The Group Stage is over.\u00a0 My “Drinking from the World Cup” is over.\u00a0 But the games go on.\u00a0 Here’s my prediction for Saturday’s double-header.<\/p>\n
Brazil vs. Chile<\/strong><\/p>\n This may end up being a popular upset pick, after Chile looked really good in their first two games and Brazil was largely unimpressive (sorry, a rout of Cameroon doesn’t do much).\u00a0 I was already down on Brazil coming into the tournament, and they definitely have done much to change my mind on that.\u00a0 All that being said, I’ll go with the Brazilians here.\u00a0 I see it locked up at 1-1 when the 90 minutes expires before Neymar pops one in extra time to win it 2-1 for Brazil.<\/p>\n Colombia vs. Uruguay<\/strong><\/p>\n Could the Uruguayans find a way here, without Suarez?\u00a0 Of course.\u00a0 But the popular pick here will definitely be Colombia because they rolled through the Group Stage with three wins and now get a Uruguay team in some turmoil after all the Suarez controversy over the last few days.\u00a0 I’ll stick with Colombia anyway.\u00a0 They look like a team on a mission with some guys that are emerging as stars in James (that’s pronounced Ha-mez) Rodriguez, Juan Cuadrado, and Victor Ibarbo.\u00a0 These guys have let the team forget about the loss of their star striker to injury.\u00a0 I’ll take Colombia 3-1.<\/p>\n Netherlands vs. Mexico<\/strong><\/p>\n Well, my predictions for yesterday were pretty good (Brazil\/Chile going 1-1 into extra time with a Brazil win and Colombia with a 2-goal win) so I’m feeling some added pressure as we head into Day 2 of the Knockout Stage.\u00a0 This is absolutely one of the best games of this round.\u00a0 The Netherlands have been the most impressive team in the tournament so far and are a better team than Mexico.\u00a0 That being said, I’m going with the Mexicans in an upset here.\u00a0 We know the Dutch, back at full strength with Van Persie and Robben up top, will be looking to go on the attack.\u00a0 The Mexican fullbacks, Layun and Aguilar, have been up attacking a lot in this tournament, but they’ll have to hang back to help deal with the Dutch attack.\u00a0 But I think Mexico has shown the defensive discipline to (mostly) withstand the attack and hit on some counter-attacks.\u00a0 I’ll say Chicharito comes on as a sub and scores the winner in a 2-1 Mexican victory.<\/p>\n Costa Rica vs. Greece<\/strong><\/p>\n Probably the least interesting game of this round, as it pits two teams that weren’t expected to be here and, more concerning, two teams that play a defensive style.\u00a0 I’ll keep it simple for this prediction.\u00a0 Greece has done nothing to really impress so far, while the Costa Ricans won the “Group of Champions” (though with Uruguay being dominated yesterday, you can really question how tough that group was in the first place).\u00a0 I like Costa Rica 1-0, on a goal from Joel Campbell, who’s made himself money playing somewhere after this tournament.<\/p>\n France vs Nigeria<\/strong><\/p>\n Similar to the Costa Rica\/Greece match from yesterday in that it pits a team that’s been very impressive so far in the tournament (France) against one that has not been very impressive but managed to sneak through a mediocre group (Nigeria).\u00a0 The big difference, of course, is that France has the pedigree of world class talent that Costa Rica does not possess.\u00a0 Nigeria should not be counted out easily here.\u00a0 They have good talent and their ace in the hole may be goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama, who is not only very good but also plays in the French Ligue 1, so he is very familiar with the tendencies of his opponents in this match.\u00a0 Still, I’ve like this France team all along, and I think they keep the momentum going here, with a 2-1 win.<\/p>\n Germany vs. Algeria<\/strong><\/p>\n It’s shaping up to be the end of the tournament for Africa today, as the two remaining sides go up against big European powers.\u00a0 This should be a good measuring stick game for the Germans.\u00a0 Algeria has shown themselves to be a solid but nothing-special team.\u00a0 Look for them to “park the bus” and pack in their defense here, much as they did in the early going against Belgium.\u00a0 It may frustrate the Germans for a while, but they should have the quality to penetrate the blockade and win this 2-0.\u00a0 Algerians Sofiane Feghouli and Islam Slimani have shown themselves to be dangerouns though.<\/p>\n Argentina vs. Switzerland<\/strong><\/p>\n Sergio Aguero is out with an injury, but if there’s any team that can pretty easily withstand the loss of a world-class striker, it’s Argentina.\u00a0 Switzerland has looked good in attack, with Xherdan Shaqiri pulling the strings, and both fullbacks, Rodriguez and Lichtsteiner, making solid contributions to the offense.\u00a0 But that five-goal meltdown vs. the French may be telling.\u00a0 Do they have the defense and goalkeeping to keep this Argentina squad down?\u00a0 I’ll say no, and say that the Argies take this one, 2-1.<\/p>\n USA vs. Belgium<\/strong><\/p>\n Ah, the two teams I’m rooting for most meet up here in the Round of 16.\u00a0 Unfortunate.\u00a0 Assuming Argentina wins in the earlier game today, the favorites will be 7-0 in this round.\u00a0 Yes, that means I’m going with the Americans as the lone upset.\u00a0 As I’ve said already, I think the Belgians have been overly criticized so far for the performance in this tournament.\u00a0 Yes, they’ve faced three less-than-great opponents, but all of those opponents were hanging back and making it very hard for Belgium to find any space.\u00a0 The US should mirror that tactic, because if they play an open, attacking style, attempting to control the ball equally, the class of the Belgians will shine.\u00a0 The US needs to hang back and hope to hit on some counter-attacks.\u00a0 But they’ve been able to take good advantage of their opportunities, and Jozy Altidore may be around to help out today.\u00a0 I’ll say the US wins this 1-0.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Group Stage is over.\u00a0 My “Drinking from the World Cup” is over.\u00a0 But the games go on.\u00a0 Here’s my prediction for Saturday’s double-header. Brazil vs. Chile This may end up being a popular upset pick, after Chile looked really … Continue reading