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Final preparations

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So Hodgson has gone with the "Peru team"; leading many to think this is his first eleven. Certainly the accepted belief is that it is 9+ of the starting team for next week. Certainly I am hoping that Barkley finds a way in, or Sterling - I think we are one pacy player short of what we need.

The match, after a scrappy start, started to look more positive once England settled. Then we've had this thunderstorm and 30 minute delay.

The delay has enabled me to do my full tournament predictions. I've noted them all down (on a fairly giant excel sheet) so that I can be suitably smug or apologetic throughout the tournament. What it has done is enable me to predict the shocks and outcomes of the tournament.

According to my predictions the following headlines occur:

1) Brazil suffer a surprise exit in the round of 16
2) Argentina win, triumphing over Germany in the final - having only scaped past Portugal in a QF penalty shootout
3) England surprising reach the semis, pipped by Spain in the third place playoff.
4) Ivory Coast are the tournament's darlings, outgunned by Spain in the Quarters.


My 3 tournament cash bets are as follows:

Winner: Argentina @4-1 - (to win a bit)
Golden Boot: Higuain @20-1 and Olivier Giroud @50-1 (to win a bit more)
Group Winners (a complicated bet based on getting at least 7 right): Brazil, Spain, Japan, Uruguay, France, Argentine, Germany, Belgium @75-1 (to net a fortune)

In the £2 work sweepstake I pulled Nigeria out of the hat. Enough said.


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