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Europa League Final: Fulham – Atletico Madrid: (Wednesday, May 12th 19.45pm – Hamburg, Germany)

I don’t think even Fulham know how they have managed to get to their first final of any description let alone a European final since 1975 when they lost the FA Cup Final as a second Division side to West Ham. Fulham started of their European run in July when they knocked out Lithuanian side FK Vetra. Since then they have knocked out Italian giants Juventus, UEFA Cup Holders Shakhtar Donetsk, German Champions of last season Wolfsburg, & of course Hamburg who would have been playing the final on their own ground if they had beat Fulham in the Semi Finals. Fulham also had to get through a difficult group stage where they had to play Italian side AS Roma who are neck & neck with Inter Milan in the battle for The Italian Title. Fulham have never won a major trophy in their history & if they win this game it will be a remarkable achievement. They face Spanish side Atletico Madrid who after a poor start in the first half of the season have managed to improve & now sit in 9th place in the table. They drew 1-1 at the weekend after resting several players for the final. Atletico have had a far better history than Fulham in terms of trophies. They have won the Spanish title on 9 occasions, the most recent in 1996, when they also won the Spanish cup to achieve a Spanish double. They have also won the UEFA Cup (1962) as well as being runners up twice in 1963 (when they were holders) & 1986. They were also runners up in the European Cup final of 1974 when they lost to Bayern Munich after a replay. In fact in this final they came very close to winning because in the first game they went ahead with only 7 minutes of Extra time to play but were pegged back by the Germans who won the replay 4-0.

It seems to me unfair that Atletico are even in the final as they were knocked out of the Champions League this season which included a 4-0 defeat at Chelsea. Fulham have reached the final by playing more games in the completion than the Spanish side but hey that’s modern football for you. I hope Fulham win as it would be great for the fans & the club but I can’t see it. I think that Atletico have more European experience than Fulham & that will tell. A shame & lets hope that Fulham don’t go the same way as Middlesbrough who reached the UEFA final 2006, i.e., relegation to the Championship within a few years.

Result Prediction: Fulham to lose

Score Prediction: Atletico Madrid 2 Fulham 1

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Remember all that discussion about South American teams ruling European squads in World Cup sportsbook odds?

You can forget it. While only six of thirteen European squads made it from the Group stage, 3 of those squads made the semifinals. When the finals are over, it is rather likely that a European team will wind up winning versus the World Cup online soccer betting probabilities.

Contemplating how many of the South American squads were deemed heavy favorites to win their games, it’s fairly surprising that Uruguay is the only South American squad left. Five-time champ Brazil was eliminated rather unceremoniously by Holland. Reigning winners Italy were removed in the first round. The only ones that remain from the previous World Cup champions are Germany and Uruguay, in reality. And it does not seem likely that Uruguay is going to make it to the finals this year, taking a look at the incredible squad the Netherlands appears to have this year.

Needless to say, historically speaking, only European and South American teams have ever won the World Cup anyway. Squads from these 2 continents have taken nine championships each. So it is not surprising that most of the squads are European, but mildly surprising that only 1 South American team is.

The match between Spain and Germany is a pick while sports books probabilities prefer Holland in their semifinal competition versus Uruguay. There has been at least one European squad in the World Cup final in each year since 1934 and there will be at least 1 this year and perhaps two. If the Netherlands beats Uruguay as supposed, the World Cup final will have two European teams.

Spain and Brazil were the two favorites at the online sportsbook to win the title before the World Cup commenced. Spain continues to be alive, yet Brazil is finished. The team that is now viewed as on par with Spain is Germany. A lot of folks are now jumping on the Germany bandwagon after they beat Argentina 4-0 in the quarterfinals. Although Germany has appeared quite great, they now must get past Spain to attain the final. Whichever team wins will give Europe a squad in the tournament competition.

