The final World Cup group features Spain, who are looking to emulate France’s efforts in 1998 and 2000 to become both World and European champions. Spain are ranked first in FIFA’s World Rankings which has been reflected in Sporting Index’s outright index. Vicente Del Bosque’s side can be bought at 46 points and spread punters that have done so will have been buoyed by the side’s recent form. Before the defeat to the USA at the end 2009 at the Confederations Cup, the Spaniards were unbeaten for 35 matches. Spread buyers will take further encouragement that the loss to the Americans was the only blemish on an otherwise perfect 2009 when they won all their other fifteen games, scoring 47 and conceding just 12.

Spain are strongly fancied to progress to the knockout stages and can be bought at 21.5 on their group index (25pts to group winner, 10pts for runner-up, 5pts for third). If Spain do have an Achilles heel it’s that they have not performed that well in previous World Cups and sellers of their outright spread will have noted that their best finish was fourth in the 1950 World Cup.

The Sporting Index traders have installed Chile as second favourites to win the group and they can be bought at 10.5 on the spread index. Any spread buyers will be impressed with the side’s qualifying campaign for South Africa when only Brazil finished higher. During 2009 the Chileans played 14 games, winning on eight occasions, drawing three and losing three. Buyers of goals spreads or Chile’s supremacy in any of the team’s matches will hope that their three top players Matias Fernandez, Humberto Suazo and Alexis Sanchez are firing on all cylinders.

Switzerland come next on the group index having finished top in their qualification group, which featured 2004 European Champions Greece. During qualifying the Swiss only conceded eight goals which will offer plenty of encouragement for spread buyers will the fact that they only lost once in 2009. Sellers of Switzerland’s group index spread at 6.5 will note that the side are very reliant on Alexander Frei, the striker who has scored 40 goals in his 73 international caps, and if he were to pick up an injury the side might struggle for goals.

Honduras secured their trip to South Africa with a third-place finish in the CONCACAF qualifying group. The Hondurans are fourth favourites to win the group and can be bought at 3.5. 2009 saw the side play 24 matches, losing 8 of those, winning 15 and drawing once. Spread buyers of the group index will be concerned that the side have only once before made the finals, in 1982. Spread buyers of their group index and match index spreads will take some confidence from the Honduran’s resolute defense that only let in eleven goals in qualifying against a number of top sides and will be relying on good showings from Premier League stars Wilson Palacios and Maynor Figueroa.