Italy World Cup Team Preview Odds To Win

Slovakia

Odds to Win World Cup: +25000

Since the days of Czechoslovakia being a united country, the Slovaks have yearned for a return to the top stage of soccer. Now, they'll get that chance for the first time as an independent nation here in South Africa in the 2010 World Cup.

How They Got Here: Group 3 wasn't littered with a slew up clubs that really thought that they could win the World Cup, but there weren't exactly a slew of pushovers either. Taking down Slovenia and Poland was of the utmost importance for the Slovaks. Ultimately it was a 1-0 win on Polish soil that sealed the deal and assured that Slovakia would be heading to its first World Cup.

Player to Watch: Scoring six goals in qualifying, F Stanislav Sestak hopes to continue his fine form here in South Africa. The leader up front has made 29 career appearances for his country since joining the team in 2004, and he has stepped forward with ten strikes in those matches. Sestak plays his club soccer at VfL Bochum in Germany, so he is at least remotely familiar with some of the top sides that Europe has to offer.

Previous World Cup Experience: The closest that Slovakia ever got to the World Cup as an independent country was in 2006 when it finished just one slot shy of making it to the German Cup. In fact, Slovakia has never qualified for a European championship either, so this will be the country's first chance at glory on any sort of an international setting.

Key to Advancing: A 2009 loss to England at Wembley Stadium by four goals shows just where this team is going to need to improve its play. Since that fixture, the Slovaks have only allowed nine goals in ten matches, but only games against the United States, Chile, and the Czech Republic were really of any note. It is clear that this is not going to be a club that is going to be able to stick with anyone offensively in this group, save potentially New Zealand, so the defense is going to have to be able to hold down Italy and Paraguay in order to have any hope of qualifying.

Predictions: This just isn't a great spot to be in for Slovakia. Yes, a match against New Zealand right away will give the team some hope, and three points from that match is a distinct possibility. However, anything less will be crippling unless by chance every match in this group happens to end in a draw. The prospects of beating either Paraguay or Italy are just slim at best, and we'd be shocked to see the Slovaks hanging around and playing a meaningful game beyond the first two.

Round 1 Schedule
New Zealand vs. Slovakia (June 15th, 7:30 AM ET, Rustenburg)
Slovakia vs. Paraguay (June 20th, 7:30 AM ET, Mangaung)
Slovakia vs. Italy (June 24th, 10:00 AM ET, Johannesburg)

All Odds for 2010 World Cup from Brobury Sports

Odds to Win Group F
Italy -285
New Zealand +5000
Paraguay +350
Slovakia +650
Odds to Advance Group F
Italy -1500
New Zealand +650
Paraguay -180
Slovakia +130