Switzerland and Colombia have named their starting line-ups for the second World Cup playoff match in Vancouver on Tuesday night.
Die Nati are still unbeaten in the championship, and are on an impressive three-game winning streak – most recently with a 2-0 win over Algeria in the round of 32. Los Cafeteros also picked up seven points in the group stage, before beating Ghana 1-0 thanks to Jhon Arias’ winning goal.
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The winner of this clash will face Argentina in the quarterfinals in Kansas City on Sunday.
Switzerland confirmed line-up
Switzerland (XI): Kobel – Elvedi, Akanji, Rodríguez – Zakaria, Freuler, Xhaka, Jashari – Rieder, Embolo, Ndoye
Substitutes: Mvogo, Keller, Muheim, Widmer, Comert, Amenda, Sow, Fassnacht, Vargas, Okafor, Amdouni, Itten
Colombia’s confirmed line-up
Colombia (XI): Vargas – Muñoz, Lucumí, Puerta, Mojica – Sánchez, Rodríguez, Arias, Lerma – Díaz, Suárez
Substitutes: Ospina, Montero, S. Arias, Mina, Ditta, Machado, Castaño, Ríos, Carrascal, Portilla, Quintero, Córdoba, Hernández, Campaz, Gómez
Key figures
- Colombia won 2-0 in their only previous World Cup meeting with Switzerland – in 1994
- Murat Yakin’s team is unbeaten in its last 10 international matches in official tournaments (seven wins, three draws)
- Johan Manzambi’s assist for Breel Embolo against Algeria was his fifth direct goal in the World Cup (three goals, two assists)
- Manzambi is the youngest player to achieve this – 20 years and 261 days old. Only one player under the age of 21 has had more goals in a World Cup edition in the last 60 years – Germany’s Thomas Müller in 2010 (five goals, three assists)
- Embolo’s goal was his fourth in the World Cup finals – only Josef Hugi (six) and Xherdan Shaqiri (five) have more for Switzerland. Nati has won three or more matches in a World Cup for the first time
- Jhon Arias’ volley against Ghana came after 13 minutes and 49 seconds – the second-earliest goal Colombia has ever scored at the World Cup. Pablo Armero scored faster against Greece in 2014 (4 minutes and 48 seconds)
- Luis Suárez – who came on as a substitute after six minutes for Jhon Córdoba – hit the cross for that goal. It is the earliest goal scored by a substitute in World Cup history
- Against Ghana, Colombia had their highest xG in a World Cup playoff match (2.19) – and have had 20 or more shots in each of their last three games
- The last team to do so in four games in a row was France in 1998 – and the last from South America was Brazil 20 years earlier
- Colombia’s xG per shot (0.08) is the lowest among the remaining teams – despite having kept a clean sheet in three World Cup games in a row for the first time ever
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