MistaFlava's 2010 World Cup***POWER SELECTIONS*** (Finished 22-7 ATS in 2006)

[MistaFlava]

MistaFlava's 2010 World Cup Record: 0-0 ATS (+0.00 Units)




Friday, June 11


Group A - First Round


South Africa pk +108 (10 Units)

I don't care how poorly ranked the South Africans are in the world. The bottom line is that this is their tournament, this is their Nation, this is the World Cup Opener and the hosts, along with all of Africa, are not about to lose this game or watch their team lose this game. The atmosphere is going to be off the charts because of anticipation and pre-game ceremonies and I actually like what the South Africans did in their friendlies tour and that was play against weaker opponents and build confidence. Bafana Bafana have not lost a match in 14 straight now leading up to this very first match and again if they can get the first goal on the board they should at least be assured some kind of confidence and the crowd could lead them from there. Their keep has mentioned that he wants to win all three matches, which in the end is not impossible and please keep in mind that this is the very first game, the atmosphere will not be like any other game in this World Cup except the Finals and if South Africa is going to win a game it's going to be this one. Mexico have choked in the past and a loss here would not be the end of their tournament. I have to back the home team, which has never failed to make it out of the Group Stage at a World Cup and I think there is some value here.

South Africa 3, Mexico 2





Group A - First Round


Uruguay +0.5 +106 (25 Units) ***PLAY OF THE DAY***

I refuse to believe Uruguay is going to lose this match. Right now if you look at the big picture, not only does France have a Head Coach who is on his way out after the World Cup but France comes to South Africa under all that scrutiny and although for some teams it would be a motivating factor, I think the French are going to try way too hard to impress and to quiet all critics and it's going to cost them. Diego Forlan is as dangerous as they get up front for Uruguay and I really question not only France's defense but also their goalkeeping which has been an issue in past matches. Uruguay took an unusual path to the World Cup in the sense that they only played a few friendlies along the way and avoided a heavy schedule like some of the other teams. They played only one game together since the end of the domestic seasons in Europe and I have to say that it was pretty damn smart of them considering all the injuries some teams have suffered out there in friendly matches. The one game was a 4-1 beat down on Israel a few weeks ago and even back in March I have to say I was impressed Uruguay's win over Switzerland. So there is no doubt this team is fresh compared to a France team that is coming off a 2-1 loss to China, a 1-1 draw with Tunisia and a narrow win over Costa Rica at home in their three friendly warmup matches. Uruguay is already being underestimated by the bookmakers and it's a mistake.

Uruguay 1, France 1




more to come...

 

[diop]

Gl to u this tourney..
I'm going to b trying a number of underdogs this WC.

took RSA draw no bet. the last 5mins of the 1st half looked very promising.

hope we can get this

 

[MistaFlava]

Well the 'pk' was clearly put out there by the books to get people to bet on Mexico ML and I bet you a ton took Mexico to win. I came away with no money on this match but it was a valiant effort by the South Africans and could have been a better outcome but it was fair.

GL this World Cup diop!

 

[diop]

the poster at 89' was a heartbreaker lol. but entertaining game.

either both teams suck at handling or passing or that ball really is going to cause problems this WC

 

[Avon_Barksdale]

Let's get it done

 

[MistaFlava]

the poster at 89' was a heartbreaker lol. but entertaining game.

either both teams suck at handling or passing or that ball really is going to cause problems this WC

The ball along with the altitude are going to be a disaster this World Cup. FIFA dropped the ball with both Adidas and location but what can you do? Even on the Mexico goal the ball sailed way past the RSA defender and created a scoring chance for Marquez. That means we are in for a ton of upsets, a ton of weird goals and a wild world cup. Should be fun.

 

[MistaFlava]

RECAP


1-0-1 ATS (+26.50 Units)





:toast:

 

[chenasty]

Wish I woulda saw your post before the game. Lost a couple on France -.5

 

[MistaFlava]

Tomorrow is a very interesting day and we will find out quite a bit about some question mark teams.

 

[MistaFlava]

adding...



Saturday, June 12


Group B - First Round


South Korea pk +108 (25 Units) ***PLAY OF THE DAY***

This is a great play. Both teams are going to try and be defensive but South Korea or Korea Replubic as they are listed here, are the pick to win this match. They are certainly not going to lose to Greece so this is a safe bet. I don't know how many of you have followed the South Koreans and their road to the World Cup but it all started with friendlies as far back as January when they beat Finland 2-0 and then beat Latvia 1-0 before regrouping again in March and beating LES ELEPHANTS from Ivory Coast to the tune of a 2-0 win. That alone is very impressive and the South Koreans are very tactical in the sense that they don't allow many chances against but then have guys like Park Ji Sung up front to put the balls in the back of the net. Since finishing their domestic seasons and gathering for pre-World Cup friendlies, the South Koreans have arguably been the most impressive team (from the non Brazil, Spain and Germany type teams) going 2-2-0 in those matches. Their loss to Belarus was inexplicable but they managed to hold Spain to only 1 goal in a 1-0 loss just last week and for those who don't know, Greece has some big time problems scoring goals. The Greeks played only three friendlies in 2010, two of them the past few weeks and one in March and they managed to score only 2 goals in three matches while allowing 6 goals. This is exactly the kind of opponent South Korea wants to face right away because they know they can counter attack and more likely than not Greece won't be able to answer. I have the South Koreans finishing second in this group and this is a must win match.

