Five stats to help you bet on the Confederations Cup Final

USA/Brazil, Sunday 7.30pm, BBC Three, Best Odds, Free Bets

The reaction of the American media to their national side ending Spain’s 35-game unbeaten streak may have been unbearable but it would have been just as bad - if not worse - over here if England had done it. The USA have brought excitement to this pretty meaningless tournament over the past week and after watching Brazil stumble past South Africa last night in the other semi-final, they will fancy their chances of winning it. The bookies don’t though and some of the trends make it easy to see why:

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1. Brazil have won 14 of their 15 matches against USA (one after extra-time). The USA’s one win over the holders came in the 1998 Gold Cup Final, with former Everton winger Predrag “Preki” Radosavljevic scoring the winner.

2. USA haven’t scored against Brazil in three previous Confederations Cup meetings, with Dunga’s side beating them 1-0 in 1999 and 2003 and winning 3-0 against them last Thursday.

Posted: June 26th, 2009 by Michael Lintorn | Add Comment

A glimmer of hope for Scotland as they prepare for Diego Maradona’s Argentina

Scotland/Argentina, 8pm, Sky Sports 1, Best Odds, Free Bets

Diego Maradona’s Argentina side are understandably clear favourites in tonight’s friendly at Hampden Park but don’t despair Scotland fans, we have found a pretty lengthy straw for you to clutch:

The previous two Argentina managers appointed this decade failed to get off to a winning start in their first away game. José Pekerman drew 0-0 away to Chile while Maradona’s predecessor Alfio Basile’s first game was in the United Kingdom when Argentina lost 3-0 to Brazil at the Emirates, before then losing their next away game to Spain a month later. The South American side have won none of their last five away games and encouragingly for Scotland have drawn friendlies with Switzerland and Belarus and lost to Norway over the last eighteen months. Furthermore, Scotland were 1-0 victors in their last home meeting with Argentina back in 1990.

Posted: November 19th, 2008 by Michael Lintorn | Add Comment