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World Cup Odds – The 2014 World Cup begins on Thursday with Brazil heavily favored against Croatia

The 2014 World Cup begins on Thursday

World Cup Odds:  Brazil is favored against Croatia in the opening game of the 2014 World Cup on Thursday. The host country has a powerful team led by Neymar and they are expected to dominate Group A.  Croatia is not a bad team but they are not expected to challenge Brazil in the opener.  Brazil is listed as more than a 3-1 favorite on the three-way line.  Here is a look at the game and World Cup picks.

Brazil -330, Croatia +1100, Draw +425, total 2.5

If you prefer to lay the goals instead of the money line you can lay the 1.5 goals on Brazil at even money.

Brazil

Brazil is the overall favorite to win the 2014 World Cup. They are playing at home which is great for them but it also puts a lot of pressure on them to perform.   The team has a ton of talent but it is also very young talent so there could be some opening match nerves.  They have some very good attacking options in Neymar and Oscar and they have enough defense to control the teams in Group A.  The interesting part about the opener is that it could be their toughest game in Group A.

Croatia

The second spot in Group A is totally up for grabs and it could be Croatia that gets it.  They don’t figure to win this game against Brazil though.  Croatia does have Mario Mandzukic who plays striker for Bayern Munich and they have midfielder Luka Modric who plays for Real Madrid.  Those two players give them a chance to be competitive in Group A.

World Cup Picks

This is actually a dangerous opener for Brazil. They are faced with a ton of expectations to win this opener and win it convincingly.  I am not so sure that happens. Croatia is a good team and I think they can stay in this game. I will take a shot with Croatia on the goal line at +1.5 goals and I will also play the game under the total.

Written by Tom Wilkinson

Tom Wilkinson has been a sports writer for the last 25 years and he has been a fantasy football fanatic for the last decade. His extensive experience started in Las Vegas in the 1980's and continued around the country during the 1990s. Look for his expertise as he
covers NFL fantasy football.

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