Greece vs Columbia Prediction – June 14
Colombia enters as this summer’s Group C favorite in Brazil, and will open its World Cup play against a stubborn Greece side that are not expected to make it out of the group stage, much less the finals. [ad-1519080]
Group C Gambling Predictions
Colombia v Greece
Saturday, June 14, 2010
12 PM EST
Estadio Mineirão, Belo Horizonte
ESPN
Odds: Colombia -140 / Greece +485 / Draw +250
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Greece still arrives in South America at No. 10 in the FIFA rankings, but are seen as the group’s weakest side, who will no doubt get an early test when they face the Colombians, who are expected to win the group and move into at least the knockout round in its first World Cup final in 16 years.
The Colombians last made their last appearance in France back in 1998, where they were dismissed in the group stage following losses to England and Romania.
In 2014, the Colombians are a much different beast though, with a point to prove, and it’s no surprise that the ranks No. 5 in the FIFA rankings.
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Colombian boss Jose Pekerman has a wealth of experience and quality at his disposal and has a number of first class players in his squad, but received devastating news recently that he will be without key man, Radamel Falcao, who will not be playing in the World Cup after failing to recover from a serious knee injury.
That is an obvious blow, and drops their ranking. But the side does have a myriad of players such as, Fredy Guarin, Carlos Bacca, Cristian Zapata and James Rodriguez.
Still, a squad without Falcao, is exactly what a defensive minded Greece side needs to avoid an early flight home. It is the perfect opportunity to silence doubters.
The Greeks are always a hard working bunch, even though they did not deliver in South Africa four years ago.
Today, they look like a new squad — relying more on their staunch defense rather than flashy offense, which is highlighted by the fact that they scored 12 goals from 10 games in qualifying, while losing only one game.
Another key for Greece is that they have perhaps one of the most experiences squads in the tournament, including players like Giorgos Samaras, Theofanis Gekas, Dimitris Salpingidis and Giorgos Karagounis, who have collectively earned over 300 caps.
Nevertheless, with experience comes ageing legs.
Betting Prediction
This is a tale of two sides. Offense and youth versus defense and experience.
The Colombians came out on top in the only previous meeting between the two sides, winning 2-0 in 1994, but without Falcao, I am going against the favorite here, and predicting a Greece upset to begin group play.
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