Greece meet the Ivory Coast in what is a must win for the Greeks if they wish to keep their World Cup hopes alive. The Greeks have failed to impress, and hold just one point after holding on with 10 men to a draw 0-0 with Japan. The Ivorians sit second in the group, behind Colombia, with three points. Sabri Lamouchi's side picked up the points in a 2-1 comeback victory against Japan and a victory against the Greeks will ensure their qualification, but anything less than that and they leave themselves vulnerable to missing out on the knockout rounds.
Prior to the start of the tournament, Greece would have fancied their chances to get out of relatively soft Group C. But after two dull performances, the Greeks will need the help of group leaders Colombia, in addition to a victory of their own to keep their World Cup dreams alive. The Greeks are without captain Kostas Katsouranis after he sustained a first half red card against Japan. The Greeks will look for the solid play of Giorgios Samaras and Panagiotis Kone to create their scoring chances, but will need to be much more clinical in front of goal -- they've yet to score in this tournament -- if they are to get the necessary three points from this match.
The Ivory Coast come into this clash having lost to Colombia 2-1 in their previous match. A second half Gervinho goal was not enough to bring the Ivorians back from a two goal deficit. Kolo Toure is expected to get the nod as Tottenhman's Didier Zakora is out due to suspension, however he and his brother Yaya are coming into the game dealing with a family tragedy -- their 28-year-old brother Ibrahim died last week. The Ivorians have looked like two different teams: a lackluster, unimaginative squad when Didier Drogba is on the bench, and a lively, creative side when their leader and prolific goal-scorer comes onto the pitch. Drogba isn't fit enough to play a full 90 minutes, and will most likely start this match on the bench, but Lamouchi might call his number earlier than usual if he finds his team in need of goals.
With all to play for, this match should yield a slew of goal scoring chances and maybe even a few goals. But with a Greek side that has proven their inability to score, and an Ivorian side that should qualify with just a draw, this match could also end up being slow and defensive. The game will be won and lost in the midfield, and expect the Ivorians to control possession, with the Greeks looking to counter quickly.
The game is set to kick off at 4:00 PM EST at the Estadio Castelao in Fortaleza, Brazil. It can be seen on ESPN 2 and in Spanish on Univision. If you want to live stream the match, simply go to WatchESPN here and here for a live stream in Spanish.
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