Japan Could Be A Live Dog In Group H

The Odds

• To win the World Cup: +50000
• To win Group H: +745
• To advance to the Round of 16: +220

Bet to Watch

Japan to Win Group H +745

From top to bottom, no group in the World Cup is tighter than Group H, according to the odds. Colombia (+130) is the favorite to win the group, followed by Poland (+170), Senegal (+445) and Japan (+745). It's the only group without an odds-on favorite and also the only group without a team with odds longer than 10-1. In other words, this is any team's group to win or lose.

It isn't surprising to see Japan listed as the underdog in the group, but an interesting side note is that the Samurai Blue are listed as the betting favorites (+175) to be the last Asian team standing. While they do have some recognizable names such as Shinji Kagawa, Keisuke Honda, Yuto Nagatomo and Shinji Okazaki, Japan lacks the game-breaking talent that the other three teams in this group possess. However, a solid and experienced core group should be hard to beat and could do enough to keep Japan afloat through the group stage.

At +745, the oddsmakers are implying that Japan has a ~11.8% chance of winning Group H. I think that's a little low considering how volatile this group will be. Luck plays a major part early in the tournament, and Japan is the type of team that will hang around in games and turn them into coin flips. I don't expect Japan to win this group, but the price is too good to pass up in what will be a slobberknocker of a group.

More World Cup Betting Coverage

• Group A: Russia | Saudi Arabia | Egypt | Uruguay
• Group B: Portugal | Morocco | Iran | Spain
• Group C: France | Australia | Peru | Denmark
• Group D: Argentina | Iceland | Croatia | Nigeria
• Group E: Brazil | Costa Rica | Switzerland | Serbia
• Group F: Germany | Mexico | Sweden | South Korea
• Group G: Belgium | Panama | Tunisia | England
• Group H: Poland | Senegal | Colombia | Japan