England face Colombia in Moscow tonight in the Colombia Vs England clash with the winner to face Sweden or Switzerland in the quarter-finals. The Three Lions scraped past Tunisia, broke records against Panama before their 1-0 defeat to Belgium. On the other hand, the South Americans started off poorly by losing to Japan but rallied to go through as winners.
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Head to Head:
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England are unbeaten against Colombia, having faced them five times previously (W3 D2). The last Colombia Vs England encounter dates back to May 2005 in New Jersey. England won 3-2 thanks to a Michael Owen hat-trick. England beat Colombia in their only previous World Cup encounter thanks to goals from Darren Anderton and David Beckham, it was in the group stages of the 1998 tournament.
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At last. It's our turn.
🆚 Colombia
🏆 #WorldCup Round of 16
⏰ 7pm BST
🏟 Spartak Stadium, Moscow
📺 @ITV
#️⃣ #COLENGpic.twitter.com/M10pnXyyEQ— England (@England) July 3, 2018
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England:
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“Colombia are a tough team and have got some great players and we have to be ready for that. This is the moment of truth,” Harry Kane said, and he’s not wrong. But it’s a “moment of truth” not just in the confines of a do-or-die knockout clash, it will also determine whether Southgate’s risk and England’s perceived arrogance are well-placed or not. Let’s not forget, the two teams England have beaten so far are Tunisia and Panama, neither of whom impressed during their short stays in Russia.
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The key player – Harry Kane
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A genuinely world-class goal scorer and one of the few players in this England squad you could consider ‘world class’. Harry Kane will captain the team in the Colombia Vs England match and will need to be at his absolute best if the Three Lions are to do anything in this tournament. The first thing to do will be to take him off corners. He is currently the top scorer in the World Cup and tops the race for the golden shoe with 5 goals.
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Bring on tomorrow. 🦁🦁🦁 #ThreeLions #ENG #WorldCup pic.twitter.com/n1z8i1DYeN
— Harry Kane (@HKane) July 2, 2018
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Young Player to look out – Eric Dier
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Not one of the biggest names in the squad, but Eric Dier is definitely one of the most trusted. The Tottenham man has played in 13 of Gareth Southgate’s 16 matches as England manager and will be a vital cog in Russia.
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https://twitter.com/LastWordOnSpurs/status/1012042106821595136
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Predicted Line-Up:
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Probable team: Jordan Pickford; Kyle Walker, John Stones, Harry Maguire; Kieran Trippier, Jordan Henderson, Dele Alli, Jesse Lingard, Ashley Young; Raheem Sterling, Harry Kane
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Colombia:
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The Colombia team has the necessary arsenal to take England apart. Let’s not forget, they produced one of the most complete team performances of the group phase when sweeping Poland aside 3-0 in Kazan – Juan Fernando Quintero, Juan Cuadrado and James Rodriguez stealing the show.
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It has been something of a rollercoaster campaign for Jose Pekerman’s side, however. Fitness issues for James – who is a doubt for Tuesday’s game – and the early sending off of Carlos Sanchez in their opening 2-1 defeat to Japan being the main talking points.
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The culture we are up against in the England-Colombia match tomorrow. All that passion! pic.twitter.com/tl5yFTeOd6
— Richard Pascoe (@PascoeRP) July 2, 2018
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Yet, this is a team that has shown its mettle and will need to prove again in the Colombia Vs England match.
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The key player – James Rodríguez:
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Colombia are blessed with a number of talented individuals such as Radamel Falcao, Juan Cuadrado and Carlos Bacca, but James has to be considered their star man.
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A superb showing at the last World Cup earned him a move to Real Madrid, but his career stalled somewhat in Spain. With a move to Bayern Munich last summer, the 26-year-old enjoyed a superb debut season in the Bundesliga as he notched up eight goals and 14 assists – the best in the league.
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James Rodriguez in line to play against #ENG as #COL receive huge boost ahead of #WorldCup last-16 clash |@DiscoMirror https://t.co/0pfqmClZRr pic.twitter.com/M0ROszeOfA
— Mirror Football (@MirrorFootball) July 2, 2018
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He’s likely to be Los Cafeteros creative hub this summer in Russia too, and they’ll need him to be at the top of his game if they’re to be successful in the Colombia Vs England game.
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Young player to watch out for- Davinson Sánchez
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The 21-year-old was one of the best central defenders in the Premier League after joining Tottenham Hotspur from Ajax last year and will be hoping to make a name for himself on the international stage this summer too. He’s big, he’s strong and he’s quick.
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Davinson Sanchez says he is ready to battle against #thfc team-mate Harry Kane in the #WorldCup last sixteen. pic.twitter.com/CpYy6z2lgw
— Hotspur Related (@HotspurRelated) June 29, 2018
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Predicted Line-Up:
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Probable team: David Ospina; Santiago Arias, Yerry Mina, Davinson Sanchez, Johan Mojica; Carlos Sanchez, Mateus Uribe, Juan Fernando Quintero, Juan Cuadrado; Luis Muriel, Radamel Falcao
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Injury News:
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Colombia could be without star man James Rodriguez for Tuesday’s tie against England after he underwent a calf scan. James Rodriguez has not torn a muscle but has swelling in his calf, the Federacion Colombiana de Futbol (FCF) has confirmed. The midfielder limped out of Colombia’s 1-0 win over Senegal that booked a last-16 clash with England.
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Visit Arsedevils for more news and updates on the FIFA World Cup 2018 Russia.
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