All eyes will be on the world champions on day seven as Spain look to get their World Cup back on track after their humiliating 5-1 defeat to the Netherlands when they take on Chile at the Maracana.
First up today however, in the first of three live games on the BBC and ITV, sees their Group B rivals the Dutch take on Australia in Porto Alegre.
It is Louis Van Gaal’s final coaching assignment with the Dutch national team before taking up the reins at Old Trafford and today his side take on Australia in Porto Alegre.
The talented triumvirate of Wesley Sneijder, Arjen Robben and Robin Van Persie will again be the focal point of the side who lost out in the final against Spain four years ago.
Thirty-four-year-old former Everton Midfielder, Tim Cahill, will look to continue his impressive scoring record for the Socceroo’s as he plays in his third World Cup.
Then it’s over to the iconic Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro for the other match in Group B between Spain and Chile, with the world champions hoping to put the misery of their 5-1 drubbing to the Dutch out of their minds.
These two sides met at the group stage of the 2010 World Cup finals with Spain coming out on top thanks to a narrow 2-1 win.
Chile will again pose a dangerous threat to the World Cup holders due to the exciting, attacking brand of football they play under coach Jorge Sampaoli.
Completing Wednesday’s line-up is the other fixture from the second round of games in group A between Cameroon and Croatia in Manaus.
The Africans have never quite reached the heights of 1990 when, inspired by Roger Milla, they made it to the last eight of the tournament – but in Samuel Eto’o they posses another age-defying striker with a definite eye for goal.
Croatia’s goal threat comes in the imposing form of Bayern Munich’s Mario Mandzukic – a man much coveted by a number of Premier league clubs.
You can watch all 64 matches from the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil live across the BBC and ITV, with live streaming available online across multiple platforms.
Visit our dedicated World Cup page – sport-onthebox.com/worldcup – for a full rundown of everything you need to know.
SOTB’s TV viewing guide to Day 7 of the 2014 FIFA World Cup:
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DAY 7: WEDNESDAY 18th JUNE
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| GROUP B LIVE: 4.00pm-7.10pm Venue: Porto Alegre |
WATCH LIVE ONLINE via ITV PLAYER
Coverage of the second Group B fixture for both sides, which comes from the Estadio Beira-Rio in Porto Alegre, Brazil.
The Netherlands stunned the world with their performance in their first match against Spain, destroying the defending champions 5-1 with an incredible second-half display, and two goals apiece for Arjen Robben and Robin van Persie.
The Dutch have never beaten the Socceroos in their three meetings to date, but the 2010 runners-up will still start as favourites to claim three points, even though Australia showed that their young squad has promise in their 3-1 defeat to Chile.
While the Netherlands impressed many in reaching the final four years ago, they suffered a major setback at Euro 2012 when they were once again handed a difficult group, and lost each of their matches by the odd goal to Denmark, Germany and Portugal to exit at the earliest stage possible.
However, their results in qualifying for this tournament suggested they are still a force to be reckoned with, as they won nine and drew one of their 10 fixtures, and manager Louis van Gaal has developed a system that allows their mix of youth and experience to flourish.
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| GROUP B LIVE: 7.30pm-10.05pm Venue: Rio de Janeiro |
WATCH LIVE ONLINE via BBC iPLAYER
Group B at the World Cup continues this evening with this intriguing fixture at the Estadio do Maracana in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, as both sides play their second match of the tournament.
Spain were on the receiving end of one of the most surprising scorelines in World Cup history in their opener against the Netherlands, as they were hammered 5-1 despite taking the lead with a first-half penalty.
How the defending champions bounce back will be fascinating to watch, especially as Chile won their first match against Australia, and are one of the most improved nations in recent years.
Coach Jorge Sampaoli can call upon players of the quality of forward Alexis Sanchez, who is likely to come up against several of his Barcelona team-mates this evening, and taught England a footballing lesson in the friendly between the sides at Wembley Stadium last November.
However, this is the 11th meeting between the two and Chile have still to record a victory, with two of their defeats coming in the World Cups of 1950 and 2010.
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| GROUP B LIVE: 10.35pm-1.15am Venue: Manaus |
WATCH LIVE ONLINE via ITV PLAYER
All the action from the Arena Amazonia in Manaus, Brazil, as the Group A rivals play their second fixture of the campaign.
Cameroon looking to recover from defeat to Mexico, and Croatia aiming to bounce back from their loss to Brazil.
This newly built stadium is sure to provide a dramatic backdrop to a key clash in the group, and the conditions in the heart of the Amazonian rainforest are likely to play a major part in deciding the outcome.
Despite producing a wealth of talent in recent years, Croatia’s record in World Cup finals has been dismal since finishing third in 1998, having crashed out at the group stage in 2002 and 2006, and failed to qualify four years ago, although the Indomitable Lions’ have not fared any better.
Cameroon came to global prominence with their surprise run to the 1990 quarter-finals, but have underachieved since, failing to reach the knockout stage and registering just one win in their last 12 matches at the finals.
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SPORT ON THE BOX’S COMPLETE WORLD CUP TV GUIDE
Wednesday 18th June Match of the Day: World Cup Highlights – Day 6 7.35am-8.05am BBC Two AUSTRALIA v NETHERLANDS Group B – Porto Alegre | Kick-off: 17:00 LIVE: 4.00pm-7.10pm ITV SPAIN v CHILE Group B – Rio de Janerio | Kick-off: 20:00 LIVE: 7.30pm-10.05pm BBC One CAMEROON v CROATIA Group A – Manaus | Kick-off: 23:00 LIVE: 10.35pm-1.15am ITV Match TBC Replay: 1.05am-2.50am BBC Two.
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