Ivory Coast will look to join Colombia in the last 16 from Group C, but the African powerhouses will be up against a stubborn Greece side desperate to cling on to their slim hopes of qualification in the FIFA World Cup 2014 in Brazil.
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The big Group C match is scheduled for a 5 pm local time (1.30 am IST, 9 pm BST, 4 pm ET) start with live coverage on Sony Pix and Sony Pix HD in India. The match can also be watched via live streaming online in India HERE. Catch the action in the UK on ITV and BBC with the live streaming option HERE or HERE. Viewers in Brazil can watch the match HERE. US viewers can watch the game on ESPN while the option to live stream is HERE. Australia viewers can go HERE to watch the game live online, while Africa viewers can catch the action HERE. South Africa viewers can watch the match HERE.
The odds favour Ivory Coast to enter the second round from Group C, but with both Greece and Japan still in with a chance of upsetting the apple cart, anything is very much possible.
Colombia lead the group with six points from two matches, and have already qualified. The South Americans face Japan in their final match, with the Asian side desperate for a win to have any hopes of making it to the last 16.
Japan and Greece have just one point each from two matches, two less than Ivory Coast, who have three courtesy their 2-1 victory over Japan in their opening Group C match.
A win will definitely see the Ivory Coast, 2-1 losers to Colombia in their last game, go through to the knockout stages, and even a draw might be enough, depending on how the Japan vs Colombia match pans out.
"I was happy with our performance [against Colombia]," Ivory Coast coach Sabri Lamouchi told FIFA's official website. "I think there can be great victories in defeat and vice versa. If we play like that, we shouldn't lose too many matches. And our opponents won't all necessarily have the quality that Colombia do.
"We mustn't get carried away. We are fully focused on the match. We know that victory would allow us to write our names in Ivorian football history. That would be a great achievement and the players are well aware of that, so it would be pointless to try to heap extra pressure on them
"We mustn't forget that Cote d'Ivoire have only played eight World Cup games, which is nothing. There are no guarantees we will make it through. We have to come up with the goods on the pitch against a Greece team with a very solid backline. We are preparing with this in mind."
Both the Ivory Coast and Greece have never made it to the knockout phase of the World Cup, making their motivation to qualify for the last 16 just that little bit more. Greece, who are coming off the back of a 3-0 drubbing handed out by Colombia and a 0-0 draw with Japan, cannot afford anything but three points against the Ivory Coast – easier said than done, considering the fact that they are yet to score a single goal in this tournament.
"I don't know who's going to score," Greece coach Fernando Santos said when asked who would lead their attack. "I want someone to score but it doesn't matter who. If we win 1-0 thanks to a goal from our goalkeeper [Orestis] Karnezis that's fine by me."
Santos will be forced into one change at least, with skipper Kostas Katsouranis ruled out of the clash through suspension after picking up a red card against Japan.
Lamouchi, as he has been in the past two games, is under pressure to include Didier Drogba, while he will also have to consider the mental makeup of the Toure brothers – Yaya and Kolo – who will be playing their first match since hearing about the tragic death of their younger brother Ibrahim.
Expected lineups: Greece: Karnezis; Torosidis, Papastathopoulos, Manolas, Holebas; Fetfatzidis, Karagounis, Maniatis, Kone, Samaras; Mitroglou.
Ivory Coast: Barry; Aurier, Kolo Toure, Bamba, Boka; Tiote, Serey Die; Kalou, Yaya Toure, Gervinho; Bony.
Prediction: 2-0 to Ivory Coast
