World Cup Odds: Colombia -145, Greece +390, Draw +240
Why Colombia Can Win
Colombia might actually have to scale it back a little since Falcao was ruled out of the World Cup because of a knee injury he suffered in January. His 20 goals for his country is third all-time and with him in the lineup, Colombia had a game-changer. Now, they might have to depend on their defense, which has plenty of experience. Mario Yepes has 97 caps and even though he is 38 years old, he can still get around surprisingly well. Pablo Armero and Juan Camilo Zuniga have 52 and 53 caps, respectively and keeper David Ospina has 43. Carlos Valdes has just 14, but he will be alongside Yepes in place of the injured Luis Perea. The duo of Carlos Sanchez and Abel Aguilar have 94 caps between them and will shield the defense.
This could also be a big tournament for James, a 22-year-old attacking midfielder who plays with Falcao at Monaco in France. He led Ligue 1 in assists in his first season for Monaco and if you don’t know his name, if Colombia has success in Brazil, you will know it by the end of the World Cup.
Why Greece Can Win
Greece is known for being a tough defensive team in the style that won them the European Championship in 2004, but they may look to attack more with the trio of Kostas Mitroglu, Giorgos Samaras and Dimitris Salpingidis. All three have experience and even though Mitroglu has just 32 caps while the other two have 150 combined, he might be the most talented of the bunch. He will also have a chip on his shoulder after struggling in his first season at Fulham, which ended in relegation. He could be in the market to make a move with a big World Cup effort.
Captain Giorgos Karagounis was the man that made the system work at Euro 2004, but that was a decade ago and he is now 37 years old. He can still do a job and inspire the team, but he isn’t the box-to-box player he once was. It’ll be interesting to see how he adapts to the game and if he has a good tournament, Greece should do well.
Outlook
This will be just the second meeting for Colombia and Greece as Colombia won a friendly by a score of 2-0 at home in 1994. This will be no cakewalk for Colombia like the odds are forecasting, and it wouldn’t be a surprise at all if Greece was the more attack-minded team. Everything is up in the air in Group C and every point will matter. Look for this to end in a draw as this will be a cagey affair.
Pick: Draw
