World Cup 2010 – Spain to Re-Write the History Books against Netherlands

With five players vying for the FIFA World Cup Adidas Golden Ball trophy running around in the final between Spain and the Netherlands, soccer betting fans are further assured of a cracking finale to end what has been a stellar tournament.

Spain vs Netherlands football betting odds

Sunday, July 11, 2.30pm EST (8.30pm Johannesburg local time)

Moneyline

Spain +115

Draw +225

Netherlands +240

Handicap

Spain –½ +115

Netherlands +½ -135

Team total

Spain 1 O-130, U+110

Netherlands 1 O+125, U -145

Spain’s Andres Iniesta, David Villa and Xavi along with the Dutch’s Arjen Robben and Wesley Sneijder have all impressed the judges with solid performances throughout the month long event in South Africa, which will culminate on Sunday at Johannesburg’s aptly named Soccer City Stadium.

The bookmakers match predictions have placed current European champions Spain as +115 favorites on the moneyline with Netherlands at +240 and a draw at +225.

With the odds stacked against the Netherlands, now is the best time to jump on them as they offer good value and while Spain has the momentum, Oranje has the history with four wins from seven matches against La Roja .

Netherlands coach Bert van Marwijk knows that to beat Spain they must disrupt their flow of possession and to interrupt their silky passing game. That is easier said than done because it requires the commitment of the tacklers but also accuracy of the tackle.

If either is off then La Roja frees up a man and will scoot the ball up to the forwards.

The last thing keeper Maarten Stekelenburg will want to see is the like of David Villa bearing down on him with support players in tow.

La Roja manager Vicente del Bosque will undoubtedly give his chargers free reign on the pitch to do what they did the Germans in the semi-final. There they controlled the tempo, they held the ball in the back half of the field and jostled for position waiting for an open man then swooped in.

Their expert ball control prevented the Germans from emulating their mammoth score lines they racked up against Australia, England and Argentina and they will do the same against the Netherlands.

English referee Howard Webb, who was in charge of the UEFA Euro Austria-Switzerland 2008 Final has been given the nod for this match, an interesting decision to say the least.

The son of miner, Webb is a sergeant on the South Yorkshire Police so he’s used to dealing with high pressure situations and should take a back seat in this affair. He has come a long way since handing out seven yellow cards and three red cards in the 2007 Carling Cup Final between Chelsea and Arsenal.

He won’t be tricked into giving away any easy penalties and he certainly won’t pay any attention to the play acting that the Spanish are renowned for.

Prediction:

David Villa will slam home the first goal against the Netherlands before Torres sparks into life and snaps his goal-less tournament and score Spain’s second for a 2-0 victory.