Monday’s Best World Cup Picks
Chile (+141) vs. Switzerland (+248)
This suddenly became the most important match in Group H. The winner would be in great shape to finish first in the group and avoid Brazil in the Round of 16. Of course all of that was made possible thanks to the Swiss’s shocking win over the defending European champs.
Switzerland ceded possession to Spain and scored on the one chance they had. Despite defeating second best team in the FIFA world rankings, Swiss coach Ottmar Hitzfeld agrees with the oddsmakers’ decision to make Chile as the favorites on Monday.
“This team really impressed me,” Hitzfeld told reporters. “Firstly in qualifying. Not many teams end up finishing above Argentina.
“Against Honduras, the Chileans were unbelievable and they could have won 3-0 or 4-0 instead of 1-0. They are a solid unit, with very fast players.”
Bettors have to wonder – was Chile’s strong showing an indication of their quality or just a hint at how overmatched Honduras are at this tournament?
We think Chile’s the real deal and they’ll show it against the Swiss on Monday.
Pick: Chile
Honduras (+2600) vs. Spain (-700)
The pressure is on for the Spaniards on a stage they’ve been, to a large degree, underwhelming. Critics came from all sides saying the Red Fury didn’t have the poise to come through in the clutch throughout Spain’s run to through the Euro 2008 championship – and for good reason.
While Spain have qualified for every World Cup since 1978, they’ve never advanced past the quarter-finals. The win at the Euro 2008 was supposed to cure the ultra-talented squad of their World Cup jitters.
But that’s not what we saw in their first match. Spain failed miserably to squash Switzerland’s one good scoring chance.
Much has been made about whether keeper and captain Iker Casillas was distracted with his girlfriend and Spanish reporter watching just behind the net. You can bet Spain won’t be sidetracked in their second match.
Spain know they can’t mess around any longer. A small win over Honduras will help them advance but it won’t keep them away from Brazil in the knockout round. Look for the Red Fury to start both Fernando Torres and Cesc Fabregas and to get out to a big lead early.
Pick: Spain on the spread (-2)