Holland World Cup Betting

Odds: 14/1

Positives

Holland cruised through their World Cup qualification group, winning each of their eight games convincingly and only conceding two goals in doing so. They also looked superb in the Euro 2008 championships save for one poor performance which knocked them out of the competition at the quarter-final stage. They had topped the group of death which included Italy, France and Romania with three victories and scoring an average of three goals per game, including three against a renowned resolute Italian defence, before exiting the competition.

Negatives

Unfortunately that Euro 2008 scenario is a familiar story for the Dutch when it comes to the World Cup. They regularly look like world beaters in the early parts of tournaments and look like they could go all the way but then fall apart at a crucial stage; it is a trait which has become a mental burden – much like England’s penalty shootout woes – for many previous Dutch World Cup sides. It is also the reason why you will see big prices available on Holland in the Outright Winners Betting markets, punters simply cannot put their faith in what is an undoubtedly talented team that year after year fails to live up to their promise.

If Holland are to win this World Cup then they will have to learn to do something which does not seem to be in the nature of a country that invented ‘Total Football’ and that is to win games ugly.

Key Player(s)

Robin van Persie is just as integral to the Holland side as he is to Arsenal. If he makes it to the World Cup fit and on top form then it goes without saying that they have a much greater chance than they would do without him. However, whilst Arsenal continued to mount a Premier League title challenge without him, there is major concern as to whether Holland could produce a serious run in this World Cup if he is not in the side.

Inter Milan’s Wesley Sneijder is the key figure in the Dutch midfield, since his move from Real Madrid to the Italian champions he has been rejuvenated under the stewardship of Jose Mourinho. He was named in the Euro 2008 team of the tournament despite Holland’s quarter-final exit and if he can reproduce the form that he has shown for Inter this season then he could be one of the most talked about players at this year’s World Cup. Sneijder is also considered a dead-ball specialist with many of his goals coming from direct free kicks around the edge of the box.

Best Bet

Holland can be so unpredictable from one game to the next at major championships that it is often difficult to find an angle of attack in the betting. However, one area where they are usually very consistent is the group stages, they will kick off with a tough game against Denmark but after that it is unlikely that either Cameroon or Japan will cause them too many problems.

Back Holland to win Group E @ 4/5