The final matches from the second round of group games takes place on day 11 as Portugal’s campaign continues with an intriguing match against the United States.
First up on Sunday are Group G favourites Belgium as they take on Fabio Capello’s Russia at the famous Maracana Stadium in Rio De Janeiro.
Belgium have never lost in three matches played against Russia, and will be confident of continuing that run with the likes of Premier League stars Eden Hazard, Vincent Kompany and Romelu Lukaku headlining their current squad.
However, former England boss Capello has turned an entirely domestic-based Russia squad into a difficult side to play against, so this match could prove a stern test to Belgium’s credentials as World Cup dark horses. between South Korea and Algeria in Porto Alegre.
The other match in Group G follows as South Korea, who drew with Russia in their opening game, play Algeria, who impressed in their 2-1 defeat to Portugal.
Valencia’s Sofiane Feghouli will be Algeria’s creative hub and young Tottenham midfielder Nabil Bentaleb will be eager to get some game time in his first World Cup.
The last match of the second round of group games sees the United States face Portugal, whose hopes at the World Cup firmly rest on the shoulders of the Ballon’Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo.
The Real Madrid forward has disappointed at the previous two World Cups he has played in, but under coach Paulo Bento he has transferred his blistering club form onto the international stage.
USA’s defence will have their work cut out shackling a player who scored a brilliant hat-trick in Portugal’s play-off victory in Sweden last November.
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 both channel’s comprehensive coverage of the tournament.
SOTB’s TV viewing guide to Day 11 of the 2014 FIFA World Cup:
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DAY 11: SUNDAY 22nd JUNE
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| GROUP H LIVE: 4.30pm-7.05pm Venue: Rio de Janeiro |
WATCH LIVE ONLINE via BBC iPLAYER
The spectacular Estadio do Maracana in Rio de Janeiro is the venue for Belgium’s second Group H match against Russia.
The last time these nations met at a World Cup finals was in 2002, when they were also paired in the same group, and an enthralling 3-2 victory for the Belgians ensured they progressed to the last 16 at the expense of Russia, although they would soon be eliminated by eventual winners Brazil.
Belgium have not appeared at a major tournament since then, but while the national team has been out of the global spotlight, they have used that time to develop a fine crop of players and qualified without tasting defeat, winning eight of their 10 games in the process.
However, things almost did not go to plan for them in the opener, as they went 1-0 down against Algeria before goals from substitutes Marouane Fellaini and Dries Mertens gave them a hard-fought win.
Russia have not competed at a World Cup finals themselves since 2002, and they also had to work hard in their first match, eventually earning a 1-1 draw against South Korea.
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| GROUP H LIVE: 7.25pm-10.15pm Venue: Porto Alegre |
WATCH LIVE ONLINE via ITV PLAYER
The other match in Group G takes place in Porto Alegre as South Korea take on Algeria.
This is the eighth consecutive finals for which the Koreans have qualified, but they have only made it past the group stage on two occasions, and one of those was when they co-hosted the tournament with Japan in 2002.
However, they got off to a solid if unspectacular start this time around with a 1-1 draw against Russia.
Algeria’s record is even worse, as they have never made it to the knockout phase, although it is fair to say they would have done in 1982 on their debut, but for the now infamous match between West Germany and Austria during that tournament.
Both sides fixed the result so they could progress at the expense of the Africans, which brought about a change to the rules that necessitated the final two fixtures in a group to be played simultaneously.
They took a shock lead with a penalty in their opener against much-fancied Belgium five days ago, but eventually succumbed to a 2-1 defeat.
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| GROUP G LIVE: 10.30pm-1.10am Venue: Manaus |
WATCH LIVE ONLINE via BBC iPLAYER
The Arena Amazonia in Manaus plays host to the last match from the second round of group games as the United States take on Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal.
The Americans are appearing at their seventh consecutive World Cup finals and defeated Ghana 2-1 in their first match, while the Portuguese were thrashed 4-0 by Germany in a disastrous opening fixture for them.
Each team will look to their respective star players to provide an impact, and this is especially the case for Portugal, who boast this year’s Ballon d’Or recipient Cristiano Ronaldo among their ranks.
The Real Madrid star played a crucial role in his country’s qualifying campaign, not least when scoring all four goals in his country’s 4-2 aggregate victory over Sweden in the UEFA play-off matches, and he will have to produce his best form if Portugal are to progress further.
In five previous meetings between these countries only one has taken place at a World Cup, when the USA triumphed 3-2 in a group-stage match in 2002.
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SPORT ON THE BOX’S COMPLETE WORLD CUP TV GUIDE
Sunday 22nd June Match of the Day: World Cup Highlights – Day 10 7.25am-7.55am BBC Two BELGIUM v RUSSIA Group H – Rio de Janeiro | Kick-off: 17:00 LIVE: 4.30pm-7.05pm BBC One SOUTH KOREA v ALGERIA Group H – Porto Alegre | Kick-off: 20:00 LIVE: 7.25pm-10.15pm ITV UNITED STATES v PORTUGAL Group G – Manaus | Kick-off: 23:00 LIVE: 10.30pm-1.10am BBC One Match Replay: 2.15am-4.00am (Mon) BBC Two.
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