e-Football World Cup Preview - Groups C and D

Article by e-Sports Net's Jonathan Vine

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Group C

Colombia Qualified – 2nd in South America qualification group.

Confidence in the Colombian camp will be at an all time high for this World Cup. It’s the first they have made it to since 1998 and only Argentina finished above them in qualifying, resulting in a second place finish, the best they have ever done in a World Cup qualification group.

But the big Colombian news this week is that talismanic striker Radamel Falcao will not be joining the squad in Brazil. After damaging his cruciate ligament midway through last season, the resulting surgery has not healed in time to allow the 28 year old to lead his country into the tournament.

But you would be wrong in thinking Jose Pekermans’ side are a one man team. They have a number of top class players who will thrive in stepping out of Falcaos’ shadow. Jackson Martinez has scored 46 goals in 60 matches during the two seasons he has spent at FC Porto. This superb goal scoring ratio has alerted the attention of most top teams around Europe, Chelsea seem particularly interested in a move for the striker, a good showing in Brazil will surely see him seal a dream move to London.

Falcaos’ Monaco team mate James Rodriguez has really come into his own since his team mates injury. He carried his club to 2nd place in Ligue 1, displaying all the skill and trickery that will make him a nightmare for defenders to deal with, both here in Brazil, and in the Champions League next season.

Fredy Guarin will be a crucial player in the middle of the Colombian midfield. During his time in Europe he has developed a reputation of being a strong, quick, tough tackling midfielder, with the vision to pick out a pass and a real eye for long range, spectacular goals. He was strongly linked with a move to Manchester United during last season, and maybe if Colombia have a good tournament, which they are more than capable of having, the top European teams will come knocking.

Top Bet – To Finish the Group with 9 points, 11/2 w. Bet365.

Greece Qualified – 2nd in Group G behind Bosnia. (4-2 agg. Play-off win over Romania)

Despite not having the highest quality of squads, only Spain conceded less goals in European qualification than the Greeks. They only managed to score 12 goals themselves, despite being in a pretty weak group, but only conceding four in ten games is a real achievement and shows you what their success is based on.

They have carried this defensive mentality into their opening build up games too, securing two credible 0-0 draws with Nigeria and Portugal. But after being drawn alongside Colombia, Ivory Coast and Japan, you get the feeling that three 0-0 draws in the group stage will not be enough to get through, at some point they are going to have to go out and attack.

Against Romania in the Play-off, they played a more attacking style of football in their home leg, securing a 3-1 victory, but against teams of better quality, who knows how that tactic will work out for them. One thing’s for sure, with the tactics they use and the players at their disposal, they will be a very hard team to beat.

Sokratis Papastathopoulos featured heavily for Borussia Dortmund last season. The ex-Genoa and AC Milan man is known for his physicality and intelligence, he will need to be at his best at the heart of a strong Greek defence.

Going forward, Dimitris Salpingidis is crucial to how Greece operate. He may be 32 now but his pace, power and direct style make him a real handful for defenders, and give the Greeks a platform off which to spring counter attacks. He’s also very useful in front of goal and formed a good attacking partnership with star striker, Kostas Mitroglou.

After a prolific first half of the season for Olympiakos, Mitroglou was one of the hottest striking properties in Europe. However, a surprise move to Fulham on the last day of the January transfer window didn’t turn out to be a good move.

He will want to show he is still the player of six months ago though, with a good showing for Greece in Brazil, and if they have any hopes of getting out of the group, goal’s are something they will definitely need and he may be the man to score them.

Top Bet – To Concede Less than 3.5 goals, 6/5 w. Paddy Power.

Ivory Coast Qualified – 1st in Group C. (4-2 Play-off win over Senegal)

Despite this being Ivory Coasts’ third World Cup in succession, they have never managed to get out of the group. However, after a strong qualifying campaign, in which they were unbeaten over eight games scoring 19 goals in the process, confidence within that camp will be very high.

Sabri Lamouchi has named a very experienced squad, with many of their top players reaching the end of their international careers, but there is no doubting that they are taking a lot of quality with them on that plane to Brazil.

Dider Drogba may be 36 now, but he still has the physicality and quality to cause even the best central defenders a real problem. He scored 15 goals for Galatasaray last season, and with this tournament probably being the last he will play for his country, he will be hungrier than ever to succeed.

Cheick Tiote will be entrusted with most of the midfield defensive responsibility. His athleticism and strength in the tackle has been scaring teams in the Premier League for years, he will be hoping to do the same on the biggest stage of them all, as will his central midfield partner.

This has been a superb season for Yaya Toure. He has finally been recognised as one of the best, if not the best, all round midfielders in the World, after winning the title with Manchester City, scoring 24 goals in all competitions. He has a certain aura of invincibility around him these days, his passing is top notch, his finishing is brilliant and for a man of his size he is deceptively quick. Not to mention the immense physical and mental qualities his presence will bring to the Ivory Coast side, I really feel this is the time for an African team to make a big impact on a Wold Cup Tournament.

Top Bet – Yaya Toure to be Ivory Coast’s Top Scorer, 5/1 w. Coral.

Japan Qualified 1st in Group B of Asia qualifying.

