World Cup Elimination Stage Betting Strategies
I'll start this piece off with a minor disclaimer stating I don't follow soccer at all and have had a tough time getting into it my entire life. But since sports betting has become a huge part of my work the last decade, there are some strategies I've found to be successful in big tournaments like the World Cup and Euro Cup. These are bets I have no problem getting down on when the time comes later in the tournament. Strategy #1: Third Place Game OVER the total This is a play I can guarantee you I'll be on this year. The logic behind it is simple. These two teams are extremely disappointed about falling one game short of their ultimate goal and yet they have to go out there and play one more game. With soccer being such a structured, defensive-minded game, it's in this game that the teams open it up tremendously with nothing left to play for. No one remember's 3rd place so the stars might as well go out there and try to score internationally and give the fans a show. In 2010 we saw a 3-2 score from this game, 2006 saw a 3-1 score, 2002 saw a 3-2 score, 1998 was 2-1 and 1994 finished with a 4-0 score in this game. With totals in soccer generally being set at 2.5, all five of the past 3rd place games would have cashed an 'over' bet and I don't believe it will change in 2014. Again, there isn't much reason for these teams to pack things in defensively as the big trophy is out of reach at this point and the scorers look to shine. Strategy #2: Semi-Finals Games UNDER [...]