Jonathan Turner
After waiting so long to get back to the World Cup it's ironic that Australia are contemplating 'resting' several of their key players for this glamour clash with holders Brazil.
But having already pocketed three precious points courtesy of their superb late fightback against Japan in Kaiserslautern, manager Guus Hiddink appears to be putting the focus on the final game with Croatia where a win will guarantee their place in the last 16.
Defender Craig Moore admitted as much when suggesting he may fall victim to a safety-first strategy which sees himself and fellow Premiership star Tim Cahill left on the sidelines after they collected yellow cards against the Japanese.
"It has been something I have heard the manager mention a couple of times and it is a concern," explained Moore.
"For me it does indicate he will tinker with the system, although it is not something I know for a fact.
"Brazil are the best side in the world and of course I would like to play against them.
"But you have to look at the situation realistically. The Croatia match is going to be our cup final to try and get out of this group."
That should set the alarm bells ringing for anyone who thinks the Aussies might be able to take advantage of Brazil's lacklustre start to the tournament.
The Samba Stars struggled to live up to their favourites' tag as they claimed a workmanlike 1-0 win over Croatia.
However they were facing a decent Croatia side so we're certainly not going to write off the five-time winners just yet.
What the game did show us is that they continue to be vulnerable at the back if teams are prepared to attack them - and that at the other end of the pitch Ronaldo isn't anywhere near his best.
The Real Madrid man was embarrassingly one-paced up front, though his struggles also masked the fact that strike partner Adriano wasn't a lot better.
That's clearly got to be a big worry for Brazil backers - though Robinho and Fred aren't exactly the worst replacements to have on the bench - and it's the area which has dominated the headlines in the Brazil camp this week.
However coach Carlos Alberto Parreira is sticking with Ronaldo, saying: "We have to believe that he will play better - I believe in his talent."
All of which points us towards what we reckon is an excellent way to bet on this match - namely backing both Ronaldinho and Kaka to be the man of the match.
A real pattern is emerging as far as this market is concerned with the ideal profile looking like a creative midfielder and/or someone who is likely to get on the scoresheet.
And it doesn't take a genius to suggest that Ronaldinho and Kaka fall into both categories - indeed Kaka collected the award after his stunning goal against Croatia.
It's the problems up front of Ronaldo and Adriano which really make this bet though - and the fact that by far the most likely Australian to figure would be Cahill who we've already said could be rested.
Splitting stakes on Ronaldinho and Kaka means we are effectively getting just over 6/5 for our total 5pts staked but that still looks well worth an interest when you consider Brazil are no better than 1/4 to win the match and that pair are both odds-on in places on the anytime scorer market (though Kaka can be backed at a hugely generous 9/4 with
MATCH BETTING RIGHT HERE ON PREMIUM BETTING NEWS
BACK TO WORLD CUP INDEX PAGE
By Bettingzone.co.uk
Used with permission.
