So Brazil is through to the second round – no surprise there. Today they battle Chile who made it past a tough Group B. Here are the projected lineups:
BRAZIL:
GK – Julio Cesar (Toronto)
FB – Dani Alves (Barca)
Marcelo (Real Madrid)
CB – Thiago Silva (PSG)
David Luiz (Chelsea)
CM/W – Luiz Gustavo (Wolfsburg)
Paulinho (Spurs)
Oscar (Chelsea)
Hulk (Zenit)
Neymar (Barca)
F – Fred (Fluminense)
Top bench options:
Fernandinho (Manchester City)
Ramires (Chelsea)
Willian (Chelsea)
Hernanes (Inter)
CHILE
GK – Claudio Bravo (Real Sociedad)
FB – Eugenio Mena (Santos)
Mauricio Isla (Juventus)
CB – Gonzalo Jara (Nottingham Forest)
Gary Medel (Cardiff City)
Francisco Silva (Osasuna)
CM – Arturo Vidal (Juventus)
Marcelo Diaz (Basel)
Charles Aranguiz (Inter)
Jorge Valdivia (Palmeires)
F – Eduardo Vargas (Valencia)
Alexis Sanchez (Barca)
Top bench options:
Felipe Gutierrez (Twente)
Jean Beausejour (Wigan)
Mauricio Pinilla (Cagliari)
Carlos Carmona (Atalanta)
These two squads met in the second round of the last World Cup, in which Brazil thrashed a young Chilean side 3-0. Chile has only beaten Brazil 8 times in 68 matches throughout history.
The last time Chile advanced past the Round of 16 was when they hosted the tournament in 1962 – they were knocked out by Brazil in the Semifinal.
It is possible that Fernandinho finds his way into the starting 11 to replace Paulinho after a strong showing in the last match.
Chile has been very critical of the refereeing in the last few days and rightfully so. The officiating has been the one downside of an otherwise great World Cup, but the fact cannot be denied – the officiating has been atrocious and FIFA should be embarrassed. Instead of simply taking the best refs, FIFA selects officials from all different countries so as to include what they feel are the best from each part of the world. The problem is there are only a few parts of the world in which soccer is played at a level similar to the World Cup, and in my opinion only those refs should be chosen. The refs should have to have Champions League experience or at least have officiated games in the top European or South American Leagues. A large amount of the referees selected do not have experience officiating games of this magnitude. With all due respect to the great nations of Ghana and New Zealand, their referees don’t belong here. The same can be said for the refs from my homeland – the USA. For example: you don’t take a referee from the ranks of high school football and have him call the Super Bowl, just as you shouldn’t take a ref from MLS and put him in the World Cup. I don’t mean that as a slight to MLS, which is an outstanding up-and-coming league – but officiating Portland vs. Seattle simply does not prepare you for the pressure-cooker that is the World Cup. Luckily today’s ref is one of the best in the business: Howard Webb from the Premier League in England.
Gary Medel is Chile’s top defender. He picked up a slight ankle injury in training and is a question mark for today’s game. Without him Chile’s chances of advancing are severely diminished. Medel is a force in the middle and is the key player if Chile is to stop Brazil’s vaunted attack. On his neck he has a tattoo that says “destiny.” In a World Cup full of surprises, it just might be.
Colombia is looking like one of the best teams in Brazil, and might just be able to win their first World Cup. Uruguay is trying for a third title after advancing in controversial fashion against the Italians, and returning to Maracana – the site of their miracle upset of Brazil in 1950. Here’s a quick look at the top players in each squad:
COLOMBIA:
GK – David Ospina (Nice)
FB – Pablo Armero (West Ham)
Camilo Zuniga (Napoli)
CB – Mario Yepes (Atalanta)
Cristian Zapata (Milan)
M – Abel Aguilar (Toulouse)
Carlos Sanchez (Elche)
James Rodriguez (Monaco)
F – Teofilo Gutierrez (River Plate)
Victor Ibarbo (Cagliari)
Juan Cuadrado (Fiorentina)
SUBS – Carlos Bacca (Sevilla)
Alexander Mejia (Atletico Nacional)
Santiago Arias (PSV)
Jackson Martinez (Porto)
Juan Quintero (Porto)
URUGUAY:
GK – Fernando Muslera (Galatasaray)
FB – Martin Caceres (Juventus)
Alvaro Pereira (Sao Paulo)
CB – Diego Godin (Atletico Madrid)
Diego Lugano (West Brom)
Jose Giminez (Atletico Madrid)
M – Cristian Rodriguez (Atletico Madrid)
Cristhian Stuani (Espanyol)
Walter Gargano (Parma)
Egidio Arevalo (Morelia)
Alvaro Gonzalez (Lazio)
Nicolas Lodeiro (Botafogo)
F – Edinson Cavani (PSG)
Diego Forlan (Cerezo Osaka)
Abel Hernandez (Palmero)
Just in case you’ve been living under a rock this last week and haven’t heard – Uruguayan forward Luis Suarez was at it again. This time instead of racist remarks he went back to his old tricks. For the third time in his career he bit an opponent on the field. He has been suspended from all football stadiums and activities for four months, fined approximately $112,000, and suspended for Uruguay’s next 9 internationals – meaning not only will he miss the rest of the World Cup but he will also miss next year’s Coppa America and possibly even the beginning of the 2018 World Cup Qualifiers. He will also be out for the first few months of the season for Liverpool. In my humble opinion if he is ever seen again it will be too soon, his behavior is inarguably deplorable and he is an embarrassment to the game.
Veteran Diego Forlan will most likely replace Suarez up top with Uruguay’s best player Edinson Cavani. Forlan is a fantastic footballer, but at his advanced age is not quite at the level of Suarez. The other option is to go with Cavani as the lone striker and insert a defensive minded midfielder like Walter Gargano. Either way Uruguay’s attack does seem a little toothless. (I couldn’t resist.)
Diego Godin is coming off an absolutely brilliant campaign for Atletico. Anyone who watched the last game of the La Liga season and the Champions League Final know he is among the best defenders in the world right now, and Uruguay will need him at his best if they are to advance. Watch for him on corners.
On the injury front Godin’s partner in central defense and team captain Diego Lugano remains injured and will be replaced by 19 year old Jose Giminez again. Meanwhile Carlos Bacca is fit and ready to go for Colombia.
Colombia’s attack begins with their fullbacks – Zuniga and Armero. These two are lightning quick up and down the sidelines and are the catalysts of the Colombian offense. If they are allowed too much of the ball it will be an easy day for Los Cafeteros.
Teofilo Gutierrez will most likely play the most forward and will hope to be on the receiving end of Zuniga’s and Armero’s work.
Uruguay leads the all-time series 18-11 with 9 draws, but come in to today the decided underdog.
In a final note, it would be remiss to not mention that today is essentially the 20 year anniversary of the death of the great Andres Escobar. As an American, it is the first thought that enters my mind every World Cup. It was on the first day of the second round in 1994 that he was murdered for the own-goal that cost a talented Colombian side a win over USA and advancement to the next round. “Life cannot end here” Escobar cryptically said after the loss – and through our memories his doesn’t have to. Here’s to you Andres.
Article By: Anthony Schiano
