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World Cup Group C: Colombia, Greece, Ivory Coast, Japan

Which two teams will progress to the next round?

  • Colombia and Greece

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Colombia and Ivory Coast

    Votes: 5 38.5%

  • Colombia and Japan

    Votes: 5 38.5%

  • Greece and Ivory Coast

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Greece and Japan

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Ivory Coast and Japan

    Votes: 3 23.1%
  • Total voters
    13
  • Poll closed .
Jordinho

Jordinho

Martin Peters
Staff member
Colombia

Qualified as CONMEBOL runners-up.

Have previously participated in 4 World Cups: 1962, 1990, 1994, 1998

Previous best: Round 2 in 1990

FIFA World ranking: 5

Coach Jose Pekerman, who coached Argentina at the 2006 World Cup, has imparted a go-go-go attack mentality to a talented squad that will be a hipster pick to win it all. The biggest question may revolve around 38-year-old captain and center back Mario Yepes and how well he holds up anchoring a defense that can be vulnerable to the counter.

Squad:

GK: Ospina (Nice), Vargas (Santa Fe), Mondragon (Deportivo Cali)

DF: Zapata (AC Milan), Yepes (Atalanta), Arias (PSV), Armero (Napoli), Balanta (River Plate), Zuniga (Napoli), Valdes (San Lorenzo)

MF: Carbonero (River Plate), Sanchez (Elche), Aguilar (Toulouse), Rodriguez (Monaco), Cuadrado (Fiorentina), Guarin (Inter), Ibarbo (Cagliari), Mejia (Atletico Nacional), Quintero (Porto)

FW: Gutierrez (River Plate), Bacca (Sevilla), Ramos (Dortmund), Martinez (Porto)

Greece

Qualified by beating Romania in a UEFA playoff.

Have previously participated in 2 World Cups: 1994 and 2010

Previous best: Round 1 in 1994 and 2010

FIFA World ranking: 10

Greece won Euro 2004 with a defensive and cynical style. New coach Fernando Santos, often seen smoking on the sidelines, has attempted to mold a more fluid team, but as he has said, “We’ve tried to play a different way then we slipped back into our comfort zone, our defensive strength.” Greece have only won one World Cup finals game and lost the other 5 so far.
Squad:

GK: Karnezis (Granada), Glykos (PAOK), Kapino (Panathinaikos)

DF: Tzavellas (PAOK), Manolas (Olympiakos), Moras (Verona), Vyntra (Levante), Torosidis (Roma), Papastathopoulos (Dortmund), Holebas (Olympiakos)

MF: Maniatis (Olympiakos), Tziolis (Kayserispor), Kone (Bologna), Karagounis (Fulham), Christodoulopoulos (Bologna), Fetfatzidis (Genoa), Katsouranis (PAOK), Samaris (Olympiakos), Tachtsidis (Torino)

FW: Samaras (Celtic), Mitroglou (Fulham), Salpingidis (PAOK), Gekas (Konyaspor)

Ivory Coast

Qualified by beating Senegal in a CAF playoff.

Have previously participated in 2 World Cups: 2006 and 2010

Previous best: Round 1 in 2006 and 2010

FIFA World ranking: 21

The Ivorians are relieved to have a reasonable draw after two straight appearances (and exits) in the Group of Death, and out to wipe their reputation for floundering on the big stages.

Squad:

GK: Barry (Lokeren), Gbohouo (Sewe Sport), Mande (Stabæk)

DF: Viera (Çaykur Rizespor), Boka (Stuttgart), Kolo Toure (Liverpool), Zokora (Trabzonspor), Akpa-Akpro (Toulouse), Aurier (Toulouse), Djakpa (Eintracht Frankfurt), Bamba (Trabzonspor)

MF: Tiote (Saudi Sportswashing Machine), Konan Ya (Hannover), Diomande (Saint-Etienne), Yaya Toure (Emirates Marketing Project), Die (Basel),

FW: Bolly (Fortuna Düsseldorf), Kalou (Lille), Gervinho (Roma), Drogba (Galatasaray), Bony (Swansea), Gradel (Saint-Etienne), Sio (Basel)

Japan

Qualified as AFC Group B winners.

