Half the teams have now bitten the dust, so here are the 16 teams left in the hunt for the most prestigious trophy in football. We take a look at the eight games coming up
As Alex Ferguson would say the World Cup is entering ‘squeaky bum time’ as the 16 remaining teams vie to lift the greatest trophy in football.
Brazil v Chile
The first of two all South American games, the hosts take on Chile in a game that promises to be full of intensity, pace and passion. La Seleção finally showed a glimpse of their attacking talent but Chile be a much sterner test for Scolari’s men. La Roja were very impressive in their win against Spain and will welcome the return of their talismanic midfielder Arturo Vidal.
We expect goals in this one with Neymar and Alexis Sanchez both looking as the men most likely. JOE likes the look of Alexis Sanchez at 3/1 as an any-time goalscorer. The Barcelona star has been in superb attacking form throughout the tournament and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him net in Belo Horizante.
Colombia v Uruguay
Jose Pekerman’s Colombia have been in blistering form so far, winning their group with an 100% record. James Rodriguez has been in breathtaking form while their defence has been expertly marshalled by veteran Mario Yepes. With all the recent news about Luis Suarez, it’s easy to forget that Uruguay are coming into the game on the back of two very impressive wins against England and Italy.
JOE is expecting this one to be a tight and tense affair but we make the Colombians slight favourites. You can get a Colombia 1-0 win at 13/2 which seems like good value to JOE.
Netherlands v Mexico
JOE thinks that the Netherlands have been the most impressive team at the World Cup so far. Arjen Robben has been the star man and Louis Van Gaal will be boosted with the return of his captain Robin Van Persie from suspension. Mexico’s progression to the last 16 has been very impressive and they have the joint best defensive record in the tournament. We are execting a low scoring affair but the return of RVP should be a timely boost for the Oranje. Van Persie to score and Holland to win is available at 15/8
Costa Rica v Greece
Costa Rica have been the surprise package of the World Cup so far topping a group containing three former World Cup winners. What they have achieved in Brazil is nothing short of a miracle but the now face a Greece side that pride themselves on spoiling the party. Georgio Samaras’ last minute penalty secured their slot in the last 16 and JOE isn’t expecting an attacking classic in this one. 0-1 goals at 11/8 is a decent bet here.
France v Nigeria and Germany v Algeria
Les Blues had no trouble progressing from their group and come into the game in fine goalscoring form. Their 5-2 demolition of Switzerland was a warning shot to the rest of the teams in Brazil and Deschamps side look like a completely different team to the one that imploded in South Africa so famously. Karim Benzema is in terrific goalscoring form and has already netted Nigeria gave Argentina an almighty scare in their final group match and the Super Eagles have enough fire power to trouble the French defence but France should progress with relative ease. They are favourites at 1/2.
We also think that Germany will brush aside Algeria in their match in Brasilia. The Germans topped their group and have been in free scoring form hitting 7 goals so far. The Africans have done brilliantly to get out of their group but the last 16 should be where their adventure ends. Germany are at 3/10 but if you were to back €10 on both France and Germany then you can get almost double the returns.
Argentina v Switzerland and Belgium v USA
Lionel Messi has been in fantastic form so far, scoring four times already, but Argentina haven’t quite hit top form just yet. They laboured to wins over Bosnia, Iran and Nigeria but the Swiss will provide them with their hardest test yet. Ottmar Hitzfeld’s men recovered from their drubbing against France by thrashing Honduras. There have been ominous signs that Argentina are starting to click though and they should be too strong for the Swiss.
The other game, sees one of the tournament favourites Belgium take on an American team that have showed plenty of effort, commitment and intensity. The Red Devils are one of the few teams in the competition with an 100% record and we don’t see the US being able to trouble Hazard, Kompany, Lukaku and co. An Argentina and Belgium double looks like a solid bet where €10 can potentially return €27.50.
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