World Cup betting is about to gear up a notch as the group finales will kick off on Tuesday with Group A, where the group leaders will battle each other.Mexico Uruguay Betting – Tuesday, 10:00 AM ET
A draw is favored at -130 as these two are atop Group A with four points each, three ahead of France and South Africa. Mexico is coming off a comprehensive 2-0 win over France, but they’re going have to find a way to deal with Uruguay’s Diego Forlan, who spearheaded a 3-0 win over South Africa, and he may be the best player in the World Cup so far. These two countries have met 17 times, with Mexico winning seven and drawing seven while outscoring Uruguay 25-21. The Mexicans could also be going into this match without forward Carlos Vela, who hurt his leg against France and will probably sit this one out, but that could mean a starting role for Javier Hernandez, who scored as a substitute against France. The matchup to watch if you write a World Cup blog is Forlan against Mexico’s Rafael Marquez, and these two are familiar with each other after playing in La Liga. If Marquez can nullify Forlan, the Mexicans can grab a point, and first place is important as the runner-up will likely face Argentina.
Betting pick: Draw -130
France South Africa Betting – Tuesday, 10:00 AM ET
France is a +110 favorite in this World Cup contest, and are on the verge of going out in the first round for the second time in four World Cups. Les Bleus have been, easily, the biggest disappointments thus far, and it may not even due to their on-field play. After the Mexico loss, forward Nicolas Anelka was sent away from the team for arguing with manager Raymond Domenech, and then the team refused to train in protest of Anelka’s expulsion. South Africa will be aiming for an upset to give their fans something to cheer about, as they will likely be the first host country to be eliminated in the first round of the World Cup. It’s not a matter of work ethic, but the gulf in class was highlighted in the loss to Uruguay. France has won two and drawn one of their three meetings with South Africa, outscoring them 5-1, but Bafana Bafana definely has a chance to pull out the soccer betting upset in this one. The French camp is in disarray and are playing without pride, which is something that you can’t say about the South Africans. The host team needs to go at the defensive pairing of William Gallas and Eric Abidal, who has had a horror tournament playing out of position in the middle of the defense.
Gambling Advisor blog pick: South Africa +230
