Poland VS Colombia Match Prediction
2018-06-24
18:00:00
Poland
VS
Colombia
Our Prediction Tip
Colombia will win this match.
2018-06-2418:00:00 Colombia will win this match.
Colombia have won their last three matches against Poland – three out of five in total – but they have never met in a major tournament.
They have only met once since the turn of the century, though neither side had any of their current squad players in action in the 2-1 Colombia win in 2006 in Chorzow.
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Colombia are without a win in their last three matches and have won just two out of their last ten in all competitions
Colombia have won their last three consecutive matches against Poland
Poland have scored ten goals in their last four matches, with Robert Lewandowski scoring four of those
No player, in any continent, scored more than Lewandowski’s 16 goals in World Cup qualifying but he drew a blank against Senegal
Both Poland and Colombia hit a sticky patch at a bad time ahead of the World Cup – Colombia in particular after a run of just two wins in ten games.
Poland had got back to winning and goalscoring ways thanks to Robert Lewandowski, but he was unable to make an impact against Senegal as his team-mates struggled.
Colombia did create chances against Japan, by contrast, but with a player down and Japan dominated in midfield, defensive changes were needed and ultimately hampered Colombia’s attacking play.
James Rodriguez missing out was a further blow, but with the Bayern Munich loanee back and Radamel Falcao desperate to get in among the goals up front, Colombia are favourites for this game.
In truth, while they were masters of their own downfall and looked ropey in defence, Colombia could have beaten Japan had they not played for nearly the full game with ten men.
Poland, by contrast, looked toothless and lacking in creativity against Senegal as they failed to live up to their position as top seeds in Group H.
Colombia’s recent record against Poland is also good with three consecutive wins, though the last game was more than 10 years ago so not much should be read into that.
Nevertheless, Colombia are good enough to beat Poland and put themselves back in the frame for a place in the second round. Rodriguez’s return will be key, just as Lewandowski is the key man for Poland.
Both Bayern Munich players carry the hopes of a nation on their shoulders, but it is the Colombian who could come out on top on Sunday.
Colombia are favourites to beat Poland despite their recent form, but you can still back them at 13/10 to win with Bet365 and Betfair.
Both sides boast their star men up front – for Colombia it is Radamel Falcao and James Rodriguez, while for Poland they have the top goalscorer in World Cup qualifying in Robert Lewandowski. Both teams to score is therefore just 10/11 with Bet365.
A Colombia win and BTTS is 15/4 with Bet365 and 888sport, while over 2.5 goals in the game will return 23/20 with Ladbrokes.
Robert Lewandowski is favourite to score at any time, with the Polish striker at 31/21 with 888sport. They also offer the best price on Radamel Falaco at 9/5, while fit-again James Rodriguez is 5/2 with Betfair and Paddy Power.
1) Both teams to score = “YES” at 10/11 with Bet365
2) Colombia to win at 13/10 with Betfair
3) Total goals = over 2.5 at 23/20 with Ladbrokes
Poland are in good goalscoring form but looked toothless against Senegal, whereas Colombia produced small flashes of their best form despite being a man down for almost the entirety of their defeat to Japan. Neither side impressed, but Colombia can bounce back with a win.
Jakub Blaszczykowski was taken off at half-time in the defeat to Senegal due to injury and he is a doubt for the game against Colombia. Karol Linetty is a potential replacement. Kamil Glik missed the game through injury, but the centre-back could also be in line to return with officials not putting a timeframe on his absence after a training ground injury.
Robert Lewandowski (striker) – Three goals in Poland’s warm-up matches took him to 55 goals for his country, having hit 40 for Bayern Munich in each of the last three seasons too.
Piotr Zielinski (midfielder) – Napoli man will need to step up if Jakub Blaszczykowski misses out through injury.
Kamil Glik (defender) – Monaco defender Kamil Glik was missed as Poland team conceded two sloppy goals against Senegal. His return would be a big boost.
Poland 1-2 Senegal (Krychowiak)
Poland were masters of their own downfall against Senegal, gifting the African side two sloppy goals. First Idrissa Gueye’s wayward shot spun into the Polish net off Thiago Cionek before Grzegorz Krychowiak loose backpass was missed by Jan Bednarek and the onrushing Wojciech Szczesny to present Mbaye Niang – only just back on the pitch after receiving treatment - to tap in. Krychowiak pulled one back late one but it was not enough.
Poland had enjoyed a mini revival after a barren run in front of goal before their defeat to Senegal. A 3-2 win against South Korea thanks to Piotr Zielinski’s last-minute winner was followed by a 2-2 draw with Chile – Zielinski and Robert Lewandowski scoring. Two more goals for Lewandowski followed in a 4-0 thrashing of Lithuania, but they could not continue that form into the World Cup.
After his third-minute red card for deliberate handball against Japan, Carlos Sanchez will miss the match against Poland through suspension. James Rodriguez is likely to return to the starting line-up, however, after being restricted to just the final half-hour against Japan due to a minor injury. Juan Cuadrado was sacrificed for defensive reinforcements on the half-hour last time out, but he should retain his place in the starting XI. Davinson Sanchez’s below-par performance could lead to Yerry Mina or Christian Zapata starting.
James Rodriguez (attacking midfielder) – Scored in all five of Colombia’s World Cup games in 2014 to win the Golden Boot
Radamel Falcao – Has scored 29 goals in 74 international appearances
Juan Cuadrado – Busy performance for half an hour, and will hope to prove a point after being withdrawn early against Japan for tactical reasons.
Colombia 1-2 Japan
Colombia had Carlos Sanchez sent off for deliberate handball after just three minutes and Japan converted the penalty to take an early lead. Juan Quintero’s clever free-kick, under the wall, got Colombia back in the game before Yuya Osaka grabbed a second-half winner to consign Colombia Football team to a surprise defeat.
Colombia are now without a win in three straight matches since a stunning comeback from 2-0 down to beat France 3-2 in March. Goalless draws with Australia and Egypt have followed, before a defeat to Japan in their first match of World Cup 2018.
Group H top seeds Poland and favourites Colombia both suffered 2-1 defeats in their opening game, against Senegal and Japan respectively. They now face each other on the final match day of the second round of fixtures, knowing a defeat could end their chances of reaching the second round. The match takes place at the Kazan Arena on Sunday June 24, with kick-off scheduled for 9pm local time.
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