Holland have been in imperious form during this World Cup, winning all 6 of their matches so far and scoring an impressive 12 goals along the way. A fairly kind draw saw them paired with Japan, Denmark and Cameroon in Group F, and their form has continued to improve in the knockout rounds as they have disposed of Slovakia, Brazil and Uruguay to reach the final.

A more pragmatic side under Bert van Marwijk than the one which took Euro 2008 by storm under Marco van Basten before exiting in the quarter-finals, this Dutch team is solid at the back with a genuine cutting edge in attack, and having seen them dump out 5-time winners Brazil along the way, backing the 13/5 at Bluesq about them to win this match could be a very shrewd move.

Spain of course opened their campaign with a 1-0 defeat against a Swiss side who parked the proverbial bus, a worrying sign for their backers, but it has been plain sailing ever since with Group H wins over Honduras and Chile and further success against Portugal, Paraguay and Germany.

Midfield dominance and intricate passing, so characteristic of their Euro 2008 success, has again been the cornerstone of Spain’s campaign, and while they have only scored once in each of their 3 knockout fixtures, 3 clean sheets in those games tells a tale of a side in top form. A team who monopolise the ball and await the right opening with great patience,  Spain will inevitably be heavily backed to win this one in 90 minutes at 11/10.

Wesley Sneijder is the driving force of this Dutch side, the Champions League-winning Inter Milan man controlling things from an advanced midfield role, and with 5 goals to his name so far, he is the competition’s joint top scorer with David Villa. Sneijder is 10/3 to score at any time in the 90 minutes, and having already scored from outside the box against Japan and Brazil, the dead ball expert is a 10/1 shot to repeat the trick here. Having successfully tipped him to be man of the match against Uruguay, it would be hard to argue with a repeat of that bet at 5/1 here.

Arjen Robben has also been instrumental in Holland’s campaign, his first start against Slovakia after injury was capped by a fine early goal, and after heading his side’s third against Uruguay, the Bayern winger is 10/3 to score again in the final. His struggle against injury during the group stage may have been a blessing in disguise as he hits form at just the right time, and Robben is a 10/1 shot for the first goal, a very decent each-way bet considering Blue Square offer unlimited places on this market. Robben to score and Holland to win at 8/1 is also likely to be a popular punt.

David Villa has picked up where he left off after winning the Golden Boot at Euro 2008, and Barcelona’s new signing has fired 5 of his country’s 7 goals in this tournament to take his international record to a phenomenal 43 goals in 64 appearances. Such is his pace, technique and intelligence, he’ll always get chances against any side, and he is rightly the hot favourite to score first at 4/1. Villa to score 2 or more could definitely appeal at 9/2, while he is 12/1 to score in both halves and 11/4 to score Spain’s first goal, both of which look good.

Xabi Alonso’s departure from Liverpool was a huge part of their failure last season, and his performances during this World Cup have shown exactly what the Reds have been missing. Having scored a penalty against Paraguay before missing the re-take, Alonso is still yet to score in South Africa, and while he isn’t in the side to provide goals, he certainly has the ability to chip in and looks very backable at 13/2 for a goal at any time. One of the cleaner strikers of a ball in this World Cup and a man with a history of scoring from range, a rasping left foot shot from distance against Germany sticks in the mind, and Alonso to score from outside the box really does stand out as a great bet at 18/1.

The most obvious market to turn to for a long shot is the Scorecast market, where David Villa to score first and Spain to win 1-0 is the shortest priced selection at 16/1. While that may look like a sensible way to go, the joy of this market is thinking slightly outside the box, and I like the look of Sergio Ramos to score first and Spain to win 2-1 at 190/1. The Real Madrid full back gets forward at every opportunity, is strong and aggressive and will certainly be looking to get his name on the scoresheet. For a slightly less ambitious bet, Ramos to score and Spain to win could be a tempter at 18/1.

Giovanni van Bronckhorst stunned the Germans and the whole world with his sublime long-range strike in the semi-final, and he’ll surely take on a shot from range if the chance comes up in this match. Iker Casillas hasn’t convinced me at all during this campaign and certainly looks vulnerable to shots of any quality, so Van Bronckhorst to score first and Spain to win 2-1 would be my idea for a truly long-odds bet – that one pays an almighty 425/1!