Holland vs. Spain Betting Odds – 2014 FIFA World Cup

Gambling911.com has your FIFA World Cup betting odds for the highly anticipated Holland vs. Spain matchup courtesy of BetDSI.com.

The Netherlands was close to a 5-1 dog in this matchup.  The reigning champs Spain were at -135 odds.  The Draw would pay out $23.50 for every $10 bet.

The opener between Spain and the Netherlands is a match everyone circled as soon as the World Cup schedule came out, and Holland will be out for redemption as they decided to sit back and absorb all of Spain’s pressure during the 2010 final, even resorting to roughhouse tactics instead of their usual attacking style.

Holland’s strengths and weaknesses.

Strengths

The Netherlands have a pair of game-changers in Arjen Robben and Robin van Persie who can make a goal out of nothing, and Robben can be a nuisance with his speed and pace on the wing, while van Persie will be playing with a little extra something as manager Louis van Gaal will join him at Manchester United when the tournament is completed. Wesley Sneidjer was one of the best players in the South Africa 2010 tournament, but it has been mostly downhill for him since then and he’ll be out to show he can still inspire a team to victory.

A player to watch for the Netherlands is Jordy Clasie, a 22-year-old midfielder who is being watched by some of the top clubs in Europe and this could be his big chance to shine if van Gaal plays him. He can dictate the pace of play and some have compared him to Spanish maestro Xavi, which is a huge compliment, but Clasie looks to be up to the challenge.

Weaknesses

Holland has never been known as a defensive juggernaut, depending on their ball-possession attack to keep the ball away from the opposition instead of overpowering you from the back. They may have to do that more as Ron Vlaar’s 22 caps leads the defenders, and while it looks like Jasper Cillessen has won the #1 shirt in goal, he has just six caps for his country at 25 years old. This is a very inexperienced team at the back that has a lot to prove in Brazil.

And how will the team handle playing for van Gaal, a man they know is leaving when the World Cup is over? As was mentioned, van Persie might step up his game for a coach he knows will be joining him at the club level, but what about the rest of the squad?

Strengths

You want experience? Spain has five players with 100 caps or more. They’re familiar with each other as the foundation of this team comes from Barcelona and Real Madrid, so these players have been playing with and against each other for years and years. Xavi is still one of the top five or ten midfielders in the world, as is Andres Iniesta; there are few countries who are as good in the middle of the pitch as Spain, if any. Sergio Ramos seems to play a little better for his country than Real Madrid, while Iker Casillas is still a world-class keeper at 33 years old.

And Spain is deep…really deep. How many countries can get away with leaving Cesc Fabregas, David Silva and Juan Mata on the bench? There aren’t very many. Even though they are getting on a little in age, Spain is still as good as any team in the world and when they are on their game, they are borderline unstoppable.

Weaknesses

That said, the Spanish players have played a lot of high-level games over the last four years as they’ve taken over world soccer, and that isn’t even counting the club games that Barcelona and Real Madrid have played as both are always in the mix for La Liga and Champions League titles (the latter, Madrid just won for the 10th time). While all of these players are still playing very well, can their legs hold up for one more major tournament?  This is probably the last World Cup for the likes of Xavi, Iniesta, Casillas and Fernando Torres.

- Alistair Prescott, Gambling911.com