Japan were the first team to qualify for Brazil 2014, but due to the bizarre way the Asian qualifying process is structured, their route into the World Cup was a lot less straight forward than it might look.

After losing their first two games in the first group stage, they fought back to go through, finishing second behind Uzbekistan. The second, and much harder group stage was a little more straight forward for Alberto Zaccheroni’s side, as they comfortably won the group to book their place in Brazil.

Japan have continued this good run of form in their build up to the tournament, a credible draw against Holland, in between victories over Costa Rica and Belgium, mean the Japanese are coming into the tournament on a four match unbeaten run. They will be hoping to spring a few surprises in the group, and they have a number of players who will be giving the opposition defenders more than a few problems.

Shinji Kagawa and Keisuke Honda will provide the energy and creativity that Japan will need to progress. Kagawa had a fairly disappointing season with Man United, leading to rumours he will be returning to Dortmund this summer, but he will use this tournament to try and convince incoming United manager, Louis van Gaal, what he can offer the team next season. Honda moved to AC Milan in January, after impressing for a number of years at CSKA Moscow. He is quick, very dynamic, imaginative and has a lethal left foot, so watch out for him at any dead ball situation.

With all this creativity at their disposal, Shinji Okazaki is sure to have a few chance fall his way. The Mainz striker scored 15 goals in the Bundesliga last season and has scored 38 goals in 78 games since making his International debut in 2008. If they can get him in the right positions and stay strong at the back, this is a team who are capable of pulling off a few upsets, only time will tell if they have enough quality to get out of the group.

Top Bet – Japan not to win a game, 6/4 w. Sporting Bet

Group D

Costa Rica Qualified – 2nd in Group behind USA.

It was a very consistent qualifying campaign for the Costa Ricans. Four defeats in 16 games lead to them finishing second in both the first and second group stages of the North, Central American and Caribbean qualifying section.

However, they have failed to win any of their warm up games, losing narrowly to Australia, then pretty emphatically against both Chile and Japan. Their last friendly, against the Republic of Ireland, has become a little bit of a must win game, as they look to take some confidence into what is a very difficult group.

Although they will be going into the tournament with little expectation, they will be highly motivated to go out there and try and ruffle the feathers of the three big teams they have been drawn alongside, and they do have some players who could be up to the task.

New York Red Bulls left back Roger Miller will be looking to take advantage of Bryan Oviedo’s absence to try and make that position his own at international level. He has notched up 107 appearances in the MLS over the last four seasons, his physicality, pace and crossing ability have made him one of the most feared defenders in North America. Captain Bryan Ruiz had a difficult spell in the Premier League. During his time at Fulham he struggled with fitness and consistency, but he showed flashes of genius in that time too. He’s confident on the ball and has all the tricks in the book, as well as an eye for spectacular goals.

Ruiz’s partner in attack will be Arsenal forward Joel Campbell. He won many plaudits across Europe for his performances in the Champions League last season, whilst on loan at Olympiakos, and camped off a great season with a superbly taken goal in his teams’ 2-0 victory over Manchester United in Greece. If Costa Rica can get the right supply to their two attacking stars, and stay as solid in defence as they had been throughout qualifying, then this group may not turn into the three horse race that everyone is expecting.

Top Bet – To Concede Over 5.5 goals, Evens w. 888sport.

England Qualified – 1st in Group H.

The build up to any big tournament in England, is usually filled with pressure being pilled upon the players and management by the English media. But Roy Hodgson has tried everything to play down our national expectations and after picking such a young, inexperienced squad, things seem to be a little different this time around.

Hodgson guided England through an unbeaten qualifying campaign, in which he brought out the best out of some of his senior players, as well as blooding some of the young talent we can expect to see take England forward into the coming years. Some of the pre tournament friendlies haven’t gone according to plan, but they have been used to experiment with different formations, tactics and on field combinations.

So England will enter Brazil full of optimism, which will stand them in good stead after being drawn into a difficult group. This will be a chance for the youngster’s to show they are capable of stepping into the team on the biggest stage they will ever experience, but they will only do this successfully if some of the older heads perform like we all know they can.

Wayne Rooney had a difficult season at Man United. With the hiring and sacking of a new manager, and plenty of injury issues to deal with, he still managed 19 goals, scoring a few belters in the process. On his day he is a world class player, but England will need him to really show up and play if they hope to have a good tournament.

Leighton Baines’ form for Everton over the last four years has resulted in Ashley Cole’s dropping from the squad and his subsequent retirement. He has big shoes to fill, but Baines has shown he has both the mental and technical skill to slot seamlessly into international football. He is fearless in the tackle, composed on the ball, and his delivery from crosses and set pieces will give the opposition defenders nightmares.

The most important England player this tournament will be their captain and talisman Steven Gerrard. Playing in a deep lying playmaker role, Gerrard guided his beloved Liverpool to second place in the Premier League, threatening to win it on several occasions before a few costly slip ups allowed Man City to claim the title. Even though this will probably be his last major tournament, the 34 year olds powers have shown no signs of waning. His passing, energy and leadership will be vital in the middle of England midfield, we all know how good he can be in front of goal, but if England want to progress any further than the group stage, he will need to provide the England back four with adequate protection.

