K minus 3 days - Three Underdogs of the Tourney

In this edition, we look at the teams that have never won the World Cup but due to their vast talent have the caliber to cause an upset on any given day

They reached three World Cup finals and lost all of them, coming within an extra time goal of winning the 2010 edition. They knocked out former champions Uruguay and Brazil on their way to final only to lose against the clinical Spain. They only have one European Championship to their name and have gone winless in the 2012 edition

But what makes them the underdogs? With some strong performances in the qualifying, win 9 wins out of 10 games and a draw, they topped the UEFA Group D and grabbed the automatic qualifying position. Their midfield is ever stronger and has managed to gel efficiently with the strong frontline. Playmaker Sneijder, forward van Persie and winger Robben are in good touch

Their only concern would be that if they fail to beat Spain in their opening group encounter, they are bound to face Brazil and Uruguay, that would be tough when playing in South America, but the Dutch has beaten them in the last tourney and would be confident enough to beat any side on their day

It is Cristiano Ronaldo's and if he's fit enough, he would be a handful to deal with against any team, as witnessed in the playoff match against Sweden where he scored all the four goals in two legs. If he's fit

While Portugal might not be just about their talisman player, although without him, they would be a lot vulnerable. And most of their prospects rests on the shoulders of this years best player

Portugal never fared too well in the biggest tournaments, they reached semifinals of the World Cup just twice and their best European showing is the unlikely final loss to Greece in 2004. But with Ronaldo in exceptional form, and players like Pepe, Nani, Moutinho assisting him, they might get lucky this time

Despite them being the founder members of the FIFA, they never made it big in the world stage, with just a single semi final appearance in the World Cup and a single final appearance at Euros. But the current squad looks like they are the kings of the underdog pack, they don't rely on one particular player. They boast a very good all-round team, talent covering all the bases - defense, attack, set pieces, corners, counter attack, flanks

Belgium managed to score in every match of their unbeaten qualifying campaign, they have players like Hazard, Fellaini, Kompany, Lukaku, Courtois in their ranks, they play a fearless brand of football with a right mix of youth and experience. They are the ones to bank on when facing adversities like Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Neymar. They might be the team that could make a difference this World Cup and it would be a fairy tale if that happens