Colombia vs England Betting Preview

Kick-off: Tuesday, 3rd July @19:00 GMT

Venue: Spartak Stadium, Moscow

Head to head record

Colombia vs England0-4 (1970 friendly)

England vs Colombia 1-1 (1988 Rous Cup)

England vs Colombia 0-0 (1995 friendly)

Colombia vs England 0-2 (1998 World Cup)

England vs Colombia 3-2 (2005 friendly)

Colombia vs England predictions

Realistically, England was always going to make it to the knockout phase. The only question was whether they would finish in 1st or 2nd place. Belgians won the match in which there were a lot of changes in players. Kane scored five goals and it’s always good for your striker to get some early goals.

Columbia have done well to pull themselves together after the opening match loss to beat Poland 3-0 in the second match. Finishing first in the group is a great achievement. Confidence in the team will be high, but it is not yet clear whether James Rodriguez will play, after he was injured in the game against Senegal.

Going all the way

The way things are playing out right now, England have a good chance of making it to the finals. Their side of the draw looks easier. However, there is ever only that next game, so that’s how they should approach this one too. Good news is that Dele Alli has recovered and will be available to play after missing the last two games.

England haven’t had much success since 1966 and fans at home are eager to push England as far as they can go this year. And they can go all the way. Especially with Germany, Argentina and Spain out of the picture and other favorites not playing convincingly enough.

Three in a row

Columbia will look to make it three wins in a row against England. Being outsiders in this game might suit them and relieve them of some pressure. They’ve shown spirit and talent in the attack, so anything is possible. Falcao should have more confidence now he has scored, and Quintero has shown some skill.

Still, their top scorer from the last World Cup, Rodriguez, might not be fit enough to play, or start the game. Does that mean that Colombia will have a more defensive approach? Probably not. Their style so far has been to attack the opponents. Sitting back would certainly invite England to press more.

Some interesting facts

• Colombia won Copa America back in 2001.
• James Rodriguez won the Golden boot in the 2014 World Cup after scoring six goals including the goal of the tournament.
• Colombia won all three of their group matches in Brazil in 2014.
• The last time England played Colombia was in 2005, in the US, where they won 3-2, courtesy of a Michael Owen hat-trick.
• Colombia have scored in their last eight matches in the World Cup which is a record. No other nation has had a run that long so far.
• The last time they didn’t score was in 1998, against England.

Colombia vs England betting pick

This will be the sixth time two sides play against each other. In the previous five, England won three and there were two draws. So, Colombia are still to beat England. This World Cup has already seen it’s share of surprises, so it’s possible.

Still, England are favorites to win it, especially if Kane carries on with his goal scoring. Odds on him scoring the first goal are 3/1. It’s a tough call, especially with the uncertainty of James Rodriquez fitness.

Having scored in their previous eight games in the World Cup, Colombia will be confident to score again. That means that England will probably need two goals at least to make it to the quarter-finals.

Pick: England to win

Odds: 1/2