The clash between Colombia and England will be played at the Otkrytiye Arena in Moscow on July 3rd. England won both previous H2H matches and they faced once at the World Cup in France 1998 when the Three Lions won 2-0, so the Colombians will be eager to get revenge for that loss.
Colombia vs. England
Three-Way: 1: Colombia +300; X: +220 Draw; 2: England +114 (Odds provided by Delaware Park Sportsbook)
Spread +0.5: Colombia +106; England -139
Total 2.5 goals: Over -127; Under +114
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Colombia experienced a bad start of the World Cup as they lost to Japan, but showed real quality in the following clash with a 3-0 victory over Poland, eliminating the Eagles in the process. They needed a win in the last game with Senegal and snatched three points to finish in the first place in the Group H ahead of Japan. However, the Coffee Growers didn’t impress in general, but that could all change in the knockout stage, but the doubt over James Rodriguez availability to face England and his possible absence can seriously hurt their chances.
On the other hand, England didn’t have problems to get six points in the first two games despite struggling to score a winner against Tunisia in the opener, but they clearly weren’t interested to end at the top of the group ahead of Belgium, so they could have better chances in the weaker part of the bracket. The Three Lions played well and scored eight goals in three games and perhaps displayed what older generations of English players lacked in the past World Cups – an excellent team spirit and great tactical consistency.
Players to watch
With James Rodriguez likely out for this clash, Falcao must be the one with the greatest responsibility to take his nation to the next round. He endured a tough period in his career when he played in the Premier League, so he could have the biggest motivation to show the Englishman he is still a quality striker.
Harry Kane is still a top scorer with five goals and he also has a game in hand, so he can create a bigger gap between him and Romelu Lukaku, but even though he is not interested in winning the Golden Boot as he is in winning the World Cup, he will likely be in an opportunity to score here.
Probable Lineups:
Colombia: Ospina; Arias, Sanchez, Mina, Mojica; Sanchez, Uribe (Aguilar); Cuadrado, Quintero, Muriel; Falcao.
England: Pickford; Walker, Stones, Maguire; Trippier, Loftus-Cheek, Henderson, Lingard, Young; Sterling, Kane.
Betting Prediction
Colombia chances to win the World Cup are now +2200, while the Coffee Growers are +333 to reach the semi-finals. England’s chances to win the World Cup are now +600, while the Three Lions are +125 to reach the semi-finals.
England is a favorite at +114 and they are closer to get to the quarter-finals after showing more stability in the group phase, and although Colombia has a decent chance, I believe the quality from the set-pieces and five players in the midfield will help England to go to the quarter-finals.
The Pick: England to win (+114)