Colombia v Greece World Cup predictions and betting tips- 1X2

Match	Date	Selection	Bet	Odds	Bet now
Colombia v Greece World Cup predictions and betting tips- 1X2 World Cup 2014, International	14/06/2014 18:00	full time result	Colombia	1.85	Bet at B
Betting prediction was written by Colin

COLOMBIA V GREECE : PREDICTIONS AND BETTING TIPS

Colombia reached the finals finishing second in the South American section to Argentina with an impressive (9-3-4) record, and are many peoples ideas as dark horses for outright glory. Greece qualified by beating Romania in the play-offs, after finishing second to Bosnia in their group where they had an excellent (8-1-1) record, the best of any second placed side in the European section.

THE COLOMBIA SQUAD

Goalkeepers: David Ospina (Nice), Faryd Mondragon (Deportivo Cali), Camilo Vargas (Santa Fe).Defenders: Camilo Zuniga (Napoli), Santiago Arias (PSV Eindhoven), Mario Alberto Yepes (Atalanta), Cristian Zapata (AC Milan), Pablo Armero (West Ham), Eder Alvarez Balanta (River Plate), Carlos Valdes (San Lorenzo).Midfielders: Alex Mejia (Atletico Nacional), Freddy Guarin (Inter), Abel Aguilar (Toulouse), Aldo Leao Ramirez (Morelia), Carlos Sanchez (Elche), Juan Quintero (Porto), Juan Cuadrado (Fiorentina), James Rodriguez (Monaco).Forwards: Carlos Bacca (Sevilla), Teofilo Gutierrez (River Plate), Jackson Martinez (Porto), Vctor Ibarbo (Cagliari), Adrian Ramos (Herta Berlin).

Falcao lost his battle for fitness, and the bookmakers have reacted by pushing out the Colombian odds about them faring so well, but the attacking threat still looks pretty potent to me. James Rodriguez, who like Falcao plays for Monaco has big expectations going into the tournament, and he is defintiley one to watch.Midfielder Guarin is suspended for the Greece game.

THE GREECE SQUAD

Goalkeepers: Orestis Karnezis (Granada), Panagiotis Glykos (PAOK), Stefanos Kapino (Panathinaikos).Defenders: Vassilis Torosidis (Roma), Loukas Vyntra (Levante), Sokratis Papastathopoulos (Borussia Dortmund), Costas Manolas (Olympiakos), Vangelis Moras (Hellas Verona), Jose Holebas (Olympiakos), Giorgos Tzavellas (PAOK), Yiannis Maniatis (Olympiakos).Midfielders: Alexandros Tziolis (Kayserispor), Kostas Katsouranis (PAOK), Giorgos Karagounis (Fulham), Andreas Samaris (Olympiakos), Panagiotis Tachtsidis (Torino), Panagiotis Kone (Bologna), Yiannis Fetfatzidis (Genoa), Lazaros Christodoulopoulos (Bologna).Forwards: Georgios Samaras (Celtic), Kostas Mitroglou (Fulham), Theofanis Gekas (Konyaspor), Dimitris Salpingidis (PAOK )

A solid defence is the best hope for Greece and Dortmund man Papastathopoulos is the lynchpin. 34 year old striker Theofanis Gekas has come out of retirement to return to the international fold which highlights the lack of depth in the Greek frontline.

WARM UP GAMES

Just two recent friendlies for the Colombians with a 2-2 draw with Senegal followed up with a 3-0 win against Jordan. Gutierrez started both of those games, scoring in one which suggests Pekerman sees him as the main striker in the absence of Falcao. It was a 4-3-3 set up against Senegal, and after leading 2-0 Colombia were pegged back to 2-2, and could not find the win despite Senegal being down to 10 men for the final half hour. A 4-3-2-1 formation was used against Jordan, and two penalties with two of the goals in the last ten minutes meant the scoreline flattered them somewhat. These fixtures will have done the job in increasing fitness etc., but I always find it best not to read too much into friendly results and expect to see a much better Colombian side when the real games begin.

Greece three warm up games maybe give an accurate reflection of what to expect from them at the finals. A 0-0 draw in Portugal (minus Ronaldo) was a good result, and a 4-5-1 formation was adopted there,and despite conceding the majority of possesion and goalscoring threat they were good value forthe draw. Next up was another 0-0 draw with Nigeria, when a more offensive 4-3-3 formation was used without creating much up top, before a 2-1 win against Bolivia 4-3-2-1 brought a win against a South American opponent to wrap up their preparations perfectly.

MATCH ANALYSIS

A very interesting game to get Group C rolling with the much anticipated Colombia(even without Falcao)taking on a spirited Greek side, often very tough to break down. I expect a close fought encounter as neither side wants to give too much away in the first game, and Colombia will need to be patient as the Greeks will no doubt make it hard. If Colombia did score early then it is hard to see a way back for Greece, but if they can keep it level then the longer the game goes on the better chance they have of sneaking a win. Greece will rely on set pieces if they are to strike I feel, and Colombia must stay disciplined and awake to the threat. The key to the game could be the dynamic midfield and attacking threat for Colombia, and over 90 minutes in this heat the Greek could eventually wane.

COLOMBIA V GREECE: 1X2 BETTING TIPS

Early odds of 1.67 have increased to 1.85(17/20)Bet365 on a Colombia win due to the ommision of Falcao no doubt, but my fancy for a Colombia win is still a strong one. A narrow win it may prove to be, but if Colombia are to prove the major threat many believe they will be in these finals, then a win against Greece is a must.

Get on Colombia at 1.85 with Bet365 to slay the Greeks.

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