WC 2014: 5th July

Argentina v/s Belgium. The main question regarding this Argentina team is what would they be without Messi? From what they've shown so far in this World Cup, a very average team indeed. Di Maria is the only other player who has excelled but the other big names such as Higuain, Aguero, Lavezzi to name a few have been very quiet. They were very laborious in winning by the minimum margin against Switzerland in the last round. I am not sure that this team has further improvement in them.

Although they have an exceptional talent in Hazard in their ranks, Belgium are not reliant on the Chelsea player but rather on a team play that seems to be getting better and better. I can't think of a team with so many star player names but their main strength is their ability to link up properly as a team which makes them dangerous and difficult to beat. Their main challenge will be to stop Messi  and their defence marshalled by Kompany has the ability to do that.

I will go against the grain here and select Belgium to go through. Argentina rely too much on Messi and if their superstar is properly shut down or has an off-day, the Belgians should have more than ample ammunition to breach any resistance that their opponents can muster.

Netherlands v/s Costa Rica. I don't think the overall winner of the World Cup will come from either of these 2 teams. I think Costa Rica have been brilliant so far and gained everyone's utmost respect by playing a well-organized football with flair and intelligence. Everything that is being thrown at them is bonus to them at this point. The Netherlands have not impressed me as they seem to have done to many pundits. Their win against Mexico was controversial to say the least; the Mexicans have good reason to feel hard done by the final result. I still think the Dutch will go through as they are a superior team to Costa Rica but they have to ensure the match goes before the lottery of penalties.


To qualify: Belgium, Netherlands

WC 2014: 29th June

Netherlands v/s Mexico. The market clearly indicates that Holland has most of the favors to go though, although I don't see it being the case. They are a strong team but I feel that they showed chinks in their armor in the previous games; I thought their 5-1 score against Spain flattered their performance a bit, their 3-2 close win against Australia could have gone the other way, and they struggled to break down Chile in their last match, albeit without Robin Van Persie. Mexico opened everyone's eyes after keeping Brazil to a goal-less draw due to a fantastic performance by their keeper Ochoa. They then confirmed their good form by disposing of Croatia in the crucial match for qualification. I think this match is going to be a close match and I will side with the Mexicans; they are riding a huge wave of momentum and playing with extreme confidence.

Costa Rica v/s Greece. Costa Rica are one of the feel-good stories of this World Cup. They topped their by going undefeated against teams like Uruguay, England and Italy. If they play to the level they've been showing, it's hard seeing a team like Greece stopping them. The Greeks can consider themselves lucky to be through the finals, having emerged from a rather poor group and winning qualification on a suspect penalty. They certainly don't have the fluidity of the Costa Ricans and will again rely on a strong defensive display to keep the match tight. Will side with the South Americans here due to their excellent showing in the group stages.

Qualify: Mexico, Costa Rica

WC 2014: 24th June

Greece v/s Ivory Coast. Ivory Coast were a tad unlucky not to at least draw Columbia in their last game. Gervinho is playing like a striker possessed, and showing flashes of brilliance not seen in Arsenal colors. Provided their defence stays away from defensive lapses, the likes of which caused their un-doing against Columbia, the Africans should win this game.

Japan v/s Columbia. Columbia are assured to go through after winning their first 2 games. They have a couple of brilliant youngsters in this team who seem destined to have a career in the big European leagues. Japan need a win to have a chance of getting through but their main problem is that they are missing firepower on the front lines. I think this will probably end up in another Colombian win as long as the gist of their main team is playing.

Costa Rica v/s England. How patient can I be with this England team so that they finally show up in the win column at these finals? Apparently one more. I actually think they played well against Uruguay but were undone by atrocious defending, which has been cause for concern going into the tournament. Jagielka and Cahill are just not good enough at this level. Plus Gerrard is just Captain Calamity when major things are on the line, in my opinion. Still, since Costa Rica is through, I think England have enough quality, even with their second team, to get something out of this game. England to win this.

Italy v/s Uruguay. The Italians were flat against Costa Rica and Balotelli showed that he's more a liability to his team when not playing his top game. Uruguay will be riding a huge wave of confidence after having beaten England and having Suarez in goal scoring mood. Although Italy would win 8 out of 10 of these kinds of matches, I think that Uruguay will come out on top of this one, mainly because they will revel in the heat. They will win the physical battles, and that should give them the edge over the Italians at the final whistle.

Win: Ivory Coast, Columbia, England, Uruguay

WC 2014: 20th June

Italy v/s Costa Rica. The Costa Ricans created one of the shocks of the tournament in beating Uruguay but the jury is still out on their real quality. Italy were not impressive by any means against England in their first match but it will be hardly suprising if they get much better as they progress. The Italians will be keen to secure first place once and for all and I see their realism play again as they get the win.

Switzerland v/s France. The Swiss were lucky to win their first match against Ecuador and they seemed to be struggling mightily in the heat. France are a team under the radar and their good 3-0 win in their opening match has put them in a good position to secure top spot of the group. I can see a France win by the minimum margin, although a draw would not be unlikely as well.

Honduras vs Ecuador. Ecuador sprang up a nice mini-surprise by holding the Swiss at bay for such a long time in the first match. They would have gotten a good point had it not been for the last winning kick of the match for the Swiss. Honduras play as rough and physical a team as you can expect. Ecuador have the better team and should win this.


Win: Italy, France, Ecuador

WC 2014: 14th June

Colombia v/s Greece. The South Americans have a massive hole in the striking department with the loss of Radamel Falcao to injury. However, they should still considered a force in a group that does not look that strong. Greece had to rely on a play-off win against Romania to reach Brazil and I think they will struggle to go past this group. This might end up as the first draw of this tournament.

Ivory Coast v/s Japan. This looks another even match-up with both teams boasting potent attacks but questionable defences. This should be a match with goals and again it would not be surprising to see this one end in a draw as well.

Uruguay v/s Costa Rica. Obviously, how far Uruguay goes in the tournament will depend upon the availability and fitness of Luis Suarez. They must beat Costa Rica to have any chance of going to the knockout stage. They should win this one with or without their superstar striker.

England v/s Italy. I think Italy's odds to win the group and this game are way too low. I think they will have their difficulties in this group; in fact I mentioned earlier that they might not make it past this group. Like so many of previous encounters between these 2 nations, there is a high probability that this match will also end in a draw. If not, I think England can very will win this.

Win: Uruguay
Draw: Columbia/Greece, Ivory Coast/Japan, England/Italy