So far, we've forced you to lay a lot of chalk if you want to pick the correct group winners for the 2010 World Cup, and in Group E, that won't be any different. Let's take a look at our Group E odds.
Netherlands... -200
Denmark... +425
Cameroon... +450
Japan... +1400
Cameroon... +450
Japan... +1400
We've mentioned that we aren't sure how big of an impact home field advantage will have for the African nations, but in this case, we do think it will give Cameroon an edge and help them to advance to the second round, a minor upset over Denmark. The Netherlands, Dutch and Holland will be the top teams in this group when all is said and done. What's that? They are all the same? Who knew?
No doubt, the Netherlands will look like three quality teams wrapped into one by comparison to this group, and that's more a testament to their skill level than it is a knock on the competition. Although, it is still a knock on the competition, especially the Japanese. Although the video below shows their unique practice methods, Japan will have more fond memories of World War II than they will of their group play performance this year. They are simply outmatched.
And so, our final standings look like this:
1. Netherlands
2. Cameroon
3. Denmark
4. Japan
Again, the upsets haven't been huge so far, but that's kind of how the pairings worked out this year. Big upsets in group play are relatively rare anyway, but this year in particular seems to have at least one and oftentimes two teams that are clearly a cut above the rest. In this group, the orange-clad Dutch are the runaway favorites.
With Group E in the rear-view mirror, we will continue to go right down the alphabet with our 2010 World Cup Betting analysis in the coming days. Keep coming back early and often as we keep giving you the World Cup group winners!
