World Cup 2010 Picks and Predictions : Quarter Finals

And then there were eight!

The Round of 16 has come and gone and eight teams remain – Uruguay, Ghana, Netherlands, Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, Paraguay and Spain.

The Brazilians have a big challenge in front of them this Friday when they meet the Netherlands, but many in the sports betting community feel they have the easier route to the World Cup title game on July 11. If they get by the Dutch they play the winner of Uruguay-Ghana in the semifinals.

Looking at the World Cup odds, Brazil is the favorite at online sportsbook to win it all. Currently they have odds of +250 to be crowned champs.

For this match on Friday, Brazil is a -158 favorite, while the Dutch are +241and the Total is set at 2.5.

The Samba Boys landed atop this tournament’s Group of Death, aka Group G, finishing with 2 wins, a draw and 0 losses for seven points. Throughout the 2010 World Cup, they have netted eight goals with Luis Fabiano scoring a team-high three – Brazil has had 3 Overs and 1 Under so far in the tournament.

Despite being underdogs for this match, the Netherlands have been strong in opening round play going 4-0 straight up so far in the tournament with 2 Overs and 2 Unders.

The Dutch grabbed top spot in Group E. Looking at their World Cup odds to win the championship, they are listed at +650 to win.

Argentina vs. Germany Preview:
Argentina is one of the favorites to win the World Cup, with odds of +350, but they have a tougher route than Brazil at first glance.

It will be a case of deja vu for the Argentinians as they will face the same team that eliminated them from the 2006 World Cup, Germany. Last time, the Germans eliminated Argentina in a penalty shootout. Going into Saturday’s matchup, Argentina is listed as a -111 favorite while the Germans are +195 underdogs.

Germany and Argentina have met a number of times in past World Cups, sometimes in the championship game.

Argentina took the 1986 World Cup in a 3-2 win over Germany and the Germans returned the favor in 1990, beating the Argentinians 1-0.

Both Argentina and Germany cruised through their Round of 16 matchups with the Argentinians beating Mexico 3-1 and the Germans hammering the English 4-1.

The winner takes on the victor of the Paraguay vs. Spain match in the semifinal of South Africa 2010.

We’ll look at the other two matchups in tomorrow’s article.

Enjoy the games.