South Korea 3, Greece 0





Group B - First Round


Argentina -1.25 (-105) (10 Units)

know it's tough to go with this spread after the way things went on Day 1 and probably went in the earlier match today but betting on Argentina is no doubt one of the best decisions one could make when the line is so small. Believe me we are not going to see this kind of line for them against Greece or South Korea. The line against those two teams is probably going to be a two goal spread and I will take it against the Greeks but will wait to see the line against South Korea and probably go huge on South Korea because they held Spain to only one goal last week and can be a big time shut down defense. Argentina are one of the favorites to win this World Cup and getting off to a slow start is not an option. There is going to be a very large supporting cast of fans for Nigeria because obviously we are in Africa but it won't be the same pressure as the Mexicans had and not the same support. Mexico does not have a Lionel Messi and if you haven't seen this kid play yet, you'll probably understand by the end of the second half why he is the best footballer in the world right now. Argentina went 6-1 in their seven friendlies leading up to the World Cup outscoring opponents 19-7 and I know their defense has been questioned in the past but since putting together their top team for some recent friendlies, Argentina has not allowed a goal in three matches or since February beating Germany 1-0, Canada 5-0 and Haiti 4-0. Kanu can talk all he wants about his prediction to beat Argentina but he has yet to explain why and he'll have to do the talking on the field with his feet. Nigeria played only two legit friendlies in their leadup to the World Cup beating Congo and North Korea. In the African Nations Cup earlier this year they finished third but lost to Egypt and Ghana. This won't be a high scoring game but Argentina will do enough to win by two in the end.

Argentina 3, Nigeria 1





Group C - First Round


United States +1 (+101) (10 Units)

I am probably the biggest England fan on this board by far despite living in United States and nothing is going to change that regardless of my background. I have been a fan of the Three Lions for years now and every time the World Cup rolls around I get that feeling in my stomach that this is the year. England no doubt have the easiest road to the FINAL FOUR teams of all teams in the World Cup but only if they meet expectations and win this group. Winning this group would ensure them two rather easy matches to reach the Quarter-Finals depending on what other teams do. Having said that, American soccer/football is the best it has ever been and I have followed this team quite a bit in past months and believe me they are ready for this game. Some of the Nation's top players were left off the team and that goes to show how deep the talent pool is for the Americans right now. The Americans started playing serious friendlies in March when they lost 2-1 to the Netherlands but they played hard. They lost to the Czech Republic in a test match at home (many players sat in the press box for this one as the coaching staff determined who would make the team) and same goes for their 2-1 win over Turkey a few days later. Their one and only real match was an impressive 3-1 win over Australia last week in South Africa with their full 23 man roster in action for the first time. My Three Lions are going to make some noise in this tournament but it will take time and they will be one of those teams that only gets better as the tournament progresses. Right now they have a new Captain, they have a new head coach and more than half of this team are playing in their first World Cup for England. So this is a new team, it will take a few matches to get going and I just don't think they can beat the Americans. The next two matches will be easy for England and with those thoughts in their back pockets, they will fight hard but it won't be enough to get the win. Underestimating the Americans is such a mistake.

England 2, United States 2





more to come...

 

[MistaFlava]

For some reason the books have South Korea listed as Korea Republic and then North Korea is Korea DPR or something. It's confusing and some people are probably betting on the wrong Korea.

 

[wui130]

mf, seems like your know shit.. keep up the good work..

tks.wui

 

[cosmokram3r]

Damn you are fireeeeeeee on this! I'll be tailing you

 

[MistaFlava]

RECAP


3-1-1 ATS (+53.10 Units)





:toast:


Argentina probably should have scored a second goal but it was not to be. I got a bit off taking the -1.25 but it looked good. See you all tomorrow!

 

[bloodsweatandbeers]

thx flava, BSB

 

[cosmokram3r]

Your the man! Cheers for the USA/Eng play. Could only get +0.5 for 2.42 odds which worked out well but I think i'll need another book for WC, my one doesnt let me alter lines like buy points or anything

 

[MistaFlava]

adding...



