TEAM NEWS
England’s Dele Alli is available for selection again after missing the group matches against Panama and Belgium. Manager Gareth Southgate is set to recall the players he rested against the Belgians, including captain Harry Kane, who has five goals so far.
Colombia will monitor the fitness of star midfielder James Rodriguez, who was forced off against Senegal. A scan of his right calf has revealed swelling but no muscle tear, though it is unclear if he will be fit to start.
Fellow midfielder Wilmar Barrios could be recalled to the starting line-up, with Colombia potentially fielding a more conservative line-up than in their must-win game against Senegal.
OVERVIEW
No previous winners left in England’s side of the draw, no country ranked higher, a young hungry team seemingly unburdened by previous failures, and a golden boot chasing striker…what could possibly go wrong?
…Well, if history is anything to go by, quite a lot. The Three Lions have infamously won just two, yes two, knockout games at a World Cup since the heady days of Italia ’90 (v Denmark in 2002 and Ecuador four years later).
Aside from the glory of 1966 they have also never beaten a top-tier team in the knockout stages at a finals. Oh, and the dreaded spectre of penalties looms large. No country has lost more shootouts at a World Cup than the three England have (level with Italy and Spain) – they’ve lost a total of six out of seven at major tournaments.
But what of opponents Colombia? They achieved their best-ever performance at a World Cup in 2014 by reaching the quarter-finals before losing to hosts Brazil. “We are a better team than four years ago,” says goalkeeper David Ospina. “We are together, more experienced and a stronger squad of players than we were in Brazil. Our players play in the best clubs, the best leagues, and are used to playing in matches of this size, so nothing will frighten us.”
VIEW FROM BOTH CAMPS
Colombia coach Jose Pekerman: “We know that any team that reaches the last 16 is good, we are talking about the best 16 teams in the world
“Obviously England can have a good day or a bad day. England is a young team, has a lot of harmony and you can tell they have a lot of faith in themselves.”
England manager Gareth Southgate: “I feel like we’ve started to connect the team with the public again.
“I feel like we’ve created excitement, like we’ve played in a style that has really shown an expression of what young English players are capable of, and I want us to continue doing that.”
LAWRO’S PREDICTION
So, we will see what effect making so many changes has on England, but I actually think they will be fine against Colombia.
They have some good players, but I don’t think they will be able to cope with England’s high-pressing game.
Prediction: 0-2
Source: BBC News
