GERMANY - 8/1 to win tournament with Sean Graham. 4/9 to win group with Total Bet.
The Germans go into this world cup with a lot of pressure on their shoulders from their fans and critics, and are expecting to at least make the semi-finals. The German coach Jurgen Klinsmann has been under the cosh after some embarrassing friendly results recently, with a 4-1 defeat from Italy the most depressing for the host nation. Many critics have argued that the inclusion of uncapped David Odonkor is an indication of the depth of desperation Klinsmann is in.
Chelsea new boy Michael Ballack has even hinted that the teams' expectations are not high. "Everyone must be aware that a surprise is possible with this young team - but also an early exit," Ballack said in SportBild magazine. "However the minimum target has to be to reach the quarter-final or semi-final."
However all the negativity from their own camp is not reflected in the bookies odds, with a majority of bookmakers listing them as second favorites behind Brazil. The best price for Germany to win outright is 8/1, but if you want to bet on Germany to win, my advice would be to hold out a few days as the odds might lengthen.
One of the biggest concerns from the German camp is that there is a distinct lack of goals in their artillery; and it is well reflected in the top scorer's lists. Miroslav Klose and Lukas Podolski will be hoping to fire Germany into the final but their odds of 28/1 (Paddy Power) and 33/1 (Ladbrokes) reflects their lackluster efforts in front of the goal.
My tip - Germany to be knocked out in the group stages, a 7/1 shot with Paddy Power.
POLAND - 125/1 to win tournament with Paddy Power. 10/3 to win group with Bet365.
Poland managed to make the trip over the border this summer after qualifying as "best second place finisher" after amassing 24 points in Group 6, trailing England by one point. The Poles managed to win all their games apart from the meetings with Sven Goran Eriksson's team as England won 2-1 on both occasions. The highlight result of their qualifying campaign was an 8-0 demolition of Azerbaijan. Poland's recent form in friendly games is nothing to write home about as, they have won twice and lost twice; which included an embarrassing 1-0 defeat to Lithuania.
The Poles are well renowned for being a hard team to break down and could well be a surprise package of this World Cup, a lot like Greece in Euro 2004; and with odds of 125/1 to win the tournament it maybe a good idea to have an each way bet on them. The odds of Poland winning the group are very generous at 10/3, as it could well be a coin toss between themselves and Germany for top spot.
With many of the bookies expecting a quick exit from the Poles, the odds of one of their players topping the scoring chart are quite high. The burden on the shoulders lies with the two hit-men of Frankowski and Zurawski to prove the bookies wrong and you can get goods with UK Betting of 100/1.
My tip - A surprise appearance in the semi final at 14/1 with Paddy Power.
ECUADOR - 300/1 to win tournament, 10/1 to win group, both with Sporting Odds.
Ecuador qualified from the South American zone quite comfortably in third place. On their quest for Germany they managed to beat Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay very convincingly. They are team to write off at your peril; but they do tend to blow hot and cold as they received a beating from Venezuela 3-1 who largely struggled in the South American group.
With that been said it will be hard to see where Ecuador will pick up any points apart from defeating Costa Rica. However they may well be able to nick a point of one of the European teams, so at 7/2 from Ladbrokes for the Ecuadorians to pick up four points will probably the only way to pick up any money from this South American team.
My tip - Ecuador to get 4 points. 7/2 with Ladbrokes.
COSTA RICA - 750/1 to win tournament with Bet365, 20/1 to win group with Sporting Odds.
Costa Rica qualified via the North American group finishing in third place behind USA and Mexico. The highlight of their qualification campaign was a resounding 3-0 victory over the United States, a team which is starting to put a foothold in the worldwide game of football.
Costa Rica are largely expected to be the whipping boys of group A, but you have to take into consideration their performances in their 2 last World Cup performances. In 1990 they defeated Scotland and Sweden to qualify for the knock out rounds, and they narrowly missed out on making the last 16 four years ago, due to Turkey having a slightly better goal difference. For Costa Rica to emulate their 1990 success, but to get knocked out in the second round, you can get odds of 13/2 with Bet And Win.
Ex Derby, West Ham and Manchester City player Paolo Wanchope will be looking to make an impact in this tournament as it will be likely to be his last World Cup. If you fancy the lanky elastic striker to win the golden boot you can get odds of 250/1 with Bet365.
My tip - Even with Costa Rica's unpredictable record in the World Cup I can't actually see them earning a point and with Ladbrokes offering 7/2 for scoring nul points is mighty tempting.
Steve Goldby is the author of this World Cup series which features on http://www.premiumbettingnews.com.
