves or the African region they represent.

The Picks

Argentina and Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Argentina should sweep all of their matches and the second slot will go to the winner of Nigeria vs. Bosnia. They are fairly evenly matched but my gut is saying Bosnia could have some buzz in their first World Cup action.

The value play in this whole group will be getting the right side of that matchup.

Everything else will not likely yield much with favourites expected to roll.

The 2014 World Cup futures betting season is here in full force! If you like to bet on the World Cup, you are in the best possible place for online betting.

CappersPicks.com has Soccer Odds up on a ton of futures, and you will also find World Cup odds up for early games as well.

By The Wiesguy

The Wiesguy is a newcomer to the handicapping scene. Hailing from Toronto, Canada he is always sweet on the underdogs and you can often find his thoughts, musings and picks at moneydogs.blogspot.com.