Soccer Betting and Handicapping Articles

France Odds to Win 2014 World Cup with Picks and Predictions
by Strike Point Sports - 3/17/2014

French stars such as Juventus’ Paul Pogba, Bayern Munich’s Franck Ribery and Paris Saint-Germain’s Blaise Matuidi are all set to shine in Brazil. This trio has struck a rich vein of form for their respective club teams during the current campaign, and their places for the national team will be looked at as crucial for any big time success at this summer’s World Cup.

Italy Odds to Win 2014 World Cup with Picks and Predictions
by Strike Point Sports - 3/17/2014

With a perfect balance of veteran leadership mixed with dynamic young options, the Italians will be right in the mix of things in the 2014 World Cup. Italy features many stars from Serie A, including the four defensive standouts from league leaders, Juventus. Goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon will feature along with club teammates Giorgio Chiellini, Andrea Barzagli and Leonardo Bunucci, who have played a huge role in what should be another Italian title for Juve.

Lionel Messi Odds for Golden Boot Top Goal Scorer at 2014 World Cup
by Trevor Whenham - 3/13/2014

You wouldn’t have to work too hard to make the argument that Lionel Messi is the greatest active soccer player in the world right now. He holds the record for being named winner of the Ballon d’Or (best player in the world) with four. After winning four years in a row, he fell short in 2013 — and then he finished second. Not bad for a player who is only 26. It also makes sense that he is favored here.

Neymar Odds for Golden Boot Top Goal Scorer at 2014 World Cup
by Trevor Whenham - 3/13/2014

Want to feel old? Neymar, the phenom who is leading strongly-favored Brazil into their home World Cup, just turned 22 years old in February. For the last year he has been playing with FC Barcelona. There is an embarrassment of riches on that squad — Lionel Messi, the favorite to be the top goal scorer in the tournament, is his teammate. So, can Neymar surpass his teammate and come out on top?

Cristiano Ronaldo Odds for Golden Boot Top Goal Scorer at 2014 World Cup
by Trevor Whenham - 3/13/2014

What stands out the most when you look at the career of Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo is the time he has spent at the top of the game. He has won the Ballon d’Or, awarded to the top player in the world, twice. That’s not unprecedented by itself — Lionel Messi has won four in a row.

Argentina Odds to Win 2014 World Cup with Picks and Predictions
by Strike Point Sports - 3/10/2014

There are a handful of teams headed to Brazil spoiled for choice when it comes to skilled attacking units, but Argentina might just take the cake. Lionel Messi has arguably been the best player in the world the last four years since his country failed to live up to expectations in South Africa. The knock on Messi, if there ever is one, would be his inconsistent form for country compared to his brilliance with club side Barcelona.

Brazil Odds to Win 2014 World Cup with Picks and Predictions
by Strike Point Sports - 3/10/2014

Youth will carry them. Manager Luiz Felipe Scolari has done an impressive job shaping his unit over the past few years, with this summer’s World Cup as the end result. This is his second stint as the Brazilian manager, the first being a hit success in the form of winning the 2002 World Cup. Scolari has guided Brazil to a 20-4-2 record heading into his squad’s final two friendly matches in early June prior to the start of the tournament.

Spain Odds to Win 2014 World Cup with Picks and Predictions
by Strike Point Sports - 3/10/2014

Six years ago, prior to the start of Euro 2008, you couldn't look at Spain without some cynical remark about their inability to win a major tournament. After all, it had been nearly 50 years since their last title. Fast forward a few months before the 2014 World Cup, and you see Spain as a completely different entity.

2014 World Cup Favorites: Teams with Best Chance to Win in Brazil
by Strike Point Sports - 3/7/2014

The 2014 World Cup is one of the more highly-anticipated sporting events over the last quarter century thanks in large part to arguably the most influential soccer country playing host. Brazil needs no excuse to party, but come this summer there will be an abundance of reasons to share joy in the world’s game, with its best on display for the right to be crowned world champion.