Have previously participated in 4 World Cups: 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010

Previous best: Round 2 in 2002 and 2010

FIFA World ranking: 47

Japan have qualified for the fifth straight time, having never previously qualified. Italian coach Alberto Zaccheroni favours a 3-4-3 system and wants them to play high up the field with the fullbacks involved, which will often leave them exposed at the back. Japan won the AFC Asian Cup in 2011.

Squad:

GK: Kawashima (Standard Liege), Nishikawa (Urawa Red Diamonds), Gonda (FC Tokyo)

DF: Uchida (Schalke), Sakai (Stuttgart), Nagatomo (Inter), Morishige (FC Tokyo), Konno (Gamba Osaka), Inoha (Jubilo Iwata), Sakai (Hannover), Yoshida (Southampton)

MF: Honda (AC Milan), Endo (Gamba Osaka), Kiyotake (Nürnberg), Kagawa (Man United), Aoyama (Sanfrecce Hiroshima), Yamaguchi (Cerezo Osaka), Hasebe (Nürnberg)

FW: Okazaki (Mainz), Kakitani (Cerezo Osaka), Okubo (Kawasaki Frontale), Osako (1860 München), Saito (Yokohama F. Marinos)

GROUP C SCHEDULE:

June 14: Colombia vs. Greece in Belo Horizonte; Ivory Coast vs. Japan in Recife

June 19: Colombia vs. Ivory Coast in Brasilia ; Greece vs. Japan in Natal

June 24: Japan vs. Colombia in Cuiaba; Ivory Coast vs. Greece in Fortaleza
 
I fancy Ivory Coast for this one, can see japan making Colombia sweat as well.

If I'd have got Greece in the sweepstake my bet would have been for them to head home without a single goal scored.
 
Colombia def. Greece
Japan/Coast draw
Colombia def. Ivory Coast.
Japan def. Greece
Japan/Colombia draw.
Ivory Coast def Greece.

Colombia and the impressing Japan qualify.
 
It is a good idea to have threads for all the groups. But are you going to start threads for all the 8 groups or only a few ones ?
 
Spurs7891 said:
It is a good idea to have threads for all the groups. But are you going to start threads for all the 8 groups or only a few ones ?
Click to expand...

There will obviously be threads for all the groups, but I thought I'd spread them over a few days and start with those that kick off first.
 
Four nations with very little World Cup history. Only two of them has ever made it past the group stages, but both were knocked out in round 2.
 
Mumorn said:
Want to take up that bet afterall huh? ;) That an asian team will get further than an African team?
Click to expand...

I'm tempted I have to say...
I was actually quite shocked to see you write that Ivory Coast 'disappointed you greatly' in previous World Cups. Do you not remember the groups they drew in 2006 and 2010? :eek:
 
Ivory Coast @ 11/8 to be the African nation which qualifies the furthest seems like great odds to me!
 
Mumorn said:
It seemed to be a conversation I had with myself as you didn't reply... Bet was, Asian team progresses further than an African.
Click to expand...

You likely are more clued up to the Japanese squad and their strengths. To me, Kagawa and Honda are the best that the Japanese squad has. Perhaps I'm being ignorant here?

Whereas the Ivory Coast squad looks a lot stronger and are more likely to adapt well to the Brazilian climate.

Without Falcao, I think it's a coin flip as to whether it's Ivory Coast or Colombia that tops their group.
 
Most difficult group to guess the final standings.
However, I can't see Ivory Coast not qualify.

I'll go with:
1. Ivory Coast
2. Colombia
3. Japan
4. Greece

Although even Greece with their uber-defensive football will have chances to go through.
 
Why are there 4 matches being played tomorrow(Sunday/June15th) ? I don't remember any WC ever having 4 matches in the same day except for the last group matches where matches are played at the same time. Even more strange is the fact Ivory Coast-Japan match is coming at an odd time, which is 10pm Brazil time. This is the only match being played at a 10pm local time in this WC. I suspect this is to accommodate the prime time TV slot in Japan. The conspiracy theorists will claim that's why the Japanese ref "helped" Brazil against Croatia.:lol:

The problem is it will be difficult to follow or watch 4 matches with only 1 hour gap in between. It is a really terrible situation in Asia as all the 4 matches are played at 12am, 3am, 6am and 9am. It could be a Sunday but staying awake to watch all those matches are going to be a very difficult task.

Really wish they will only have 2 matches per day with a longer duration of the WC.
 
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