Colombia – Greece

A Radamel Falcao – less Colombia will try to overcome Greece’s defensive barrage in the Group C opener at Belo Horizonte.

Colombia surely has a great squad even without their superstar, Falcao, and they have not lost in the last 7 matches. However, Colombia does have problems finishing off games at times and a testament to this are their 4 draws in the last 7 games, so without Falcao to lead the line they might have trouble breaking down the disciplined and organized Greek defense. Jackson Martinez will be the man expected to bang in the goals for the Colombians.

Greece advanced to the World Cup after finishing second behind Bosnia (tied in points) in the qualication group, than routing Romania 4-2 agg. in the playoffs, with the outcome never being in question. The Greeks lack star power, that`s for sure, but they make up for this with a disciplined and rock solid defense, tactical consistency and experience. Greece has 8 wins, 3 draws and 1 loss in the last 12 games, allowing just 5 goals in the process, so this team is not at all as be as bad as some people tend to believe.

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Team news & lineups

Full squads to choose from for both sides, with the exception of Radamel Falcao, of course.

Colombia: Ospina – Zuniga, Yepes, Zapata, Armero – Cuadrado, Aguilar, Rodriguez, Sanchez – Bacca, Martinez.

Greece: Karnezis – Torosidis, Papasthathopoulos, Manolas, Holebas – Salpingidis, Katsouranis, Maniatis, Kone – Samaras, Mitroglou.

Listen, Colombia is a quality side, but don`t rule out Greece in this tournament. The europeans have tons of experience and will be very, very hard to break down. Colombia did not show that killer instinct required to win games recently and if you lack that against Greece, you won`t win. I have no doubt that the odds on Colombia are too short, and I am confident tipping Greece not to lose this one. An upset looks likely so my pick is Greece with a 0,5 handicap. Medium – high stakes recommended on this bet. Prediction: Colombia – Greece 0-0.

Pick: Greece (+0,5 handicap)
Odds: 2.05 @ Sbobet
Stake: 7
Possible profit: 7.35
Event date: 14 June