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Match 56 of the 2018 World Cup will see Colombia facing off against England in the final match of the RO16 stage. The winners will face one of Sweden/Switzerland in the quarters, which will be decided in the previous game.
Colombia England Score and Live Commentary, World Cup 2018
After losing out in the final group stage game against Belgium, England moved to a potentially easier bracket en route to the final. Gareth Southgate will play a fully-rested full strength squad here and England will hope to oust their knockout jinxes from the past.
For Colombia, James Rodriguez's fitness is a cause of great concern after his brilliant showing against Poland. He limped off during the win against Senegal, and might not feature in the starting XI.
There are several key battles that will affect the final outcome of the game depending on how they turn out. Here's a look at 3 of them:
#1 Harry Kane vs Yerry Mina
In the battle of the top-scorers for both sides, Harry Kane will have to hope that the crosses from Trippier manage to find their way past the enormous frame of Yerry Mina if he wants to knock them into the back of the net.
Kane has scored 5 goals so far in the tournament - leading the Golden Boot race at the moment - and sat out the third group game and will be fit and raring to go. He was solely responsible for England's last-gasp win against Tunisia and has proved himself worthy of the adulation that follows him around.
Yerry Mina has gone under the radar of several fans after his non-existent season with Barcelona, but his lethality in the air is not something to be missed. After having scored 2 goals so far with his 195 cms tall figure, he might be the one the English defenders have to keep an eye on during corners.
As England do not have a lot of creative strength from the midfield, Kane might have to drop a little deep to accommodate his build-up play. Assuming Southgate sticks with playing Kane and no Vardy beside him, it might be time for Sterling as well to step up his game.
#2 Harry Maguire vs Radamel Falcao
In a battle on the other end of the pitch, Harry Maguire will have to keep Radamel Falcao under wraps if England are to come out of this match without much hassle. Falcao is one of the best strikers when it comes to aerial prowess, and Maguire will have his hands full from the first whistle till the very last.
The Leicester City defender also has an attacking gene in him, and he constantly bombs forward to help out in the attack. While it worked out reasonably well against defensive teams like Tunisia and Panama, whether it will be a good idea against a pacey team like Colombia remains to be seen.
In the absence of James Rodriguez, supply to the forward line will be few and far between, but Falcao has enough experience and skill to make good use of the few chances he gets. With Stones under an injury concern and Walker one booking away from suspension in the quarters, Maguire has a lot on his shoulder to deal with.
#3 Jordan Henderson vs Mateus Uribe
In the battle of the defensive midfielders, it is Colombia's Uribe facing off against England's Henderson. The Liverpool captain was one of the best English players during the group stages, while Uribe did not feature in the first group game but came to the fore during the next two games due to Aguilar's injury.
Henderson was rested for the third game against Belgium, with Eric Dier operating on his behalf. Once again, how Henderson will cope with the enormous speed possessed by the Colombians remains to be seen.
Uribe was a rock in midfield for the team, completing 8 tackles during the course of the 2 games. He was not beaten by the pace of the Senegalese team and held his ground rather admirably.
Against England, Uribe will have to deal with the physical strength of Loftus-Cheek as well, while Henderson will have to keep Cuadrado from getting airborne. In a game that is likely to see some end-to-end action, this midfield battle might be the one that begins counters for either team.
