Tonight is the second semi-final of the World Cup, with Germany facing Spain. Some quarters are billing this as a potential mouth watering clash, and it may well be – in fact many are hoping it to be a classic given what has been a relatively disappointing tournament so far. However, the way Spain have been playing it is hard to see.

Germany have been the most impressive team at this World Cup so far – scoring 13 goals, with 8 of them against England and Argentina in their last two games. Spain have not been playing to the standard they set in Euro 2008 yet they still find themselves in the Semi-Final which should not be discounted.

So far “Paul the German Octupus” has got every German result correct. For those of you interested he has predicted that Spain will win tonight and to be honest the pundit is inclined to agree with him. Without Muller (suspended) Germany may struggle to break down a Spanish defence that has only conceded 2 goals so far. Up front Spain have not been the attacking force we would expect, but Villa has been immense and Torres should spark into action at some stage.

Tonight will be another close game, between two teams set up to counter attack. The German hopes rely on Mesut Ozil and Klose, but with the Spanish defence and Xabi Alonso and Sergio Busquets sitting in front of them, Spain will be set up to stop the Germans, counter attack and give it to Villa or possibly Torres to strike at the vital moment.

Pundit’s View – Spain to win at 8/5 with Paddy Power, Spain 1-0 with Paddy Power at 13/ 2. Torres to score first at 6/1.

Tonight sees the first Semi-Final of the World Cup. Most observers will expect the Dutch to win easy by a two or three goal margin. However, this may not be the case as they come up against a Uruguay side that has only conceded 2 goals in their 5 games so far and have scored in all of them bar the opening game against France. On the other hand, the Dutch have conceded three in five games and are the only team to have won every game, scoring 9 goals in total.

Tonight should be a close affair, with Diego Forlan in good form for Uruguay and lethal with his set pieces that he might just score one. Uruguay have been highly organized all tournament, and a similar approach will be expected this evening. However, they are without Luis Suarez and Jorge Fucile who are both suspended. In addition, their captain Diego Lugano is struggling with a knee injury.

On the Dutch side Robben has been hitting top form just at the right time and Sneijder and Kuyt have both been in sensational form all tournament. Overall, the pundit expects the Dutch to come out on top at the end of a game which is likely to be a tightly contested affair.

Pundits View- Netherlands 2-1 Uruguay at 8/1 with paddy power and over 2.5 goals at 11/8 with paddy power.

Tonight sees two games take place in the premiership which are both at completely different ends of the spectrum in terms of significance. All the attention will be on the battle for fourth taking place between Man City and Spurs. The other game, which sees Europa League finalists Fulham take on Stoke is a typical end of season “dead rubber” – for this reason from a betting perspective it is best avoided.

In terms of the all important clash between Man City and Spurs, the Pundit is inclined to favour City to come out on top. City were impressive against Villa on Saturday, particularly going forward, and their expensive forward line could prove too much for Spurs’ defence. Additionally, over the last month City have looked like a fresh enough team, while there is a hint that Spurs long cup run may have caused some fatigue. Goals are likely from both sides and a high scoring outcome would be no surprise.

Pundit’s view –

Yesterday saw the announcement that Mangas Gaming, which owns Bet-Clic, Expekt and Bet at home had reached agreement to buy 60% of GigaMedia, which owns the Everest poker platform. Mangas is paying $100m for the 60% stake in GigaMedia, with an option to buy the remaining 40% in either 2013 or 2015.

So what does this mean for punters out there? It is difficult to see if there will be any short term impact, but one would expect a merger of the Expekt and Everest players to a single platform, which would improve liquidity making for a more attractive platform in the medium term.

Consolidation has increased in the online sector this year, and more deals are likely. One thing is for sure – it looks like the larger players will continue to get bigger!

Ah the weekend produced a mixed bag for the Pundit in my EPL predictions. Out of the results we got 3 right out of the 10 games, which we presume was the case with many a weekend punter. However, we would note that two of the results we managed to get right were better priced results – namely the Burnley v Blackburn draw at 23/10 and the Villa victory at United which was actually available at 7/1 with Paddy Power on Saturday.

So okay a couple of excuses but not as bad a result as 3 out of 10 would suggest.

Don’t worry I will make it up over the busy christmas betting season – ah I can’t wait!

Looking at this weekend’s premiership action there are some interesting games to get involved in. Villa at 6/1 away to an injury hit United looks attractive, while away wins for Man City and Blackburn could be nice additions to multiple selections.

