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Having been placed in the relatively easier half of the draw, Colombia will be banking upon themselves to secure their first ever World Semi-final birth with a victory against England.
Colombia England Score and Live Commentary, World Cup 2018
The World Cup started in the worst way possible for the Los Cafeteros as they crashed to a 2-1 defeat against Japan after going down 10-men as Carlos Sanchez received the marching orders in the 3rd minute for a deliberate handball offense. In a must-win second match against Poland, Colombia slotted home 3 goals as Yerry Mina, Radamel Falcao and Juan Cuadrado scored for the South Americans in a 3-0 victory against Poland. The final match against Senegal saw Colombia winning 1-0 as Yerry Mina scored his second consecutive goal in the World Cup helping Colombia finish top of Group H.
Team News
Colombian coach José Pékerman is expected to start James Rodriguez as the injury sustained in the match against Senegal is not serious enough to keep him out while more defensive minded Wilmar Barrios is expected to start in place of Jefferson Lerma as Colombia might stick to a more defensive approach.
Colombia is expected to play in a 4-2-3-1 formation with David Ospina in goal. Tottenham Hotspur man Davinson Sanchez and Barcelona man Yerry Mina are set to start their third match in a row while Santiago Arias and Johan Mojica are expected to continue their stint as the Colombian fullbacks. Wilmar Barrios and Carlos Sanchez are expected to start for Colombia as they might try to have a defensive approach to the match. The trio of James Rodriguez, Juan Quintero and Juan Cuadrado are expected to start for the Colombians with James Rodriguez nursing a slight injury. The onus on leading the Colombian attack will once again be upon AS Monaco forward Radamel Falcao as the Los Cafeteros search for their third straight victory in the World Cup.