European squads had trouble in the group stage but some of the problems were not a huge surprise as Italy and France were both overhyped. Germany, Holland and Spain all won their groups, it should be noted. This is the 3rd consecutive World Cup that has viewed Germany in the semifinals. Germany may be an offensive juggernaut in the World Cup as they’ve got obtained 4 goals 3 times in their 5 competitions. In the whole tournament, there have been a lot of squads that did not score four goals. Miroslav Klose, who has 14 career World Cup goals, is leading the German squad. Klose is not the leading scorer in the competition however as Spain’s David Villa has 5 for top honors. The Netherlands, who’s the only outstanding undefeated team in the World Cup, is not to be neglected on the list of European teams. They are now unbeaten total in their last 24 games and they’re preferred on Tuesday to beat Uruguay and make the final.

Spain has been titled the newest World Cup champ in sports gambling following their game with the Netherlands on Sunday. In a 1-0 win, Spain became the first team in World Cup history to win the Cup after losing their 1st competition and also claimed their 1st ever World Cup championship.

There were lots of reasons for European soccer betting fans to be nervous in sportsbook wagering as the 2010 World Cup wagering competition approached. Primarily on the list of issues was the fact that never before in the eighty years of World Cup odds history had a European team won the World Cup wagering tournament when it was put on off of European soil. The South American teams had owned and won each World Cup probabilities competition that had not been played on the favorable confines of the old continent.

And it looked as if that trend would continue when the Group Stage of the soccer wagering got moving. Spain, the European fave to win the complete World Cup gambling contest, lost its first match to tiny Switzerland. But that was not all. The much vaunted English side scarcely qualified for the knockout stage of the World Cup odds competition after they played to a draw with the mediocre US squad. Worse still, reigning World Cup gambling victor Italy never progressed out of the Group Stage and 1998 World Cup betting champ France never even scored just one point in the rankings in its humiliating three game run in the 2010 World Cup probabilities competition.

But fortunately for European soccer wagering buffs the curse is over and a continental squad has won a World Cup betting trophy off of European soil for the first time. Ensuring that the victor would be a continental European nation, Spain and the Netherlands faced off in the finals on Sunday.

It was a classic soccer wagering game and a World Cup final to not forget. The championship’s greatest defense took on arguably the top offense in this year’s World Cup tournament.

And the old soccer gambling adage that defense tops offense held true. Not only did Spain win the country’s first World Cup championship, but they hoisted the 1st World Cup gambling championship won by a European side outside of Europe as well. This may make the squad by far the greatest in Spanish history as it already notched the team’s first Euro Cup victory in 2008. In reality, it will be remembered as 1 of the finest European squads in soccer wagering history.

But the race for the Golden Boot has been maybe the most fascinating wagering story of the World Cup gambling event thus far. The Golden Boot is 1 of the most esteemed trophies in soccer betting is granted at every World Cup odds contest to the person that scores the most goals.

Heading into the World Cup wagering competition, most folks thought that players such as the Argentine Lionel Messi, Britain’s Wayne Rooney and the Portuguese Christiano Ronaldo would be taking the trophy. Instead, between the 3 of them they managed only one goal. The “Young Player of the World Cup” award also as the coveted Golden Boot were taken home this year by Germany’s Thomas Mueller.

It’s been a peculiar and interesting World Cup for 2010.

The wait is over as the host country South Africa faces Mexico, beginning World Cup gambling event on Friday.

The World Cup probabilities on this match are very tight with Mexico a very small fave on the three-way soccer gambling line in this game which can be found on ESPN.

World Cup wagering probabilities list Mexico at  150, South Africa at  170 and the Draw at  210. The total is two with the over at -150. This is a key game for both teams when they try to progress from Group A. Mexico is really only seeking to survive what will likely be a very emotional competition for South Africa. A lot of individuals are predicting that Mexico will only be seeking to get a draw.

