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The third day of 2014 Fifa World Cup will see Group C teams in action as Colombia and Greece battle it out in Saturday's first game at the Estadio Mineirao, Belo Horizonte.

Where to Watch Live

Kick-off is set for 5pm BST. Live coverage is on BBC One and BBC One HD. Radio commentary of the game will be available on BBC Radio 5 Live.

Overview

Colombia secured a direct entry into the World Cup after finishing second in the table in CONMEBOL (South American Football Confederation) qualification with 30 points from 16 matches, two behind leaders Argentina; to make an appearance in the competition for the first time since 1998.

The team embark into their campaign in Brazil with a seven-match unbeaten run in all competitions. Jose Pekerman's side were held to a 2-2 draw by Senegal before they thumped Jordan 3-0 in the warm-up matches played earlier this month.

Colombia had only one big setback before the tournament as Radamel Falcao failed to recover on time after suffering a knee injury in January. FC Porto's Jackson Martinez will be looking to shoulder the goalscoring responsibility in his compatriot's absence while Monaco star, James Rodriguez, is undoubtedly one of the names expected to shine for Los Cafeteros in Brazil.

Meanwhile, Greece took a long route to book their tickets for Brazil. The 2004 European champions missed out a direct place at the World Cup after finishing second on goal difference in Group G behind Bosnia and Herzegovina.

They faced Romania in the play-off and registered an aggregate victory of 4-2 over two legs to be among the 13 teams vying for the coveted honour. Fernando Santos' men were involved in warm-up matches against Portugal, Nigeria and Bolivia earlier this month.

After playing out a goalless draw against the former two teams, the Panagiotis Kone and Konstantinos Katsouranis netted against the Bolivians to secure a 2-1 victory at the Red Bull Arena in New Jersey, before travelling to Brazil.

There are no clear favourites in Group C as Japan and Ivory Coast are equally competent; making it an interesting battle between the four nations.

What Managers Say

Jose Pekerman (Colombia): "We are aware of Greece's history and their present situation. Their recent past has been good, both in previous World Cups and at the Euros, especially with that title in 2004. We know they still have a few players from that time, which allowed them to seal a spot in this World Cup, despite their difficult qualifying group. That's why we respect those footballers. They are aggressive. No doubt we'll be playing against a tough rival tomorrow."

Fernando Santos (Greece): "It's a very open group, a group where anything could happen. Four teams of similar quality, in my view, and it will depend a great deal on how each team is feeling in the moment in each game, both the whole team together and how each player is feeling individually. I think that we also deserve some respect from our opponents. There's no shadow of a doubt that these days nobody considers Greece an easy opponent."

Team Form

Colombia

Last Five (all competitions, most recent first): W D D D W

Last Result: Colombia 3-0 Jordan

Greece

Last Five (all competitions, most recent first): WD D L D

Last Result: Greece 2-1 Bolivia

Team News

Colombia

  • Injured: N/A
  • Doubtful: N/A
  • Suspended: N/A

Probable Lineup: Ospina; Zuniga, Yepes, Zapata, Armero; Cuadrado, Aguilar, Sanchez, Rodriguez; Gutierrez, Martinez

Greece

  • Injured: N/A
  • Doubtful: N/A
  • Suspended: N/A

Probable Lineup: Karnezis; Torosidis, Papasthathopoulos, Manolas, Holebas; Karagounis, Maniatis, Kastrounis; Kone, Samaras, Mitroglou