WORLD CUP: SPREAD BETTING

THE COMPANIES may nick a point here and there but in the first week of the competition there was one constant - no one was piling in to back England.

The 2-0 win over Tunisia has changed all that and City report that they have been backed heavily on their overall 100 Index, Group Index and the Golden Boot market.

That confidence receives its first test tonight. Romania's old boys sailed through an easy qualifying group and have scored in all but one of their past 31 internationals while England's defence is one of the best, conceding goals to only Chile (2) and Switzerland (1) in their 16 games under Hoddle.

Something has to give and a sell of total goals seems to have little risk.

Trumpet blowing time: Anyone who followed the advice from this corner concerning the Netherlands v South Korea game on Saturday will have cause to be delighted in many ways.

Not just the comfortable Dutch supremacy, not only the Koreans' negative Performance rating (with Sporting) but the huge leap in the total goals quote for the Dutch.

A buy was advised at 7.6 with Sporting and it now stands at 10.2 (10.6- 11.4 with IG). Feel free to take the profit.