World Cup Odds: Group G action takes place on Monday with Ghana taking on the United States. In the last two World Cups it has been Ghana eliminating the USA. This is a huge game for both teams because of the difficult Group G that includes heavyweights Germany and Portugal. The oddsmakers have this match between Ghana and the United States as pretty much a pick. Here is a look at the match and World Cup predictions.
Ghana +160, United States +190, Draw +215, total 2
Pressure on the USA Team
The United States team is feeling a lot of pressure to win this opener against Ghana after losing in the last two World Cups to the team. Manager Jurgen Klinsmann has been downplaying expectations over the last week but he is also feeling the heat. He made a controversial decision to leave Landon Donovan off the team and if the USA doesn’t get out of the group stage it could be that Klinsmann doesn’t keep his job. Klinsmann has already said that this match against Ghana is one that his team needs to win.
The United States team only has five players who have played in the World Cup before but they do have some players who have experience in playing in Europe. Tim Howard has played well for Everton in the Premier League while Clint Dempsey has turned into a good player for Fulham.
Ghana Not Getting Much Respect
Even though Ghana has beaten the USA in the last two World Cups and has more talented players on their roster they are not getting much respect. They are just barely a favorite in this match on Monday. One player who realizes how dangerous Ghana can be is USA midfielder Michael Bradley. “I do think that it’s a different team than the one we played in 2010,” Bradley said, “Ghana have guys who have a mix of athleticism and technical ability; the way that they can take certain plays and improvise and turn a half play into a chance all of a sudden. We have to understand what they’re all about.”
World Cup Predictions
I will take a shot with the Draw at +215 and also play the match under the World Cup odds total.
