Slovenia v USA, Friday 18th June, 3pm
Ellis Park in Johannesburg is the setting for the second World Cup game of the day and this could be a fairly evenly-matched contest. The USA might have landed a draw against England, although they are a touch on the short side (11/10 Ladbrokes) to take all three points from this contest, especially as they are lacking in firepower. While Jozy Altidore (13/2 totesport) is strong and powerful, he’s more Emile Heskey than Wayne Rooney and there’s a big reliance on Clint Dempsey (13/2 bet365) and Landon Donovan (13/2 Paddy Power) to score the goals from midfield positions.
In addition, the Slovenian defence is pretty watertight, with Matjaz Kek’s team conceding just four goals in ten qualifying matches to reach South Africa. They managed to squeak the win against Algeria to put them top of Group C and you can get odds of 3/1 (William Hill) that they stay there with a victory over the Americans.
Indeed, if Sunday’s match in Polokwane is anything to go by, Slovenia will look to keep things tight, with Bostjan Cesar and Marko Suler running a tight ship in front of Samir Handanovic. Paddy Power offer 15/2 that there’s No Goalscorer on Friday afternoon, with the Under 2.5 Goals a predictable yet likely to be profitable selection. Paddy Power offer 8/11 that there are two goals or less, although both defences are sound enough to make sure that this happens.
