New Zealand target World Cup success

Tuesday 5th January 2010

A punt on New Zealand for World Cup glory might sound like a long shot for many sports betting fans. However, the team appears to be doing its utmost to represent the southern hemisphere in fine style, having announced a strong squad for the upcoming warm-up match against Mexico. With odds at Ladbrokes.com currently standing at 1,000/1 for New Zealand to win the tournament as a whole, even a modest bet could reap substantial rewards should the unlikely happen. Agence France-Presse reports that New Zealand's team for the Mexico match is the strongest available - and English football fans might be interested to see the inclusion of Blackburn Rovers' Ryan Nelsen in defence and West Brom's Chris Wood up front. New Zealand coach Ricki Herbert admits that his team is a little rusty after four months of inaction - which could be one reason why the squad's odds are so long on the sports betting sites. But he adds that the warm-up match with Mexico is likely to present the perfect opportunity to get "back to the reality" of international competition at World Cup level.