The clash between Poland and Colombia will be played at the Kazan Arena in Kazan on June 24th. The Eagles were stunned by Senegal in the first round but they only have themselves to blame for the defeat as both Senegal goal came from Polish defensive mistakes, while the same can be said for the Coffee Growers who left with ten men after only three minutes of the tilt with Japan.
Poland vs. Colombia
Three-Way: 1: Poland +240; X: +240 Draw; 2: Colombia +129 (Odds provided by Delaware Park Sportsbook)
Spread +0.5: Poland -143; Colombia +120
Total 2.5 goals: Over +120; Under -127
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Poland was a favorite in a game with Senegal and although they had more shots and ball possession, the Lions of Teranga beat them, 2-1, thanks to a couple of defensive mistakes. Thiago Rangel Cionek was very unlucky in the 37th minute when the ball hit his leg and changed the direction, going straight behind Wojciech Szczesny’ back to make it 1-0 for Senegal, while the keeper and fellow defender Jan Bednarek gifted the second goal to the Africans as M’Baye Niang exploited their slow reaction to double Senegal’s lead.
Grzegorz Krychowiak took advantage of Kamil Grosicki’s cross to cut the deficit to one in the 80th minute, but that goal didn’t help Poland to avoid a defeat but helped the punters who backed both teams to score at +100 and over 2.5 goals at +150 to make the profit. Senegal to win at +230 proved to be a smart bet if you believed that the Africans can make a surprise.
On the other hand, Colombia’s start at the World Cup is something they will be trying to forget ASAP, as they were in a lot of trouble only three minutes into the game with Japan. Namely, Carlos Sanchez received a red card for handling the ball in the box, saving the clear goal in the process, but Shinji Kagawa converted the penalty anyways to give the Japanese an early lead. Juan Quintero restored the hope with a smart free-kick beneath the wall that tricked Eiji Kawashima, and the first-half ended 1-1, an excellent result for the punters who had BTTS at +120.
However, the Coffee Growers failed to create a serious opportunity in the second half, while the Samurai Blue wanted to collect all three points and they managed to do so in the 73rd minute through Yuya Osako’s header. That goal brought a profit to those who bet on Japan at +400 and also to the punters who had over 2.5 goals at +160.
Players to watch
Robert Lewandowski didn’t have enough luck to score in the previous match, but he will be eager to bounce back on this one, and it’s going to be interesting to see how the Bundesliga’s top scorer with cope with the pressure.
James Rodriguez was introduced in the second half against Japan and he did little to change the course of the tilt, but he will probably get to start here and James should be the one to create opportunities to Falcao.
Probable Lineups:
Poland: Szczesny; Piszczek, Glik, Pazdan, Rybus; Zielinski, Krychowiak; Grosicki, Milik, Blaszczykowski; Lewandowski.
Colombia: Ospina; Arias, Sanchez, Mina, Mojica; Lerma, Aguilar; Cuadrado, Izquierdo (Quintero), James; Falcao.
Betting Prediction
Poland’s chances to lift the trophy in Russia are +20000, while the Eagles are +650 to make it to the quarter-finals. Colombia’s chances to win the World Cup are up to +10000, while the Coffee Growers are +450 to reach the quarter-finals.
Colombia is a slight favorite at +129, but I wouldn’t go with the winner on this one as the previous round showed us how hard is to pick one, so I am suggesting you back BTTS at -111 as both teams will need three points and I expect an attacking play from each side.
The Pick: Both teams to score YES (-111)