Dutch, Spain both eye history-making victory

Soccer Betting Lines

07/10/2010 - Johannesburg, South Africa (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - History will be made at Soccer City on Sunday in the final of the FIFA World Cup as either the Netherlands or Spain will claim its first-ever World Cup title.

One of the two sides will become the eighth nation to win a World Cup, and while the Dutch have appeared in the finals on two other occasions, in 1974 and 1978, this is uncharted territory for Spain.

"We haven't achieved anything like this before but this team deserves everything that comes our way," said Spain striker David Villa. "It's not easy to get this far but we're hungry for more and we couldn't be happier at reaching the final. That's what we came here for and now we want to go out and win it."

This will be the second big final for Spain in two years as it beat Germany, 1-0, to win the Euro 2008 title, and as midfielder Xabi Alonso said, "if you reach the final, you want to go on and win it."

Spain has gotten to its first World Cup final with three successive 1-0 victories in the knockout stage, beating Portugal, Paraguay and Germany by the same scoreline.

The Dutch, meanwhile, have found the net seven times in their three knockout stage wins, beating Slovakia and Brazil, 2-1, before a 3-2 triumph over Uruguay in the semifinals.

"We're in the final - unbelievable," overjoyed Dutch manager Bert van Marwijk said following the semifinal win. "When I took this job two years ago, I said to the players, 'We're on a mission, and we just have to believe in ourselves.' We're only a small country but we're through to the final, that's just unbelievable. We last made the final 32 years ago, so what we've achieved is, and I'll say it again, unbelievable."

Wesley Sneijder has also been unbelievable as he has led the team with five goals this tournament, while getting some strong support from both Arjen Robben and Dirk Kuyt on the wings.

However, if the Dutch want to complete their mission, they had better be stronger in defense as they will face a high-powered Spanish attack.

Despite scoring only seven goals in six games so far, Spain has created countless scoring chances and has controlled most of its games with a big edge in possession.

Spain manager Vicente del Bosque will have one big decision to make up top, and that is whether to start the struggling Fernando Torres alongside Villa, or go with Pedro, who played well in his first start against Germany in the semifinals.

The Netherlands has the kind of players in Robben and Sneijder who could be effective on the counter attack, but if Spain is firing on all cylinders on Sunday, it is hard to see it losing.

The Spanish have given up just two goals all tournament, and midfielder Xavi believes that if they can duplicate their semifinal performance, that he likes their chances of bringing home the World Cup.

"Holland are a great team, they've got really strong players, especially from the midfield to the attack and they're on a great run of form," Xavi said. "But we have to play our football - if we play like we did in the semifinal, we have a great chance."

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Eastern Conference Playoff Betting Trends

We all know by now that the “public” loves to put their money on the FAVORITES and the OVERS.  Just by taking a quick glance at Sportsbook.com’s “Betting Trends” it appears as is this tendency will continue as far as the Eastern Conference games are concerned.  For the inaugural games of the first round, 69% of the early money is on Toronto -4.5; 59% of bettors prefer Chicago -4.5; 84% are backing Detroit -9; and 56% think Cleveland -11.5 is the way to go.  As far as TOTALS are concerned, the only UNDER the “public” is backing is the Cleveland/ Washington game in which 83% are pounding the UNDER (190).  Remember, there is no better way to predict a possible line change than by monitoring MySportsbook.com’s “Betting Trends”.   By determining who the “public” is backing, you can get the most ideal line for your bet.  For example, if you are siding with the public you better place your bet before the line moves in the wrong direction.  On the other side of the coin, if you prefer the team that the “public” is betting against; you might be able to get and extra ½ or even more by placing your bet a bit later.  Under the “Betting Trends” section, Sportsbook.com also provides plenty of statistical data and trends in order for the bettor to make the most informed pick.  Below are some extremely important trends for the first round opponents of the Eastern Conference match-ups, more can be found at MySportsbook.com

New Jersey Nets vs. Toronto Raptors

Toronto was the most reliable covering team this season with a 48-33-1 ATS record but covered the OVER only 41.5% of the time.
The last 20 times these teams have played, the TOTAL has gone UNDER 16 times.
Versus Eastern Conference teams, Toronto is 33-19 ATS including 17-9 at home.
 New Jersey has covered four games in a row while Toronto has failed to cover their last four games.
When playing a team with a winning record during the second half of the season, New Jersey was just 5-13 ATS this season.
After scoring 105 points or more, Toronto has covered the OVER only 28% of the time this season. 
 
Miami Heat @ Chicago Bulls

Miami has failed to cover their last 7 games whereas Chicago has covered 6 out of their last 8 games.
Miami has covered the UNDER in four of their last five games whereas Chicago has covered the UNDER in five out of their last six.
When playing on Saturdays, Miami covered 80% of their games this season.
Away from home, Chicago is just 16-25 ATS this season.
At home, Miami covered the UNDER about 66% of the time whereas Chicago covered the UNDER about 61% of the time.
The last 13 times these teams have played each other, Chicago has covered 9 times.
In Miami’s last 11 road games, the UNDER covered 9 times. 
 
Orlando Magic @ Detroit Pistons

Detroit has covered 5 out of their last 6 games.
Away from home, Detroit is 28-13 ATS but just 14-26-1 ATS at home.
At home, Orlando covered the UNDER 64% of the time while Detroit covered the UNDER in 63% of their away games.
The last five times these teams have played in Detroit, the OVER covered each time.
Versus Eastern Conference teams, Detroit is 8-17-1 ATS at home but 17-9 ATS away.
Detroit covered the spread 5 out of the last 6 times they played Orlando.
After a Division game, Orlando covered the UNDER 87% of the time this season. 
 
Washington Wizards @ Cleveland Cavaliers

In a home game where the TOTAL is between 190 and 194.5 points, Cleveland is 9-1 ATS this season.
Washington has covered the UNDER in their last 6 games and in 8 of their last 9 games.
The last 6 times these teams have played each other, the UNDER covered each time.
When playing on 3 or more days of rest, Washington is just 18-37 ATS since 1996.
Since 1996, Washington is 28-16 ATS versus Cleveland including 11-5 over the last 3 seasons.
In their last 7 road games, Washington is 6-1 ATS.
Versus Eastern Conference teams at home, Washington is just 6-18-2 ATS. 
 
For even more betting trends for not just the NBA but for all of the major sports, log on to Sportsbook.com and click on “Trends”.  With only two months left in the NBA betting season it is important to be as well informed as possible in order to maximize your profit.  Also for all of you poker players, check out MySportsbook.com’s “WSOP Low Bid Auction”. You could be on your way to Vegas to play against the world’s best poker players for under a buck.

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