Sunday, June 13


Group C - First Round


Algeria +0.5 (10 Units)

No doubt about this result. The Algerians are virtual unknowns when it comes to playing in the World Cup but these guys were actually fourth place finishers at the African Nations Cup earlier this season, they managed to beat Ivory Coast in that tournament and they played Nigeria tough in the match for third place. The Algerians had a tough time in their recent friendlies going 1-2-0 in those matches and being outscored 6-1 in those matches but they did finish their friendly campaign with a 1-0 win over United Arab Emirates and that could go a long way in terms of confidence for this match. Slovenia is making their second World Cup appearance this year and their first was a complete disaster as they lost all three games played in 2002. On paper the Slovenians have the advantage but my concern with this squad is that they have played only two matches together in 2010 beating both Qatar and New Zealand but two matches together is not going to do much for team unity. Algeria on the other hand don't have any defensive abilities and it's going to cost them in this game but the Algerians have played a total of 9 matches together in 2010 with their African Nations Cup appearance and they should be dangerous in this match. Both teams are going for the win in this match make no mistake about it. The Algerians are not know for their defense and in all six matches they have played in World Cup history so the OVER is worth a shot. Both teams are going to go for broke an in the end that is going to payoff for Algeria because they have played so many games together in 2010 compared to only two games played together as a team for Slovenia. I would say the Algerians can win this but this high scoring affair is probably going to finish in a DRAW and the spread looked good.

Algeria 2, Slovenia 2





Group D - First Round


Serbia -0.5 (10 Units)

This is the Serbian's match to lose and if they have any hope of advancing in this tournament this is a match they need to win. So far we are all waiting for an African Nation to emerge as a possible threat in this tournament and although South Africa looked good at times and they will probably make it out of the group stage alive, I don't think they have a long run in them. Nigeria? Not bad but don't see them advancing. A lot of people think Ghana is the team that will make some noise in this tournament. I don't see it happening. Michael Essien is their best player and he is out for the tournament. Ghana was impressive in the African Nations Cup reaching the Finals but they had by far the easiest road the Finals in that tournament beating Burkina Faso, Angola and Nigeria but losing 3-1 to Ivory Coast and 1-0 to Egypt. In friendlies outside of the African world, Ghana lost to Bosnia-Herzegovina in March and 4-1 to the Netherlands before beating European minnow Latvia 1-0 in their final tuneup match. Serbia is a team to watch out for in this tournament. They won't win the group but if Serbia and Australia can ruffle a few feathers, Germany will find themselves on the outside looking in. So far in 2010 Serbia played five friendly matches and they looked pretty damn good at times. The loss to New Zealand was a writeoff but they beat Cameroon 4-3 in their final tuneup and they beat both Japan and Algeria 3-0 in those matches. This is one of the highest scoring teams coming into the World Cup, they are among 2-3 teams being called dark horses to somehow shock the world and win it all and I just don't think Ghana can overcome the loss of the Nation's best player. Serbia wins this. They have to.

Serbia 2, Ghana 1





Group D - First Round


Australia +1 (25 Units) ***PLAY OF THE DAY***

know this may come to a shock to many but I actually think Australia has a chance to come out of this group, come out as the top team in this group and I had a vision this morning that they had a chance to beat the all might Germans in this match. The Australians are at 100% health for the opener, they are going to come into this thing as aggressive as it gets and the Germans in my eyes are the one powerhouse Nation that could be in for a real surprise this year. Australia was a very impressive 6-0-2 in World Cup 2010 qualifying, they did not lose a single match, they allowed only 1 goal in all eight matches combined and scored 12 goals themselves. Experience is huge for the Australians and they have two of the most experienced guys around with Harry Kewell and Tim Cahill, both healthy enough to play and both who have previous Cup experience. How can you not be impressed not only with Australia's qualifying campaign and the fact that they outscored opponents 12-1 but the Kangaroos also played Netherlands to a 0-0 draw last October in a friendly, they beat New Zealand and Denmark in recent friendlies but dropped their finale against the United States...somewhat of a write-off match. Michael Ballack is out for Germany, they don't have their usual captain and I don't know that there is anyone else who can lead this squad to big things in 2010. They looked good in friendlies beating Bosnia, Hungary, Malta and South Africa but when they played real competition with Argentina, they lost 1-0 at home. Again my prediction is based on the fact that I don't think the Germans are going to do well this year and I think they are a bit out of sorts. The Australians are a very dangerous opponent and out they come to shock the world. You can't go wrong with the +1 in this match, believe that. This is my strongest play of the day, the Australians can't be underestimated.

Australia 1, Germany 0





more to come...

 

[illusionzzz]

good luck! you're doing well so far!

i got australia +2 and a small wager on germany 1-0 and also 2-0

 

[afawbush]

Good luck!

Not so sure about the German bet, their physical style of play tends to do well in the cup. But youre hot so Ill be going with the aussie's.

 

[MistaFlava]

0-3 today, wrong on all accounts and just horrendous feel for all three games. Completely underestimated the Germans, Australia was horrendous. Bad luck for Algeria on the late red card and Serbia looked out of sorts.

See you all tomorrow.