Italy is expected to have little trouble in World Cup betting in Group F. World Cup odds list them as a -310 favorite to win Group F. Paraguay is a distance second choice at 3-1 followed by Slovakia and New Zealand. World Cup betting on Group F should be interesting since second place in the group is up for grabs between Paraguay and Slovakia. New Zealand really has no chance. Italy won the World Cup four years ago and they have the ability to make a deep run again in 2010. Italy is not expected to have any trouble in this group but that doesn’t mean their coach is not worried. “The more you think a group will be easy the more difficult it becomes.” Head coach Marcello Lippi said.
Paraguay is the second choice in World Cup odds in this group but Slovakia should not be discounted. This will be their first ever World Cup appearance but they do have some talent. New Zealand is making only their second appearance and they have no real shot. Their last appearance was in 1982. Coach Ricki Herbert named midfielder Aaron Clapham from Canterbury United to the team and that was a surprise. “I’m not one to usually have sleepless nights but this has been a very difficult job settling on the final pieces of the jigsaw,” said Herbert. There are not many recognizable names on New Zealand but they do have Rory Fallon of Plymouth, Chris Killen of Middlesbrough and Chris Wood of West Bromwich Albion.
Paraguay was very competitive against Brazil in qualifying and they feel they can do some damage this time in the World Cup. Striker Roque Santa Cruz believes this is the best Paraguay team ever. “We are very good going forward now,” Santa Cruz said, “Paraguay have always had a reputation in South America for having one of the strongest defenses on the continent, but lately we’ve also become known for our attacking qualities, “This combination will make us hard to beat.” Paraguay reached the knockout round in 1986, 1998 and 2002 but four years ago they did not make it out of the group stage.
Slovakia may be a newcomer but they won a qualifying group that featured the Czech Republic and Poland. The team is led by midfielder Marek Hamsik from Napoli, Liverpool’s Martin Skrtel and winger Stanislav Sestak.