Match day 13 will see the final games from Group C and Group D, let's preview all the action.
Costa Rica vs. England
Match Info
The Group
D matches will start at 1pm local time in Brazil. Costa Rica vs. England will
be one of the matches of Group A on this day. Costa Rica has already advanced
to the round of 16 with 6 points and England has already been eliminated after
two losses.
The match
will be played at Estadio Mineirao in Belo Horizonte, which has a capacity of 58,170 people.
These two
nations have never played each other before.
England
wants to leave the World Cup with at least one win and Costa Rica doesn’t want
to go into the round of 16 with a loss, so while there is nothing to fight for
in the standings, there is always pride. Both teams will have to look at that
as the main motivation going into this game.
Players to Watch
Bryan Ruiz will be a key
player for Costa Rica, but with the qualification already assured, he may be
rested so this is a chance for less used players to get some minutes during
this World Cup. Sterling should be the player for England with most to prove in this game. He has had a very good
first game and a not so strong second game. This should be his game to finally
put his name on the national team main roster for years to come.
Italy vs. Uruguay
Match Info
The Group
D marquee matchup will start at 1pm local time in Brazil. Italy vs. Uruguay
will determine which country will join Costa Rica in the round of 16. Uruguay
needs a win, but Italy may be able to advance with a tie.
The match
will be played at Estadio das Dunas in Natal, which has a capacity of 39,971 people.
These two
nations have faced each other nine times, with Italy winning twice, Uruguay won
three times and they have tied four times. Uruguay has scored 10 goals in those
nine games while Italy has scored 9 goals.
Italy is
coming from a disappointing loss to Costa Rica, while Uruguay is riding a high
from their 2-1 win over England. This game has all of the makings of an
incredible game. Two world class squads, both needing a good result, we should
be in for a treat.
Players to Watch
All eyes will be on both
teams’ forwards, Balotelli and Luis Suarez. Both players will need to be in
their best form if their teams are to advance to the round of 16. I will give
the edge to Luis Suarez, he has shown more often than not that when it counts
and he is needed the most, he will put into 5th gear and take it up
a level. He has an incredible game against England and there is no reason why
he can’t do it again against Italy.
Japan vs. Colombia
Match Info
One of two matches going at 4pm local time in Brazil, Japan vs. Colombia is crucial to the hopes of the Japanese for survival in the tournament.
The match will be played at the Arena Pantanal, which has a capacity of 41,112 people. This will be the last match of the tournament in this arena.
These two nations have faced each other twice before. Colombia won one of the meetings by a score of 1-0, while the other was a scoreless draw.
Colombia is so far the only team guaranteed an appearance in the round of 16, picking up 6 of 6 points in their first two matches. Japan could only muster a single point, drawing their match against Greece and losing to the Ivory Coast. While Colombia will likely be relaxed for this fixture and will look to play some of their bench players, for Japan this is a must win. Even if Japan manages to pick up the full points however, it may not be enough as Ivory coast will still go through if they win their affair against the Greeks. Anything less than 3 points will see Japan crash out of the tournament.
Players to Watch
There is no confirmation at the moment, but there is a slight chance that Colombian coach Jose Pekerman will start third choice goalkeeper Faryd Mondragón who has just turned 43 on June 21st. If this in fact takes place, Mondragon will become the oldest player to ever play in a World Cup match, and this is a good reason to watch how the 43 year old can handle the pressure of a big tournament at his age. For the Japanese it has to be Keisuke Honda yet again, who seems to be the only man who can turn the Japanese fortunes around.
Greece vs. Ivory Coast
Match Info
The other of two matches going at 4pm local time in Brazil, is between the Greeks and Ivory Coast. Another crucial match to see which squad will make it out of this group.
The match will be played at the Estadio Castelao in Fortaleza, with a capacity of 60,342 people.
Greece and Ivory Coast have never played against one another prior to today's match.
The scenario for Ivory Coast is as simple as it comes, win and go through. For the Greeks the story is much more complicated than that, as even a win does not guarantee them a place in the next round. Although if the Greeks do come out victorious, only a Japanese victory over Colombia would still eliminate them from the tournament. A draw in this one will likely put the Ivorians through and will definitely take the Greeks out of contention.
Players to Watch
Greece will be missing star-man Konstantinos Katsouranis as he is suspended due to two yellow cards in Greece's scoreless draw against Japan. With that in mind we will be keeping an eye out on 37 year old captain Giorgos Karagounis who has proven before that he is able to change a match around for the Greeks. For Ivory Coast we will follow striker Gervinho who had scored a goal in both of Ivory Coast's matches.
Match-day 13 - Staff Picks
Pedro: Costa Rica 1-1 England, Italy 0-1 Uruguay, Greece 0-0 Ivory Coast & Japan 0-2 Colombia
Kon: Costa Rica 0-2 England, Italy 1-1 Uruguay, Greece 1-2 Ivory Coast & Japan 1-1 Colombia
Iain: Costa Rica 1-3 England, Italy 0-1 Uruguay, Greece 0-1 Ivory Coast & Japan 1-3 Colombia
Iain: Costa Rica 1-3 England, Italy 0-1 Uruguay, Greece 0-1 Ivory Coast & Japan 1-3 Colombia
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