Colombia vs England 04/07/18

4 July 2018

At the Otkrytiye Arena in Moscow, Colombia will be playing against England in their second consecutive World Cup round of 16 appearance. Los Cafeteros who were allocated to Group H alongside the likesof Senegal, Japan, and Poland experienced massive troubles trying to reach the knockout stage. A disappointing 2-1 defeat to Japan in the first round put the 2014 FIFA World Cup quarter-finalists in a difficult position, considering they had to accomplish two wins against much better teams such as Poland and Senegal to ensure their spot in the round of 16. However, José Pékerman’s side delivered their best performance against the European outfit whom they’ve devastated by three goals to nil after which they pulled off a vital 1-0 victory over Las Lions de la Téranga to qualify for the knockout stage from the first spot. The Three Lions, on the other hand, had a much easier job to go past the group phase, as they comfortably defeated Tunisia and Panama in the first two rounds, scoring eight goals in the process. Still, a 1-0 loss to Belgium in the third round sent Gareth Southgate’s team to the second place of Group G, forcing them to a duel with Colombia.

James Rodriguez has suffered a knock against Senegal that forced him to leave the field after less than 30 minutes of play, and his condition is yet to be evaluated. As for England, Southgate can count on all of his players for the crucial showdown.