Anyway I have given my two cents worth on each game below and the Pundits weekend multiple is a €10 trixie with Paddy Power(i.e. 3 Doubles and 1 Treble) on the following three selections:
Blackburn to win @ 8/5
Stoke to win @21/20
Burnley v Fulham Draw @23/10

This bet costs €40 in total, and if all three selection come up will pay €382.
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Stoke v Wigan (12.45pm Sat – Live on Sky Sports 1)Stoke have been solid at home this season, putting together some impressive results. For tomorrow’s game against Wigan they welcome back key defender Ryan Shawcross and Dean Whitehead is back from suspension. Wigan face a late fitness test on keeper Kirkland following his back injury sustained last week. I reckon Stoke will prove too strong for inconsistent Wigan.
Pundit’s View: Stoke to win @21/20 with Paddy Power
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Birmingham v West Ham (3.00pm Sat)
West Ham come into this game with a number of key players injured – Upson in defence and Cole in attack. In addition, Dean Ashton announced on Friday that due to persistent injuries he has decided to retire from football at the age of 26. Similarly to Stoke, Birmingham have been solid at home this season and McLeish has them playing to a set formation which is working.
Pundit’s View: Birmingham to win @11/10 with Paddy Power
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Bolton V Man City (3.00pm Sat)
Bolton welcome back captain Kevin Davies after his one game suspension, and no doubt he will prove his usual menace to the opposing defence. Man City have been the draw kings of the season and another draw here would be no surprise. However, the team is starting to show signs of consistency and buoyed by last weeks win against table topping Chelsea, I expect them to kick on here with a win. Also, Bellamy and Stephen Ireland should be available following injury.
Pundit’s View: City to win @4/5 with Paddy Power
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Burnley v Fulham (3.00pm Sat)
Neither team is at full strength for tomorrow’s game. Fulham are without Andy Johnson, while Burnley are without the services of McCann, Paterson and Rodriguez. All in all, I think its a bit of a difficult game to call but I expect a draw. Why – while Burnley have been well organised at home – Fulham are equally as well drilled and I expect both teams to cancel each other out.
Pundit’s View: Draw @23/10 with Paddy Power
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Chelsea v Everton (3.00pm Sat)
Chelsea will have been hugely disappointed with last weekend’s loss to City, and they won’t have been to pleased with Tuesday home draw in the Champions League. Both teams have injuries coming into this game. However, with Chelsea’s superior strength in depth I expect them to win out despite what could be a spirited Everton display.
Pundit’s View: Chelsea to win @1/4 & Chelsea to win 2-0 @ 5/1 with Paddy Power
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Hull v Blackburn (3.00pm Sat)
Everyone has noted Hull’s better form in the last few months however the injury last week to Jimmy Bullard is a key blow to the side’s momentum. Except for David Dunn, Blackburn have a full squad to choose form. I expect an away win, but possibly by a small margin.
Pundit’s View: Blackburn to win @ 8/5 with Paddy Power
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Sunderland v Portsmouth (3.00pm Sat)
Poor old Portsmouth – having to borrow money to meet their wage bill which is no doubt likely to have an impact on player moral. Sunderland have looked excellent at times this season but have not been any way near consistent and they go into tomorrow’s game with injuries. While Portsmouth welcome back David James from injury I expect he may have his work cut out with Sunderland to strong in the end.
Pundit’s View: Sunderland to win @ 4/5 with Paddy Power
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Tottenham v Wolves (3.00pm Sat)
Looking at this game I am going for a home win. Spurs have looked quite good at home this season and have won 5 out of 7 home league games. Once they approach the game correctly, their attacking brand of football should prove too much for Wolves.
Pundit’s View: Spurs to win @2/7 with Paddy Power
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Man United v Villa (Sat 17.30, Live ESPN)
I went against United mid week and they came out and proved me wrong with a 3-1 away win. However, I feel the injury list they have will have to have a negative impact at some stage. While Vidic may well be back for this one, they will be without other key defenders for this one.
Under O’Neill Villa are a well organised side and last season nearly came away from Old Trafford with the points. I believe that the odds on offer for an away win are too good to avoid – 6/1 with Paddy Power. For those not as confident, I suggest having a look at the draw no bet odds of 4/1 with Paddy Power or opposing a United Win on Betfair.
Pundit’s View: Villa to win @6/1 Paddy Power or Villa to win draw no bet with Paddy Power at 4/1.
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Liverpool V Arsenal (Sun 4.00pm, Sky Sports)
Liverpool have been shockingly poor at times this season and have shown little resemblance to the team that finished last season on fire. The importance of Alonso has been underlined time and time again. Injuries to Torres and Gerrard have not helped either. Arsenal supporters will not have been too happy with their team’s recent displays.
Looking at Sunday’s game I fancy a home win for a number of reasons. Firstly, Liverpool’s injury list is significantly reduced and the squad is getting back towards full strength. Torres may start and despite not being fully match fit is still a huge threat as shown in the United game this season. Expanding that point Liverpool have a tendency to raise their game against the better opposition, especially at home. In terms of Arsenal, they come in to this game missing a number of key players – Van Persie, Clichy, Eboue, Eduardo, Rosicky and Djourou.
I predict a home win – with the main threat to this none other than Arshavin whom proved a thrown in Liverpool’s side last season netting four goals in the corresponding fixture.
Pundit’s View: Liverpool to win at 6/5 with Paddy Power
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