Tuesday 24/06/2014, 22:00, World Cup Group D, Greece vs Ivory Coast

Greece vs Ivory Coast Betting Preview

Greece has one of the eldest teams at the World Cup 2014 and most of the players scheduled to start against the Ivory Coast have played in the

European final six years ago. On one hand, these are immensely experienced players, on the other they are no longer in their prime and have a hard time playing their a-game. Ivory Coast is credited with the second chance to advance to the next stage of the competition, but only if they collect all three points against Greece and Japan.

Greece vs Ivory Coast Betting Odds

At Bet365

Greece 3.10, Draw 3.10, Ivory Coast 2.40

Greece vs Ivory Coast Betting Tips

Fernando Santos has no intention to change the core strategy and Greece will be once again defending against superior teams. What worked once is expected to deliver positive results again, but this time they will be playing against tough opponents.

Dealing with the Ivory Coast is the least of their problems, but underestimating the Elephants is a surefire way of suffering an untimely elimination. The Europeans will be taking no chances whatsoever and their starting formation reads 4-5-1 with Mitroglou upfront. He lacks the stellar record of his teammates, but he is definitely the most in-form striker that Greece can rely on and he will be used every single game.

The Ivory Coast doesn't lack offensive players and opponents would be wrong to underestimate them for starting with just two strikers. Drogba will be probably kept on the bench for the first half and will join Gervinho and Kalou upfront in the last 45 minutes, if the African nation fails to score by then.

The midfield is equally dangerous, with players being inclined to join the strikers and Yaya Toure has a reputation for scoring goals when least expected. The Ivory Coast's major weakness is the fact that the defenses are mediocre, but this is unlikely to become a problem against Greece. Free kicks, corners and of course penalty shots are the scoring opportunities that the Europeans will be waiting for, while taking very few chances with positional attacks.

Key Facts

• Greece failed to score in three friendly games, before finally winning against Bolivia by two goals to one
• The Ivory Coast conceded a goal in each of the last 12 games, but scored an average of two goals per match.

Greece vs Ivory Coast Betting Odds Prediction

There is tremendous value in the odds of 2.40 offered by Bet365 for the Ivory Coast to win the final match of the group stage. They will desperately need a point to advance to the last 16 and it goes without saying that they won't settle for a draw.

Bet: Ivory Coast @ 2.40 with Bet365