The biggest problem with sports predictions is that no one factors in issues such as that of Yuichi Nishimura. That includes bettors. In fact, imagine you have a good bet that Croatia would upset Brazil.

You staked your cash and true to form, the Croats were on course to making you smile all the way to the bank.

Only for the Japanese referee to turn up. The performance of Nishimura would leave many asking that the Japanese stay away from football and keep to acting movies.

That ref was acting movies on a soccer pitch. But like he could not send off Neymar for a blatant elbow and then disallow a legitimate Croatia goal, nothing can be done.

Now, hope for better officiating standards in subsequent games so that fans can get their value for the money.

From the time Italy was drawn against England, the Azzurri gloated and goaded The Three Lions. They said England would be walloped. They said Andrea Pirlo was too good against the English hypes.

But I don’t buy into this. Gigi Buffon has aged considerably and his reflexes are now questionable. Pirlo, at 35, is still expected to carry the team.

Sure, he can do it against a team playing like Spain. But with England set to use the pace of youngsters Sterling, Barkley, Henderson and Wellbeck, the Italians are going to have to do a lot of chasing.

This is England’s game to lose and a handicap score for The Three Lions is not too wide off the mark. But by the time you get to that big game, you will have endured the two earlier fixtures.

A Falcao-less Colombia that glittered in the qualifiers and beat the powerhouse of Argentina will face the most boring European side at present: Greece. All the pundits think Greece will lose. But without Falcao, can Colombia do it?

A dour draw perhaps. Uruguay is fancied to see of Costa Rica in the other Group D game.