Colombia vs Portugal: Match Preview | OneFootball

The pressure remains on Portugal for this final group match. They must win to top the group, while Colombia only need a draw, which could potentially mean an easier round of 32 match. Well on paper anyway. 

The CR7 show

Cristiano Ronaldo proved all of his doubters wrong in their convincing 5-0 victory over Uzbekistan. It wasn’t just the two goals from the veteran forward, it was the well crafted set pieces that he was involved in. 

Clever body language meant he had everyone fooled for a free-kick on 17 minutes, but it was Nuno Mendes who struck the ball into the back on the net. 

There was also a well worked free-kick in the second half that nearly resulted in a hat-trick for Ronaldo, but the goalkeeper was quick off his line after the ball was dinked forward to him.

41 year-old Ronaldo in now the first player to score in six World Cups. His second goal of this tournament also meant he moved ahead of the legendary Eusebio as Portugal’s all-time leading scoring in the competition with 10 goals. Can Ronaldo add to his World Cup tally and get closer to 1000 career goals?

Two of the favorites?

Much like 2014, Colombia are a dark horse to go far in the competition. Twelve years ago it was goals from James Rodríguez that stole the show; this time it’s a real team effort. 

Crystal Palace’s Daniel Muñoz now has two goals in the tournament, thanks to his strike in the 1-0 win over DR Congo. His Eagles teammate, Jefferson Lerma, is looking really sharp alongside Racing Santander star Gustavo Puerta. 

The front three of Rodríguez, Sporting Lisbon’s Luis Suárez and the dangerous Luis Díaz will certainly give the Portuguese defense plenty to think about.

Apart from Ronaldo, the Seleção das Quinas still have an embarrassment of riches running through their starting eleven. One similarity to the Coffee Growers is their impressive full-backs. João Cancelo assisted Ronaldo’s first goal against the Uzbeks and Mendes looked a threat on top of his free-kick. 

PSG’s João Neves and Vitinha are key players in the middle of the park and Bruno Fernandes provided another assist when he played Ronaldo in for his second goal against Uzbekistan. 

Tactics and Match prediction

Both nations don’t appear to have any injuries in the battle to top the group. There’s rumours that Roberto Martinez will bring Rafa Leão into the team after netting the fifth goal against Uzbekistan. If this happens its likely that Pedro Neto will drop to the bench. 

Nestor Lorenzo will probably stick to the side that’s won its first two games. The incentive of group winners and a favorable last 32 clash will mean there won’t be many changes in his approach. 

Colombia are in great form at the moment. Including their first two group games they’ve won 4 out of their last five matches. The only loss was a 3-1 friendly defeat against France at the end of March. 

Portugal’s form is actually slightly better than this. They’ve also won 4 out of their last 5, with the only wobble being the 1-1 draw with the Congolese. 

Surprisingly, these two heavyweights of international football have never faced each other. It will certainly be a mouthwatering contest in the sunshine state at the weekend. 

I hate to sit on the fence for these big games. However, I think it will be a tight affair at the Hard Rock Stadium and finish 1-1. This will still favour both countries, with them both qualifying automatically for the knockout rounds. 

Colombia possible starting lineup:Vargas; Muñoz, Sánchez, Lucumí, Mojica; Puerta, Lerma, Arias; Rodríguez, Suarez, Díaz

Portugal possible starting lineup:Costa; Cancelo, Dias, Veiga, Mendes; Neves, Vitinha; Silva, Fernandes, Leão; Ronaldo

Match details