8th Jun 2014 | World Cup
Spain Top Scorer Tip: David Silva
With doubts surrounding the champions’ strikers, the City schemer could end up getting more chances than any of his teammates.
It’s worth noting that nobody scored more than three goals in Euro 2012 so it might not take too much to be amongst the top scorers in Brazil either.
David Silva found the net twice as Spain defended their first major trophy two years ago and he’s worth a punt at best odds of 16/1 (BetVictor) to top score for his country in the World Cup.
The champions’ set-up is an intriguing one with Vicente Del Bosque unlikely to play more than one recognised striker at any given time. Atletico star Diego Costa could be the linchpin but his injury problems make his short odds (11/4 Bet365) unappealing. Besides which, he has only ever played once for his country and represents a risk at this level.
With Alvaro Negredo dropped, Fernando Torres unconvincing, and David Villa past his best, it makes sense to look to an attacking midfielder as a key source of goals instead.
Of the men most likely to get significant game time for Spain, Silva has the best striking credentials; 20 goals from 78 internationals is almost worthy of a centre forward. If Costa fails to recover in time for Group B action we might even see the Man City star deployed as a ‘false nine’ again. Regardless, at a big price he is worth the gamble.
Odds correct at time of publishing: 08:07 8th Jun, 2014 but subject to change
