World Cup 2014 Preview – Greece

Greece haven't had much success in their World Cup Final appearances over the years, but they feel that they have the squad to make a run this World Cup.

Expectations aren't very high for many fans of Greece, but they do have a team that can sneak up and beat anyone on any given day. The main man for the Greeks is the talented and experienced midfielder Giorgos Karagounis. Karagounis may be one of the older players in this rendition of the World Cup (37 years old), but his skill hasn't diminished much since his "glory days." He brings in 132 caps for his country, and will bear most of the leadership role for this team. While he may not be a huge threat to score a ton of goals, Karagounis has the skills to dictate tempo in the midfield and make plenty of plays for some of his younger, more "nimble" compatriots.

One of those younger, nimble guys is Konstantinos Mitroglou, an extremely talented striker who curretly plays his club soccer at English Premier club Fulham. Mitroglou is a tall player up front, which means he's always a threat on set pieces and balls that are crossed into the penalty area. Although he's only 26 years of age, he's amassed 89 career professional goals, and doesn't give any defenders a moment's rest, as he's capable of creating chances at any time during a match.

Greece's defense has been a driving factor recently, absolutely stoning most teams during the qualification round, and defense is always an important factor come knockout stage in the World Cup.

My prediction: Greece are a hopeful squad, but them being in a competitive group like Group C, I think they'll be lucky to manage 3 points. Greece finish last in the group behind Columbia, the Ivory Coast, and Japan, going home early yet again for a World Cup.