Sport Question

In the next few weeks, we will find out the last few teams who have booked their place at this year’s World Cup.

This year’s tournament looks to be a cracking renewal with many top sides looking to bring that famous trophy home. Here, we break down the top betting odds ahead of what is sure to be a fantastic tournament.

Betting odds ahead of the 2022 World Cup

The online bookmakers have all installed Brazil as the early favourites for the tournament, and it’s easy to see why. Brazil are a team loaded with attacking talent which will be spearheaded by Neymar. Still only 30, Neymar has announced that this will be his last ever World Cup and he will want to go out with a bang.

The Brazilians have been placed in a group alongside Cameroon, Serbia and Switzerland and despite there being some tough games it should be a group that Brazil eases through.

There are one or two defensive frailties that many of the top international sides will believe they can exploit, but if Brazil bring their ‘A game’ they could be really tough to beat.

Next in the betting come England. There have been many false dawns over English teams in the past but this England side reached the semifinals of the World Cup back in 2018 and only lost on penalties in the finals of Euro 2020.

Hoping they can go one better this time around, England will be hoping that star striker Harry Kane will be able to add a second successive Golden Boot to the one he won back in 2018. It looks like England have been handed a dream draw with Gareth Southgate’s men facing off against Iran, the USA and one of the Ukraine, Scotland or Wales. A mouthwatering clash against France could await in the quarterfinals but make no mistake about it, England have a real chance to end almost sixty years of hurt.

France are only the third favourites to reclaim their trophy and win a third World Cup overall. They could be the value bet of the tournament. A team loaded with talent, Kylian Mpabbe will be hoping that he can make the World Cup his stage and cement himself as the world’s best player.

With stars such as Paul Pogba, Antoine Griezmann, Karim Benzema and Ngolo Kante you write France off at your peril. Drawn in a group with Denmark, Tunisia and a team yet to be decided, France will be tested, but should have more than enough to qualify out of their group.

The team that might represent the best odds are Germany. The Germans are a deadly tournament team and currently can be backed at around 11/1. New boss Hansi Flick has flooded the team with a perfect blend of talented youth alongside some grizzled veterans. Germany has a team full of stars and will turn up to Qatar fully believing they can win yet another World Cup title.

The last time that Tottenham Hotspur lifted a trophy was well over a decade ago in 2008. Despite some false dawns, most notably the hallowed years of Mauricio Pochettino and the encouraging if uninspiring start to life at the Lane with Jose Mourinho at the helm, Spurs have not managed to replicate that success.

Indeed, since the League Cup triumph against Chelsea 14 years ago, they have reached four major finals (including the Holy Grail of the Champions League) without winning a single one. However, the incredible upturn in results inspired by head coach Antonio Conte, coupled with the astute signings made so far and the return to form of talismanic Harry Kane, gives Spurs fans plenty of cause for optimism. Should they continue in the same vein, it might be worth placing a flutter on them next season – and with Bitcoin it becomes easy to gamble anonymously for those who prioritise their privacy above all else.

Kane and Conte key

Spurs were a whisker away from losing their captain and boyhood fan Kane last summer, who has posted over 20 goals in six of the last nine seasons. However, Daniel Levy’s refusal to countenance a deal, coupled with the fact that his main suitor Man City have turned their attention elsewhere to Erling Braut Haaland, means Kane is most likely to stay put.

That outcome will be made all the more probable if Spurs do manage to outdo their fierce rivals Arsenal and pip the Gunners to the final Champions League spot. Such an achievement would be remarkable given the turmoil that Conte inherited when arriving in Tottenham and would go some way in convincing him to extend his stay. That, and significant backing the transfer market, of course.

New recruits needed

Conte has undoubtedly turned a decent squad into a strong one, with the additions of Rodrigo Bentacur and Dejan Kulusevski providing some much-needed composure, class and flair to the team. Other improved lpayers under Conte’s tutelage include Ben Davies, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Eric Dier, while he has also succeeded in bring the best out of the Kane-Son axis.

Nonetheless, it’s obvious that Spurs will have to dip into the transfer market if they are to compete with the big boys next season. Cristian Romero has been a revelation in centre defence but has proven injury prone, so another top-class centre back in the mould of Alessandro Bastoni or Josko Gvardiol is a must. Elsewhere, improved options at RWB and LWB would not go amiss; Jurgen Maehle, Tariq Lamptey and Aaron Hickey are all potential upgrades, while a ball-playing central midfielder would complete the puzzle. Youri Tielemans of Leicester and Spurs fans favourite Christian Eriksen would both be ideal additions. And a backup striker for Kane is the conundrum that just keeps of confounding those in the Spurs boardroom.

Of course, the main keys to achieving silverware and breaking their long-standing hoodoo will be to hold onto Conte and Kane. That, alongside a few astute signings in the off-season, would mean that Spurs would certainly be a force to be reckoned with on all fronts.