Old Rivalries Rekindled in World Cup Opening Weekend Matchups

The 2014 World Cup gets underway on Thursday with a Group A matchup featuring host nation and tournament favorites Brazil taking on Croatia. Brazil are pegged as 3/1 favorites to win their sixth World Cup title in futures wagering at Bovada. They enter their opening match as a strong 2/7 moneyline favorite against Croatia, who are making their first World Cup appearance since 2006.

A full slate of matches is scheduled for Friday with all four Group B squads in action. Spain meets the Netherlands in a rematch of the 2010 World Cup final. The Spaniards are 4/5 moneyline favorites at Bovada">Bovada’s sportsbook to deny the Oranje their revenge in Friday’s match, which is crucial to the group stage fortunes of both squads.

Topbet lists Spain as solid -150 favorites to win Group B, followed by the Netherlands at +300. The losing side on Friday will be under tremendous pressure when they face Chile, who enter the World Cup as +425 dark horses to finish atop Group B.

The Chileans open their tourney against Group B underdogs Australia on Friday, a match in which they are heavy -252 favorites, according to Topbet. Australia, +25,000 longshots to win the World Cup, are expected to struggle to record points in any of their group stage matches.

Also on Friday, Mexico takes on Cameroon in a battle of Group A underdogs. Mexico faces an uphill battle in Group A after injuries to key players, including midfielder Luis Montes, who will miss the World Cup after suffering a gruesome broken leg during a recent friendly against Ecuador. Putting points on the table in this match is critical for both teams. 5Dimes lists Mexico as +145 underdogs to advance to the round of 16, and +128 moneyline favorites against Cameroon, who are distant +380 underdogs to move on to the knockout stage.

The highlight of World Cup action on Saturday will be a Group D meeting between archrivals Italy and England. The Azzurri are currently slim +165 favorites to capture top spot in the most evenly matched group in the 2014 World Cup. England sport odds of +220 in group betting at 5Dimes, trailing both the favored Italians and Uruguay, who sit at +170.

The difference in moneyline odds is just as slim in Saturday’s match. Oddsmakers at 5Dimes give Italy the nod as +183 moneyline favorites, while England are +204 on the moneyline to record their first ever win over the Italians in an international tournament.