World Cup Group D Tips and Predictions

Group D emerged as one of several proverbial groups of death as three former Champions - ITALY, URUGUAY and ENGLAND - will fight for the top spot while COSTA RICA are outsiders. Who will advance to the knockout stage and who will get sent home early? Find here a complete World Cup Group D betting preview with tips and predictions.

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WORLD CUP 2014 GROUP D BETTING PREVIEW

ITALY arrive at the 2014 finals in better shape than they were four years ago in South Africa when they earned just two points in the group stage. Italy finished bottom. Prandelli was charged with the task of restoring the faith back into Italian football and he did just that by leading them to the final of Euro 2012, where they were defeated by defending champions Spain. In the WC qualifying group, Cesare Prandelli’s men cruised to qualification for Brazil without losing a game despite having the likes of Denmark and Czech Republic as company. Anyway, they were disappointing in their friendlies before to travel to Brazil: the Azzurri drew 0:0 and 1:1 against Ireland and Luxembourg rispectively. The Azzurri's defence is based around Juventus's mean back-line, with the majestic pass-master Andrea Pirlo pulling the strings just in front of them. In attack, they can count on Balotelli, Cassano and the Italian Serie top goalscorer Ciro Immobile.

ENGLAND went undefeated in their European qualifying group and that was a solid feat considering the good teams of Ukraine and Poland was in the group. Overall, England had six wins and four draws in the qualification process. They were defensively stout with just four goals allowed in 10 matches. With their second-youngest World Cup squad, the Three Lions may, however, cause a surprise through their pace and youthful nerve, led by one of England’s biggest assets, Roy Hodgson. They recently beat Peru with ease and drew 2:2 with Ecuador in two International Friendlies before the WC. While the defence may be suspect, the midfield may be where England can hope to win games with the youngsters Barkley, Sterling and Lallana absolutely men to watch.

URUGUAY had an abysmal stretch from Sept. 2012 through March 2013. They played six matches, earned a total of two points and were outscored 15-3. They rebounded, winning four of their last five to reach the fifth-place playoff, and beat Jordan 5-0 on aggregate to qualify through the back door. The South American team reached the 2010 World Cup semifinals and this tournament will be played in Brazil where they have won their only World Cup title. Furthermore, they have one of the best forward, Luis Suarez who just had a monster season. The Liverpool striker, anyway, might miss the first match (or two) due to a knee problem but Cavani is phenomenal when he plays as lone forward. They have continuity in the coaching ranks with Oscar Tabarez having been in charge since 2006 and South American conditions may be in their favour.

COSTA RICA are the group and tournament’s long shots. They did not qualify for the 2010 edition, and this year will mark their fourth appearance in the World Cup. Head coach Jorge Luis Pinto has constructed a solid and defensively sound unit that conceded the least goals during CONCACAF qualifying. This is a strong defensive team, but have proven they can score against big clubs, beating both Mexico and the USA in the qualification for the World Cup. They also have the benefit of playing close to home but the task was made even tougher recently when they lost injured striker Álvaro Saborío, plus the absence of Everton full-back Bryan Oviedo, is a huge blow to their chances. Bryan Ruiz and Joel Campbell will be the main attacking threats.

WORLD CUP 2014 GROUP D FIXTURES

• 14 June 2014, URUGUAY v COSTA RICA, Estadio Castelao, Fortaleza
• 14 June 2014, ENGLAND v ITALY, Arena Amazonia, Manaus
• 19 June 2014, URUGUAY v ENGLAND, Arena de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo
• 20 June 2014, ITALY v COSTA RICA, Arena Pernambuco, Recife
• 24 June 2014, ITALY v URUGUAY , Arena das Dunas, Natal
• 24 June 2014, COSTA RICA v ENGLAND, Estadio Mineirao, Belo Horizonte

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Liverpool Vs West Ham United Preview | Team News, Stats & Key Men

After their 5-1 slaughter of Norwich on Wednesday night, Liverpool will be hoping for a similar result when they take on West Ham United at Anfield this weekend.

Luis Suarez scored four goals and got an assist to round off one of the best individual performances at Anfield in years against the Canaries, and so Sam Allardyce will have to make sure his defence are fully prepared for what the Uruguayan striker could bring to the game.

The visitors will be hoping to get back on track after losing to Crystal Palace on Tuesday night, a result made worse by Stewart Downing’s goal in the second half being disallowed by the referee. Based on Liverpool’s recent form at Anfield however, this will be a big challenge for the Hammers.

Team News
There are no new injury worries for Brendan Rodgers, although he will still have to make do without the services of Daniel Sturridge and Jose Enrique. Jon Flanagan will likely continue to deputise at left back in Enrique’s absence.

West Ham have a number of injuries to concern them. They will travel to Merseyside without Winston Reid, Ricardo Vaz Te, and Alou Diarra and of course, Andy Carroll who is still out for the foreseeable future. Allardyce will also be unable to call upon Ravel Morrison due to suspension, which will be a big blow to the team.

Interesting Statistics

• Liverpool have played West Ham United on 125 occasions, winning 66 times. West Ham have won 24 times.
• The last time the two sides met at Anfield in April this year, the game ended in a goalless draw.
• Luis Suarez is currently the league’s highest goal scorer with 13 goals to his name. Ravel Morrison has the most at West Ham with three but is unavailable for selection.
• This will be Stewart Downing’s first game at Anfield since leaving the Reds in the summer

Key Players
Liverpool – Luis Suarez

Who else? The Uruguayan has been sensational since his return from suspension, scoring 13 goals in nine games. This averages out at a goal every 62 minutes and he has scored them from 26 shots on target. He has had 18 shots go astray, however, he still has a reasonably good shooting accuracy of 59%. He has converted 30% of his chances and has scored four of his clear-cut chances, missing three. This gives him a conversion rate of 57% in this area alone. Creatively, he has created 22 chances, 19 of which came from open play. He also has two assists to his name as well. Looking at these stats, it’s no surprise that Suarez is currently one of the best players in the Premier League. I wouldn’t be surprised if West Ham have at least two defenders on him at all times.

West Ham United – Stewart Downing

Admittedly, Ravel Morrison would have been my choice for West Ham had he not been suspended. However, Stewart Downing can be an influential player for his team. He has created 27 chances for his team mates, 19 of which have come from open play. It has only resulted in one assist for him however, although this is more a reflection of West Ham’s difficulties scoring this season. This all means he is creating a chance every 33 minutes. He still has the same trouble with crossing the ball as he did at Liverpool, being accurate with only 30 from 102 attempts, giving him a crossing accuracy of 29%. It’s not surprising to see that Downing has been most active in the attacking zone of the park, completing 216 of 335 passes. He has also completed 108 of 145 passes in the final third, giving him an accuracy of 74%. West Ham fans will surely be hoping that Downing will use his Anfield return as a means of inspiring the side to victory.

Prediction
I’ve not been right with many of my predictions so far this season but then it has been a strange season all round! In this game though, I think Liverpool have the advantage over West Ham. The visitors are missing their best player in Morrison and aren’t on the best run of form. If Suarez has another game like the one against Norwich, then the Reds will win. I think it will finish 2-0 to Liverpool.