2018 FIFA World Cup: Senegal and Colombia Clash in High Stakes Match

• Senegal and Colombia kick off in Group H at 10:00 a.m. EST on Thursday, June 28th
• Can Sadio Mané lead the underdog Senegalese into the Round of 16?
• How do Japan and Poland figure into the Group H picture?

After the worst possible start to the World Cup, the Colombians righted the ship with a 3-0 win over Poland to save their tournament on Sunday. Colombia found themselves in an early hole in their first match against Japan when they received a red card, resulting in a penalty kick goal only six minutes into the match.

Playing a man down for basically the entire match saw Colombia only hold 39% of possession. However, they fought back to tie the game in the 39′ minute through a goal by Juan Quintero. They almost held on to the single point until Japan’s Yuya Osaka put Japan ahead for good in the 73′ minute.

Against Poland, Colombia came out determined to turn things around and dictated the pace of play from start to finish.

Yerry Mina got Los Cafeteros on the board in the 40′ minute to give them a 1-0 lead to take into the locker room at halftime. The Colombian pressure kept coming in the second half as Radamel Falcao and Juan Cuadrado added goals in the 70′ and 75′ minutes to seal the game.

After a game playing a man down, and another against a listless Polish team, the match against Senegal should be the best gauge of how good this Colombian team really is.

The Senegalese are an in-form group themselves and are coming off an exciting 2-2 draw with Japan. Sadio Mané put Les Lions de la Téranga on the board early with a goal in the 11′ minute before Japan drew even in the 34′ minute. It looked like this one may end 1-1 until Moussa Wagué put Senegal back out in front in the 78′ minute.

Only minutes later Keisuke Honda became the top-scoring Asian player in World Cup history and drew Japan even once again. Honda has four goals in nine World Cup appearances.

Senegal also beat the Poles 2-1 in their first game, though they were holding a clean sheet all the way until the 86′ minute when Gregorz Krychowiak pulled one back for Poland.

Striker Sadio Mané is the most dynamic offensive threat for Senegal, as he scored a combined 20 goals in EPL and Champions League play this past season.

Japan vs Poland

Japan sit atop the Group H standings after their aformentioned 2-1 win over Colombia and 2-2 draw with Senegal. They showed great resilience in fighting back twice to draw even with Senegal in their last match. There is some concern they allowed Colombia to score though while playing a man down.

There is really nothing positive to say about Poland. It’s not just that they’ve lost both matches but also in how they’ve looked while doing it. At no point in either match did you ever feel like they were really in the game or had a chance of getting any sort of result.

Talisman Robert Lewandowski has looked a shell of his Bayern Munich self who scored 29 goals in the Bundesliga. The leading goalscorer for Poland in qualifying has been completely held off the scoresheet in the World Cup.

Group H Table

Senegal vs Columbia Betting Advice

Pick: Senegal vs Colombia: Both Teams to Score -110 

Pick: Japan vs Poland: Draw +220

The Senegal vs Colombia match promises to be a must-watch game on the Thursday schedule, with these two in-form teams each scoring four goals in the tournament so far. Overall the four matches involving these teams have combined for 13 goals.

With Japan playing the already eliminated Poles at the same time, both teams will know a win could be paramount to advancing in the tournament. Colombia could also have the crowd behind them. If you watched Colombia’s match against Poland, you couldn’t be blamed for thinking the match was taking place in Barranquilla, Colombia and not Russia. Yellow jerseys filled the stands and they will likely come out strong again for this crucial match.

Senegal have also been an easy team to root for with both supporters and neutrals alike. They’re playing with confidence and are truly thrilled to be here.

Senegal have also been an easy team to root for with both supporters and neutrals alike. They’re playing with confidence and are truly thrilled to be here as evidenced by their pre-game warm up, or “dance routine”.

It’s hard to judge what sort of performance to expect from a team once they are eliminated. Poland falls into this category and have really shown no signs of life so far. However Lewandowski sounds like he won’t be going down without a fight in this match. “We want to win for our fans, who always supported us,” he said. “We would still like to prove that we are not here by accident.”

Japan sit first in the standings, though that could be changed by Colombia’s early red card. Knowing a draw would guarantee advancing that could be the best bet for this match.

Senegal vs Colombia Odds

Japan vs Poland Odds