Last Sunday, we saw the real face of Colombia. How they played versus Poland is how they played in 2014. Senegal, on the other hand, was rather inferior as a favourite against Japan. Therefore, this is a matchup of two teams heading in opposite directions. We’ll find out how much momentum matters at 16:00 on Thursday in Samara’s Cosmos Arena.
When James Rodriguez is on top of his game, he’s the most influential player on the pitch. That’s who the man of the match was in the 3-0 demolition of Poland. His movement and passes were exceptional. Just take a look at the assist on Cuadrado’s goal and tell me how many current footballers can pull that off? Cuadrado himself was also amazing. He constantly harassed Poland’s defenders on the right flank. They couldn’t relax for a second when the ball was at these feet. Deciding to go with Juan Quintero over Jose Izquierdo and swapping Oscar Murillo with Yerry Mina were two masterful moves by Jose Pekerman. Abel Aguilar’s injury brought Mateus Uribe on the pitch as well, a player who deserved to be in the starting lineup anyway. All the pieces of the mosaic are aligned now, as Los Cafeteros look set to take the World Cup by storm once again.
Senegal has been the recipient of some good fortune. Neither of their first three goals in the tournament was results of organized game-play. Nevertheless, the results have gone their way. All The Lions of Teranga need to do in order to prolong their stay in Russia is to avoid defeat. That’s easier said than done. Liverpool’s Sadio Mane is a menace and a game-changer. Senegal’s Sadio Mane is the team’s leader, but not nearly as effective on the pitch. It means that Jurgen Klopp uses him in a way he can thrive, while Aliou Cisse does not. He disappears into the crowd. Although it hasn’t affected Senegal so far, it will affect them against Colombia.
Left-back Youssouf Sabaly and right back Moussa Wague have been fantastic. Their offensive involvement has been essential in Senegal’s creativity up front. Most of the chances the team has are a direct consequence of Sabaly and Wague sneaking behind the opposition defence and catching the opponent by surprise. That’s something Pekerman will need to be aware of when constructing his in-game tactics.
Senegal’s problem is the same that has plagued African teams over the years, which is inconsistency. At times they look unstoppable and then all of a sudden they turn into disinterested observers. The Colombians won’t let that type of behaviour go unpunished. Considering what Colombia did to Poland, the Africans must be at 100% on Thursday. Aliou Cisse’s men missed a huge opportunity to book a Round of 16 spots against Japan and they may pay a heavy price for it.
Odds
Senegal 4
Draw 3.5
Colombia 1.9
