After a rough start to the World Cup, a convincing 3-0 win against Poland has momentum back on Colombia’s side. But can Los Cafeteros make it two wins in a row against Senegal as they look to move on to the Round of 16 for the second straight World Cup?
Head man José Pekerman is expected to stick with a similar lineup to the one that got Colombia its needed win last time around, but he’ll gladly welcome back the suspended Carlos Sánchez in the defensive midfield. Sánchez is likely to step in next to Wilmar Barrio, who subbed in admirably in “La Roca’s” absence. On the backline, youngsters Davinson Sánchez and Yerry Mina will again make up the center of the defense. The big-bodied Mina scored on a beautiful header in the last game and will look to provide a similar spark today against a physical Senegal side.
On offense, the usual suspects of Radamel Falcao, James Rodríguez and Juan Cuadrado will lead the attack. Midfielder Juan Fernando Quintero is also likely to start again, as he has for each World Cup game so far. The diminutive attacker has been brilliant with his passing in Russia and had the gorgeous assist that led to Falcao’s first ever World Cup goal against Poland.
Senegal, however, presents unique challenges with its complete balance at every level and the star power of an attacker like Sadio Mane. We’ll see how it plays out in our Colombia vs Senegal live blog below:
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