Slovakia v Paraguay, Sunday 20th June, 12.30pm
It had all been going to plan for the Slovakians in their first match in New Zealand. Leading through Robert Vittek’s goal, it appeared as though they were going top of Group F, although conceding a late equaliser has led manager Vladimir Weiss to describe the result as a ‘small sporting tragedy’. That might be overstating things somewhat, although it will be an uphill struggle if they are to scramble out of Group F, with the bookies making them the 10/3 (William Hill) outsiders to win Sunday’s match at the Free State Stadium.
More was expected of Slovakia in their opening match, although we shouldn’t forget that this was their World Cup debut and they might be stronger for the experience. Vittek is clearly an aerial threat and can be backed at 9/1 (Blue Square) to open the scoring in Bloemfontein, although it’s Marek Hamsik who controls most of the team’s attacking play and he’s a big price at 14/1 (Boylesports) to send his team into a 1-0 lead.
Paraguay will have been delighted with a point against Italy, especially as it was a negative performance from Gerardo Martino’s team which saw them shut up shop after Antolin Alcaraz’s opener. More will be expected of the south Americans in this match and they are even money (bet365) to land the three points which would almost certainly bank them a place in the last sixteen.
Unfortunately for those wanting entertainment, this game has all the makings of a low-scoring affair and Under 2.5 Goals is on offer at 8/13 with Sky Bet. It’s a match that both teams can’t afford to lose, especially Slovakia who face Italy in their final game.
It might even be worth a small wager on No Goalscorer at 15/2 (Sky Bet), although perhaps we will see more of the highly-rated Lucas Barrios (9/2 Victor Chandler) who managed nineteen goals for Borussia Dortmund. Another hot Paraguayan striker is Oscar Cardozo and he’s 11/2 (Blue Square) to show why he’s been so prolific for Benfica this term.
