Brazil 2014: Group C Preview

Group C is the 4th hardest group according to FIFA rankings, containing Columbia, Greece, Ivory Coast and Japan. If England progress to the knock-out stages, then they will face a team from this group in the next round.

Columbia. This will be Columbia’s 5th time in the World Cup finals. The best they’ve done is the knock-out stages in 1990. It’ll be Columbia’s first appearance in the finals since 1998, they’re seeded 8th so are expected to do well. The loss of Falcao is huge for Columbia.

Star Man. Monaco’s James Rodriguez. The 22 year-old has featured in only 22 internationals (scoring 5 goals) but is their playmaker. Unexpected hero? Abel Aguilar could be key if Rodriguez is shut out by the opposition.

Greece. Ranked 12th in the World by FIFA, they’re not expected to progress to the knock-out stages. European champions in 2004, this will be only their 3rd appearance in a World Cup tournament and have not done too well in the previous two times. They struggle to score goals.

Star Man. Kostas Mitroglou of Fulham. Had been playing well for Olympiakos before transferring to London where his appearances have been limited. Lack of midfield creativity may mean he’ll be limited in goal-scoring opportunities. Unexpected hero? The Borussia Dortmund defender Sokratis Papastathopoulos will need to star to make up for the lack of goals.

Ivory Coast (Cote d’Ivorie). Ranked 23rd in the world, this will be Ivory Coast’s 3rd visit and consecutive visit to the finals of the World Cup. They did not progress pass the group stages on their previous visits. In Drogba and Toure they’re not short of fire-power but will their defence be up to the task? They’re a good prospect for progressing.

Star man. Man City’s Yaya Toure. The 31 year-old has hit the back of the net for Ivory Coast 16 times in 82 games and will need to be at his best if the ‘Elelphants’ are to progress. Unexpected hero? Wilfried Bony of Swansea could be the Plan B up front.

Japan. Outsiders in the group, they are now experienced at being in the finals. Time for an Asian team to progress to the later stages? They’re not likely to be a surprise in the tournament. They’ve won their 4 warm-up matches with an aggregate score of 12-6. Their defensive frailties will likely be exposed.

Star Man. AC Milan’s Keisuke Honda has 22 goals in 56 international games. Unexpected hero?  23 year-old Stuttgart defender Gotoku Sakai, if played.

Prediction. 1st Columbia, 2nd Ivory Coast, 3rd Greece and 4th Japan.

Fixtures

Saturday 14 June	Colombia v Greece	Estadio Mineirao	5pm	Live on BBC
Sunday 15 June	Ivory Coast v Japan,	Arena Pernambuco	2am	Live on ITV
Thursday 19 June	Colombia v Ivory Coast	Estadio Nacional	5pm	Live on BBC
Thursday 19 June	Japan v Greece,	Arena das Dunas	11pm	Live on BBC
Tuesday 24 June	Japan v Colombia	Arena Pantanal	9pm	Live on BBC
Tuesday 24 June	Greece v Ivory Coast	Estadio Castelao	9pm	Live on BBC 3