What a cracking match this should be as the under-performing Dutch square off against Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal. When it comes to the soccer odds for Sunday's do-or-die match, they couldn't be any tighter.
Current soccer odds list the Netherlands barely favored at +160, with Portugal
at +165 and a draw at +250. With so many quality attacking options on the
pitch, a total play may be of interest, with the number at 2.5. Most of the
action, as expected, is coming in on the OVER at -130 odds.
As of now, Group B sees Germany atop comfortably with a maximum
six points out of six. Then we've got Portugal and Denmark at three points and
Netherlands with zero.
Yes, the revered Dutch have yet to get a single point so
far.
After a brutal 1-0 defeat to Denmark in their opener, they
fell short against Germany in a 2-1 loss. Two goals from Mario Gomez were all
the Germans needed as the Dutch desperately tried to find their way back in.
They got a consolation strike from Robin van Persie but again time simply ran
out.
Shock and horror
The pressure is really on now for Netherlands, who must win
by at least two goals to have any chance of moving on.
They'll face a Portugal team that staved off elimination by
beating Denmark 3-2 during the week. Pepe and Helder Postiga put the Portuguese
in total control in the first half, but then the Danes got two goals from
Nicklas Bendtner.
A substitution ended up being the difference though as
Varela came on and score the match-winner with three minutes left in
regulation. That goal has opened the door for Portugal to advance on to the
elimination stages.
Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo has come under fire a
little bit for his performances in the tournament so far, but he's definitely
opening up some space for others. Ronaldo's had a competition-leading eight
shots on target so far.
There are a lot more issues that need tending to over in the
Netherlands camp.
Klaas-Jan Huntelaar and Rafael van der Vaart have made it
known that they're unhappy not to be starting, while Arjen Robben was visually
upset at getting substituted in Netherlands' latest defeat. Still, you can't
blame that move: Robben has eight total attempts off target through two
matches, the second most in the entire competition. He's wasting chance after
chance.
An epic Group B battle
In face of all of these selection problems, at least Wesley
Sneijder has looked unplayable. A superstar in the 2010 World Cup, Sneijder has
battled through some injury problems and loss of form for Inter Milan, but for
the national side he's been brilliant.
He'll need to be at his very best again this weekend in what
is going to be one hell of a match.
With both teams still clinging on to hopes of advancing (the
Dutch in downright desperation mode), we're sure to see a chippy atmosphere
both in the stands and on the pitch.
Straight up, this is a tough match to call, but if we had to
make a call on a side we'd go with Netherlands. Yes, they've been thoroughly
disappointing, however they did give Germany some problems and the far less
disciplined Portuguese will be a lot easier to get past. That's one reason we
like the OVER for Sunday.
We've got match-winners on both sides (Ronaldo, van Persie)
and a host of dangerous players surrounding them (Postiga, Nani, Robben,
Huntelaar, Sneijder). Additionally, neither defense has looked sound in the
slightest and this match should be wide open considering the implications it
holds for each nation. A draw simply won't cut it for Netherlands.
All of that said, our best soccer pick for this barnburner
is the OVER.
FREE
Pick:
OVER 2.5 goals (-130)