Written by @Wayde_D for @Hollywoodbets. Follow them both on Twitter and Facebook now!
Colombia vs Greece | Saturday 14 June | Estadio Mineirao, Belo Horizonte | 18:00
Colombia and Greece get things started in Group C which includes Ivory Coast and Japan and looks one of the most open groups. Colombia are the ranked team in the group, occupying fifth spot on the FIFA rankings and take on the tenth ranked Europeans who are known for their defensive solidity. Under Argentine coach Pekerman, Colombia has blossomed, rising from 35th place in the world rankings and entering their first World Cup in sixteen years. They’ll find a stern test in Greece however, a side that plays tenacious tournament football.
To Win (90mins)
Colombia 17/20
Draw 9/4
Greece 36/10
Colombia
The Coffee Growers are one of the dark horses in this year’s World Cup. They have never managed more than one win at the finals and will be hoping this could be the year to change that. Colombian fans were rocked by the news that star striker Radamel Falcao will miss the World Cup after showing promise of returning from injury. Falcao, who suffered a serious knee injury when on duty for his club side Monaco in January, was left off the 23-man list, with Pekerman deciding he will not be match fit. However, the team is still littered with star players from around Europe, such as Napoli fullbacks Juan Zuniga and Pablo Armero, Inter Milan midfielder Fredy Guarin, wide men Juan Cuadrado and James Rodriguez, and striker Jackson Martinez. With plenty of technique and athleticism, Colombia can be a match for anyone on their day – even without their key player at the tournament. They possess a strong defence that makes them a formidable opponent.
They managed to finish second out of nine teams in South American qualifying, just two points behind heavyweights Argentina. Colombia scored 27 goals in sixteen matches while conceding just thirteen, the lowest total on the continent. En-route to qualifying their best result was a 4-0 rout of Uruguay. James Rodriguez is a key creator for Colombia and before moving to Monaco played at Porto and enjoyed a fantastic partnership with Jackson Martinez. Martinez is a big forward who can physically overpower almost any defender. At Porto, Martinez has proven himself to be dominant in the box, scoring 41 times in 53 league games since arriving in 2012. Colombia’s 4-2-2-2 system takes advantage of their talented wide players, like Fiorentina’s Juan Cuadrado.
Greece
In the four years since the World Cup in South Africa, little appears to have changed in how Greece win games. They have kept their instinct for a decisive late goal, have added few famous names to their squad and boast a solid defence that has kept the country impossibly in the top ten of the world rankings. It’s those ingredients that helped Greece win the 2004 European Championship and made the team a regular at major tournaments since – a rare success story in a country struck by financial crisis that battered everything from public health to achievement in most other sports. Defender Sokratis Papastathopoulos says the Greeks’ hardship motivates his teammates to play harder. “We’ve always had a great atmosphere in the team,” the Borussia Dortmund players said. “Everyone’s proud to be playing for Greece and the prospect of reaching the second round would bring joy to people who are going through hard times.”
Papastathopoulos will act as the lynchpin in the Greek defence against some very potent Colombian attackers. The fact that he was the youngest ever captain of AEK Athens at nineteen is a testament to his leadership abilities and at his best, he is a commanding and inspirational presence in a side that will probably need all the inspiration they can get if they have aspirations of collecting three points. Greece qualified for the World Cup by way of the play-offs, eliminating Romania over two legs, but only missed direct qualification on goal difference to Bosnia and Herzegovina after eight wins in ten matches. Although the attacking flair is there, it’s the defence that Greece relies on. That’s how they got to the World Cup, having only conceded four goals in ten matches. It was the only way to make up for their mediocre attacking efforts that brought ten goals while Bosnia, who finished first, scored thirty.
VERDICT: Colombia 17/20
Playing on their home continent Colombia will have a slight advantage. They can match the work rate and physical game of Greece and have a more potent attack. Colombia look likely to claim the win.