Group A is wide open as to who will be the team that advances from this group, other than the fave France, and that’s why Friday’s competition is so significant. With the game being played in Soccer City Stadium in Johannesburg, the home crowd edge will likely be major for South Africa. The South Africa team isn’t really very good, so they will need the home field edge. In this type of opener however they could certainly play beyond their abilities and get the win. Mexico’s head coach Javier Aguirre is definitely focused on the power that South Africa will get from about 100,000 devotees. South Africa will intend that midfielder Stephen Pienaar can make a few plays and look to play tough defense.

Mexico has advanced to the round of 16 in the last 4 World Cups nevertheless they lost every time in that round. Mexico will be headed in this year’s 2010 world cup by young forward Javier Hernandez and the seasoned Cuauhtemoc Blanco. Mexico also has some talented players including Giovani dos Santos, and a quality goaltender in Guillermo Ochoca.

Every World Cup host squad has made it from the group stage, but that streak is in significant jeopardy this year. South Africa has the advantage of a fragile group, even with being one of the less strong teams in the 2010 world cup. France is not quite as good as they were 4 years ago while Mexico is wildly inconsistent. The best squad in the group might be Uruguay but they are no power in World Cup betting..

The FIFA World Cup will begin on June 11th and is expected to run through July 11th. An African nation will be hosting the World Cup for the first time in history this year. Morocco and Egypt were trumped by South Africa for the honor. The FIFA World Cup is held once every 4 years and features 32 teams from different nations playing vs each other for the tournament in football. This event has historically been dominated by Brazil, which holds a record 5 championships and is the only team to have played in every tournament. The current champion is Italy, which has won the title 4 times total. Brazil will be hosting the following World Cup in 2014.

Germany beat the favored Argentina in a slight upset in their quarterfinals competition on Saturday in soccer betting. The final score of 4-0 was largely due to a really aggressive Argentina offense against a very patient German defense.

Argentina now follows the other highly favored South American squad at the online sportsbook, Brazil, from the contest. In the mean time, Germany will continue on to the semifinals to take on Spain, who moved on after beating Paraguay 1-0.

Germany has been a pleasant surprise for several World Cup wagering enthusiasts. This is a young team that had a fairly dull qualifying round in the run up to the World Cup odds contest in South Africa. It doesn’t boast any huge names like Ballack or Kahn as World Cup betting tournaments in the past. In reality, at least until it steps onto the soccer pitch, it is a fairly low key team that seems to fly under radar.

The German team sailed through the World Cup wagering group stage, losing a game to a remarkably great Serbian side, but getting 6 points and finally winning the group. And no soccer wagering lover will forget the clinic this squad put on vs the highly preferred English side in the World Cup betting round of 16.

Through 4 competitions in this year’s World Cup wagering, the issue that has stood out most is this team’s offensive ability. It has landed 9 goals, including two 4 goal outburst and granted only 2 goals for an outstanding differential of +7.

But in order to win vs a squad of Argentina’s caliber, it’s the defense that must shine, or at the very least the mid-field must have the ability to hold somewhat. And that doesn’t seem all that hard for Germany. Against a quite strong attacking English mid-field of Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard, the Germans basically shut them out though Lampard did unleash a few good shots from a distance.

The Argentine attack was much trickier to defend and much different in the World Cup betting quarterfinal matchup. It’s packed with quickness (Messi, Tevez, and Higuian) and there is not a defense that keeps pace with this trio man for man. But Germany was able to firmly refuse the attempts of those 3 attackers to keep them away and stop any goals. In the counterattack, Germany then had  lots of chances to get shots on the Argentine goal.

Germany has been an fantastic finishing squad so far in the World Cup wagering action. It concluded well again for its chance to advance to the semifinals in the World Cup.

Infamous Argentina coach Diego Maradona, for his part, was quite irritated and frustrated with the squad’s loss. Maradona expressed his aggravation at a few of Germany’s loyal buffs by getting angry and yelling at them until his daughter escorted him away. He once played for the same squad that he coaches now. He has even thinking about leaving the team as coach, clearly taking this defeat extremely hard. It’s sad to see such a devoted team coach so heartbroken, as much as he was entertaining in his antics during the World Cup.