2014 World Cup Soccer Handicapping: the Coaches
by Trevor Whenham - 3/3/2014

Soccer coaches are an odd breed. They often don’t stay in the same place for very long, and they can’t help but be paranoid because they face so much blame whenever something goes wrong. As is always the case, there are some interesting characters and some intriguing storylines amongst the coaches this year at the World Cup. Here are six coaches that stand out as interesting:

2014 World Cup Group H Picks and Betting Odds
by Trevor Whenham - 2/25/2014

This group is a perfect example of how even the most time-tested of phrases aren’t always true. We’ve heard all our lives about how they save the best for last. Group H will be the last group to start round-robin play, and they will play the last game of the round-robin portion of the tournament. And this most certainly isn’t the best group of the tournament.

2014 World Cup Handicapping: Easy Groups
by Trevor Whenham - 2/25/2014

When it comes to the groups in the World Cup, so much of the discussion is about the so-called groups of death. People want to focus on which group is the toughest and which teams could be left out of the round of 16. Just as interesting, though are the groups that are decidedly easy — at least in relative terms. The easy groups may be even more interesting for bettors than the most challenging ones.

Underrated Players in the 2014 World Cup
by Trevor Whenham - 2/21/2014

There are so many superstar players due to be playing in the World Cup this summer in Brazil that it can be very easy for very good, very influential players — the kind with the ability to impact the outcome of games to fly under the radar and not get the attention from the betting public that they deserve. Bettors who can spot these players and anticipate their importance can give themselves a big edge heading into the tournament.

2014 World Cup Group G Picks and Betting Odds
by Trevor Whenham - 2/20/2014

This group is widely referred to as the Group of Death. While I think Group D has something to say about that, this nonetheless has the potential to be a tightly-fought battle. If things play out to form, though, the battle will be for the second qualifying spot. Germany is very talented and in strong form, and they have a long history of success in the World Cup, so they should be ready for the challenge here.

2014 World Cup Group F Picks and Betting Odds
by Trevor Whenham - 2/13/2014

Argentina may be in an even better situation than Brazil is in this tournament. The immensely-talented team is good enough to win it all, and they get to play close to home where things will be familiar and fan support will be plentiful. They don’t have to deal with the pressure of playing at home, though, so they should be able to sleep a little more soundly than the Brazilians during the tournament.

2014 World Cup Handicapping: Most Overrated Players
by Trevor Whenham - 2/12/2014

If a player is good enough to make the national side for the World Cup and play significant minutes then they are very good. The public has a tendency, though, to assume that some players are better than they really are — or at least than they are likely to be at this point. High-profile players can have a reputation that doesn’t match realistic expectations, and that can lead bettors to inflate their importance — and the chances of their team as a result.

2014 World Cup Group E Picks and Betting Odds
by Trevor Whenham - 2/6/2014

Not all groups are created equally at the World Cup, and this one stands as proof. There are a couple of decent teams here, but as a whole this is far from the most inspiring group. France has obviously had a lot of success on this stage in the past but are more than a step from their best and only narrowly qualified for the field. Switzerland has promise, but we don’t really know how good they are because their qualifying group — Iceland, Slovenia, and Norway — was so bad it was laughable.

2014 World Cup Group D Picks and Betting Odds
by Trevor Whenham - 1/28/2014

The thing about this debate over the Group of Death that happens at every major tournament is that there is no right answer. Few people would pick Group D as their choice, but there is no doubt that it has elements of deathliness to it. There is very little to separate England, Italy and Uruguay.

2014 World Cup Group C Picks and Betting Odds
by Trevor Whenham - 1/27/2014

Group C is not a group that is going to get a lot of media attention compared to many because it lacks a superstar squad, and the winner of the tournament all but certainly isn’t coming from among this collection of teams. What it lacks in glamour, though, it makes up for in competitiveness. Colombia and Ivory Coast are better than Japan and Greece, but the gap is small, and you can easily make an argument for any of the teams to find their way into the elimination rounds.

English Premier League Picks: Arsenal vs. Fulham
by Nicholas Tolomeo with Raphael Esparza - 1/15/2014

Arsenal will welcome Fulham into Emirates Stadium on Saturday for a London derby and will be looking to add an easy three points to their current league total of 48 points. Arsenal will be looking to expand their lead at the top of the table, while Fulham will be desperate to stay out of the relegation zone as they currently sit just one point clear from the bottom three.