If he can do this, then there is no reason why England can’t get out of the group and maybe venture a little further into the competition.

Top Bet – England to Finish the Group with 7 points, 11/2 w. Bet365 and Bet Fred.

Italy Qualified – 1st in Group B.

Despite two worrying 2-2 draws against Bulgaria and Armenia during qualification, the Italian’s managed to get through the group unbeaten. This being said, their build up to the tournament has been very poor. They are currently on a seven match winless run, Riccardo Montolivo suffered a broken leg in a 0-0 draw against Ireland, then they played out an embarrassing 1-1 draw with Luxembourg.

But the Italians have a history of turning up in the biggest of games and causing upsets. They didn’t go into the 2006 World Cup amongst the favourites and they battled through to win it. At Euro 2012, they were 10/1 outsiders, but shocked everyone with their run to the final, before being beaten by a rampant Spanish side.

You can never underestimate an Italian team. They will be disciplined and experienced, solid in defence and they always have a few player capable of taking on the best defenders in the World, and this squad is no different.

Full back Mattia de Scigila has been called “The Next Paolo Maldini” in many circles of the Italian, and World media and it’s easy to see why. He may only be 21, but he has notched up 54 appearances in the last two seasons with AC Milan and has been given the famous number 2 shirt, as warn by Brazilian legend Cafu before him. He has shown composure and mental strength beyond his years, combined with his attacking ability and defensive aptitude, we could be hearing about this boy for years to come.

Andre Pirlo may be 35, but he has been an ever present for both Juventus and Italy over the last four years. Just like at Euro 2012, he is likely to be sitting deep in midfield, chaperoned by Danielle de Rossi and Claudio Marchisio, he will be given plenty of time on the ball, allowing him to use his vision and passing ability to the greatest effect. His mere presence is enough to scare the life out of the opposition, let alone when he has the ball at his feet.

However, with the Italians struggling coming into this tournament, big things will be expected from Mario Balotelli. Super Mario hasn’t had the easiest time on his return to Italy. Despite having a good goal scoring ratio, the AC Milan President has openly criticised his performances in the press. He has been handed the number 9 shirt for this tournament, but his position will be under pressure from new Borussia Dortmund recruit Ciro Immobile, who was the Top Scorer in Serie A last season with Torino. Balotelli sums up everything good and bad about the Italian national team at the moment. We all know he has the quality to trouble the best defenders in the world, using his fantastic performance in the Euro 2012 semi final against Germany as a prime example. But who knows whether the real Super Mario, or even the real Italy, will turn up in Brazil this summer.

Top Bet – To be Eliminated in the Group Stage, 2/1 w. Coral and William Hill.

Uruguay Qualified 5th in South American Group. (5-0 agg. Play-Off win over Jordan)

It was a pretty disappointing qualifying campaign for the Uruguayans. Despite unquestionably having the second best squad, behind Argentina, out of all the South American qualifiers, they found themselves in 5th place at the end, finishing behind Argentina, Colombia, Chile and Ecuador. Luckily for them, they drew Jordan in their Play-off and easily put that to bed with a 5-0 first leg victory.

However, that was not enough to paper over the qualification crack’s, in which they managed to win less their half of their games, only two away from home and conceded as many goals as they scored. Add to this the fact that star player Luis Suarez, fresh off the back of being rightly named the Premier Leagues’ best player, has had to have minor knee surgery, will not have helped the mood in the Uruguayan camp.

The fact still remains though that they are a very dangerous team. Building off their final qualifying game victory over Argentina, the Uruguayans are on a five match unbeaten run, and will be looking to make that six when they face Costa Rica in their opening group game. Their midfield is probably the weakest area of their squad, but they have some very capable defenders and, with or without Luis Suarez, their array of attacking talent is top notch.

Diego Godin was arguably the most consistent defender in La Liga last season. He guided his Atletico Madrid colleagues to their first domestic title since 1996, and their first ever Champions League final. His organisational skills and defensive abilities will be very hard for any striker to play against, it’s just a pity for Uruguay, he will be shackled by playing with aging captain Diego Lugano alongside him.

Godins’ Atletico team mate Cristian Rodriguez is also on the Uruguay plane to Brazil. His power, pace and dribbling ability has made him an important cog in the counter attacking machine manager Oscar Tabarez has created. He has been handed the number seven shirt for the tournament and will prove to be a constant danger to any opposing full backs.

With uncertainty surrounding whether Suarez will be fit to play in the group stage, Edinson Cavani will be trusted to lead the attack. He has been tearing defenders apart since he moved to European football in 2006, scoring 166 goals in just under 300 games. But he has never been as consistent in the Champions League, which will be worrying as he enters the high pressure situation of a World Cup as his nation’s main goal scoring threat.

If he can find his feet early in the tournament, then that will give him, and Uruguay, a great platform from which to build on and if they can welcome a fit again Luis Suarez into an already firing front line, then this could be a very good tournament for the 2011 Copa America Champions.

Top Bet – To be Eliminated in the Quarter Final, 7/2 w. Bet Victor.

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