Brazil, you say? They know how to play football over there, don't they? But it's a long way for one so middle aged as I to travel.

So instead, I shall slouch into my leather armchair and view the tournament from this side of the Atlantic. I shall try and watch every game and will definitely make wildly inaccurate predictions too.

I do solemnly vow to give you a real sense of what it's like to not be at the World Cup. This is the blog where all the colour and atmosphere and passion of watching the world's greatest sporting tournament on a wall mounted widescreen really comes to life.

Thursday, 22 May 2014

World Cup 2014, Round of 16 Predictions, Part II, incorporating Part I

So, now I've got round to finalising my predictions for the Group stages, here's the full Round Of 16 as I see it shaping up. A few surprises, maybe. No England, definitely. A lot of South American, naturally.

BRAZIL v CHILE
SPAIN v CAMEROON
COLOMBIA v URUGUAY
ITALY v IVORY COAST
FRANCE v NIGERIA
ARGENTINA v ECUADOR
GERMANY v SOUTH KOREA
BELGIUM v USA

The winner of the tournament is somewhere among this 16. I'll be chopping them down in the run-up to the start of the World Cup and predicting my winner before kick off, so you know which team to avoid betting big on this time around.