Spread bettors addressing Group E will have noted it offers a wide range of footballing styles with the Netherlands, Denmark, Japan and Cameroon all battling for qualification. The Dutch are favourites on the Group E Index (25pts to the winner, 10pts to runner-up and 5pts to third-place), currently with a spread of 16.5-18pts.
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Buyers of the Dutch Group E index will have noted that Holland comfortably qualified for South Africa 2010 with a flawless record. They won all eight of their qualification matches, bagging 17 goals in the process and conceding only two.
Spread sellers of their tournament win index at 30 will however be aware of the side s disappointing record at major tournaments and quick to point to the inconsistent results from Euro 2008 the men in orange beat Italy and France before crashing out to Russia after extra time in that tournament.
With midfielders like Rafael van der Vaart and Mark van Bommel and strikers of the quality of Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, Robin van Persie and Arjen Robben, Holland will prove tough for anyone they face in the finals.
Cameroon are the second joint spread favourites, at 9-10.5, to qualify from Group E along with Denmark. Those punters thinking of a spread bet on the Indomitable Lions should note that they are Africa s highest ranked side according to FIFA.
Inter s Samuel Eto o will provide much of the attacking threat for Cameroon and he scored nine times in the eleven qualifying matches. In Paul Le Guen they have a manager with a proven pedigree as he found success with Lyon in the French domestic league.
Spread buyers of their tournament index at 13 will be relying on the Cameroonians to at least replicate the form they showed at the start of the Noughties, when they triumphed in the Olympic Games and the 2000 and 2002 African Nations.
With their spread set exactly the same as Cameroon to qualify from Group E, spread punters might well see Denmark as decent value. Spread punters looking to challenge the Danes on the spreads will be aware that they failed to reach the 2006 World Cup and Euro 2008 however.
Buyers will respond by arguing that they showed their quality by qualifying in first place on the road to South Africa. In doing so they pushed Portugal into the play-off places a side which, with a spread of 17-20, is rated seven points higher on the outright tournament index than Denmark.
Buyers of Denmark s group spread will be pleased to know that whenever the Danes have reached the World Cup finals they have always reached the second round stage.
Japan complete the quartet and bring up the rear in terms of their group spread (3-4.5pts). The Asian nation head to their fourth consecutive finals but, as spread sellers will have noted, have only ever tasted a World Cup victory in their homeland.
In both 1998 and 2006 Japan finished bottom of their group and Sporting Index s traders are, unsurprisingly, not expecting too many buyers of their group spread for 2010.
