Senegal vs Colombia
James Rodriguez breathed life into Colombia’s knockout stage bid with his performance for the ages against Poland. Now, the 2014 golden boot winner has to do it again, this time against Senegal who are off to an impressive World Cup 2018 campaign.
The winners of this match will automatically qualify for the next round, while a draw will put Senegal through and Colombia have to wait for the result of the Japan-Poland match to know if they will make it or not.
Just like any other team in this competition, Colombia would rather like to control their own destiny. However, Senegal are in the same position and will be just as motivated to make their first appearance in the knockouts since reaching the last eight in 2002.
Talking Points
For Colombia, there is no player more decisive than Rodriguez, the same man who led them to the last eight in Brazil 2014.
Rodriguez is the heart and soul of this Colombia team. And his performance against Poland is a clear proof of that.
The 26-year-old midfielder was involved in two of their three goals in the game, assisting both Yerry Mina and Juan Cuadrado as they punished the Poles 3-0 to keep their World Cup hopes alive. His mind-blowing pass to Mina—in contention for the best World Cup 2018 highlights—is even worthy of a second look (or third)!
To paint a clearer picture of how important Rodriguez is to the team, statistics show that the current Bayern Munich winger has been involved in 10 of the nation’s last 14 World Cup goals—scoring six and assisting on the other four.
In simple words, when Rodriguez is at his best, Colombia are a serious threat.
Rodriguez has the vision and technique to unlock defences, something which should prove crucial against a stubborn Senegal side that is certain to buckle up on the defensive end.
Besides James, another player to watch in the Colombia camp is Radamel Falcao. After scoring his first World Cup goal the last time out, Falcao will be keen to add more to his tally and help the team extend their campaign.
Falcao missed the finals four years ago due to injury, so he is undoubtedly hungry for more.
Not to mention that this is his probably his best chance considering that he’ll be 36 in the next instalment of the competition.
Colombia boss Jose Pekerman called the Monaco striker as the “symbol of Colombian football,” and if that doesn’t get him going, I don’t know what will.
Senegal, of course, won’t be a walk in the park. Not after getting this close to the knockout rounds that they crave so much.
Sadio Mane will be the usual threat he is for the Lions of Teranga. Japan tried hard to contain him, but it still didn’t work as the Liverpool standout showed his top-notch movement around the box.
The issue now for Mane and his Senegal teammates is improving their defence to get things done. It should be noted that they went ahead two times against the Blue Samurai, but they allowed their Asian opponents to fight back twice to share the spoils.
Senegal have conceded in their first two games this World Cup, and that isn’t a good thing when they face a Colombian squad that also boasts in-form players.
History
Senegal and Colombia have met just once before, but that meeting was enough to spark excitement ahead of their clash at the Samara.
In the build-up to the 2014 World Cup, Senegal and Colombia played out a 2-2 friendly draw, with the African side coming back from two goals down to get a stunning stalemate.
Colombia went ahead 2-0 going to halftime, thanks to goals from Teofilo Gutierrez and Carlos Bacca, but the Lions of Teranga roared back behind Moussa Konate and Cheikh N’Dioye—both of whom are still part of the Senegal 2018 team.
The Cafeteros defeated their last African opponents in the World Cup, fending off Ivory Coast to the tune of a 2-1 win four years ago. However, Senegal are known as a hardworking team even against South American opposition, having drawn with Uruguay back in 2002 in their final group stage game.
What are the odds?
Despite what they have shown so far, Senegal are overwhelming underdogs with 1X2 odds at 3.95. Colombia, in contrast, are at 1.90.
World Cup 2018 betting odds, though, expect the two nations to be equal by halftime. While Colombia are more likely to be ahead with First Half 1X2 odds @ 2.57, a draw after the first half is at 2.06.
On the other hand, considering that both teams have combined for eight goals so far in the competition, SBOBET odds of Over 2.75 @ 2.35 might prove to be a steal.
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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