Group C of the World Cup could be looked at as the Group of Opportunity. There are four teams in this group that are looking to make noise and will not be facing major superpowers in order to do it. Here is a look at Group C.

Colombia is the favorite to come out of this group. The team is seen as the favorite in the group, but a great deal of that hype revolves around the team's territorial advantage and the fact that the squad is loaded with arguably the greatest roster Colombia has ever sported in a tournament. Many are questioning how the absence of superstar forward Radamel Falcao will hurt Colombia moving forward, but offense is far from Los Cafeteros' concerns. Adrian Ramos, Victor Ibarbo, Jackson Martinez, Freddy Guarin, James Rodriguez, Teofilo Gutierrez and Carlos Bacca: This team's attack from the midfield forward is loaded. The problem is behind the midfield. Mario Yepes, 38, and Luis Perea, 35, are the team's top defenders, but a look at their ages shows exactly why Colombia has concerns on the backend. This is a problem for every South American side (save Brazil and Uruguay) but one that Colombia will need to keep tabs on heading into the tournament next week.

The South American side struggled in a recent friendly against Senegal, and that could be good news for a superior Ivory Coast team. The Elephants are looking to get out of the group stage for the first time in tournament history and have a big chance to do just that. Led by Yaya Toure and Didier Drogba, this African nation has had the misfortune of drawing tough groups in its last two tournament appearances. In 2010, the team was up against Brazil, Portugal and North Korea. Despite trouncing North Korea, a loss against Brazil ultimately did in the team. In this tournament, the Ivorians will rely on their strength and speed to take down Colombia's fragile defense, Greece's strong defense but slow attack, and Japan's combination of attack and defense.

Speaking of Japan, the Samurais are another team with a great deal of hope. The Asian nation struggled in the Confederations Cup last summer and came away with a grand total of zero wins. The team made it to the knockout rounds in 2010 edition but was ousted by Paraguay in the round of 16. The team has a host of solid players including Manchester United's own Shinji Kagawa and the phenom Keisuke Honda. They are solid defensively and lethal offensively and could be seen as the most balanced of the four teams in the group.

The Greeks are another wild card. Known for their defensive tactics, the 2004 European Champions have not really done much on the international stage since. The team is offensively challenged (only 12 goals in 10 group qualifiers) but boasts a compact backline (only four goals against in the group qualification stage). This is a team capable of absorbing pressure and then reacting on the counter to ground most teams.

Schedule:

June 14 - 12 PM: Colombia vs. Greece

            9 PM: Ivory Coast vs. Japan

June 19 - 12 PM: Colombia vs. Ivory Coast

            6 PM: Greece vs. Japan

June 24 - 4 PM: Japan vs. Colombia; Ivory Coast vs. Greece

Predictions: Colombia should get through the group stage, while the Japanese boast enough talent to manage the second seed in the group.

1. Colombia

2. Japan

3. Greece

4. Ivory Coast