Gareth Southgate’s rejuvenated England side who have breathed a new life into English football with fans really starting to believe the Three Lions can go all the way in FIFA World Cup 2018 in Russia. With such euphoria surrounding the side, England finished second in the group which was possibly a blessing in disguise as it gives them a chance to be in the final facing oppositions that are unseeded. Opponents Colombia have won back to back games after a shock loss to Japan in the opener and will be a tough challenge for the Englishmen.
Gareth Southgate made as many as seven changes in the 1-0 loss to Belgium and may recall many of the rested players back in the starting eleven. This means the likes of Harry Kane and Raheem Sterling will all be back in action. Captain Kane is this World Cup’s top scorer and a lot has been spoken about his ability to single-handedly make England cross the line. Dele Ali is fit again and should be recalled for the game.
Centre-back John Stones who was substituted in the last game against Belgium due to a slight niggle trained with the team and is in line for a place in defence. England’s strength lies in the front three of Jesse Lingard, Harry Kane and Raheem Sterling who combine well in the final third. The trio is blessed with raw pace and natural finishing abilities which can put real pressure on the best of defences.
Jose Pekerman, Colombia’s head coach will be keeping his fingers crossed over the fitness of attacking midfielder James Rodriguez whose calf trouble prematurely ended his clash with Senegal. The Bayern Munich man has not trained with the team and may have to pass a late fitness test in order to determine his participation in the game. In the likelihood of him missing, Sevilla man Luis Muriel will come up to the line-up replacement. Abel Aguilar though has recovered completely from the muscle problem and will feature against England.
Veteran striker Radamel Falcao who was a flop in his brief stint in England with Manchester United and Chelsea will have added incentive to down the nation that gave him his worst phase in footballing life. Now back to full form and fitness, the Colombian skipper is a very dangerous player and one that certainly Gareth Southgate must have spoken about at length in his team meetings. The game overall is quite a close affair with picking a side a tedious job. It could very well be decided by a lapse of concentration or moment of inspired genius.
When will Colombia vs England Football Match Take Place? Time, Schedule, and Venue Details of Round of 16, Match 8:
The eighth game of the Round of 16 will witness Colombia and England clash against each other at 2018 FIFA World Cup. The pre-quarterfinal game will see a start time of 11.30 pm (IST), and it will take place at Otkrytie Arena, in Russia.
Will the LIVE telecast of Colombia vs England World Cup Match Available in India?
Yes, fans will be able to watch Colombia vs England pre-quarterfinal match telecast live in India. The rights to broadcast the matches of FIFA World Cup 2018 in India is held solely by Sony Pictures Networks. The (Round of 16, Match 8) match between Colombia vs England will be LIVE telecast on Sony Ten 2/Sony Ten 2 HD (English), Sony Ten 3/Sony Ten 3 HD (Hindi) and Sony ESPN (Bengali, Malayalam, Tamil, and Telugu) TV channels.
Colombia vs England FIFA World Cup 2018 Match; Is Free Live Streaming Available Online in India?
If the fans cannot watch Colombia vs England match on their television sets, they can watch it online. The Round of 16, Match 8, between Colombia and England at FIFA World Cup 2018 will be available online; the fans can watch live streaming of the match on Sony Liv. Also, the fan can catch up on the live updates of the game on LatestLY here.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 03, 2018 07:44 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).