The South Americans have impressed at the tournament so far and should get the better of the Black Stars, who have struggled to find their best form.
Key Stats
- Colombia were unbeaten in their three group stage matches.
- Colombia have won four of their last five matches in all competitions.
- Ghana failed to win their last two group stage matches.
- Ghana have lost six of their last nine matches in all competitions.
No Previous Meetings
There are no previous matches between Colombia and Ghana at this level.
Colombia Showing Quality
Colombia wrapped up their group stage campaign by playing out a 0-0 draw with Portugal. They looked the better side throughout the contest and created multiple scoring opportunities, but lacked the cutting edge in attack.
While manager Nestor Lorenzo would have preferred to claim the win, that result maintained Colombia’s unbeaten record in the competition. They won their first two matches and finished top of their group ahead of European giants Portugal.
Colombia’s recent good form stretches beyond the World Cup as their overall showings have been solid lately. Los Cafeteros have won four of their last five matches in all competitions.
Ghana Crawling Along
Ghana were beaten in their final group stage fixture, falling 2-1 to Croatia. They fought back from a goal down to level through Derrick Luckassen but went on to concede the winner seven minutes from time.
While it was a disappointing result, Ghana still managed to sneak through to the round of 32 as one of the best third-placed teams. Their campaign appears to be going downhill as they are winless in their last two matches after kicking things off with a laboured 1-0 victory over Panama.
Manager Carlos Queiroz has spent just over two months with the team, and Ghana's overall form has been poor lately. The Black Stars have lost six of their last nine matches in all competitions, stretching beyond the World Cup.
Team News and Predicted Line-ups
Colombia (4-3-3): Camilo Vargas; Daniel Munoz, Davinson Sanchez, Jhon Lucumi, Deiver Machado; Jhon Arias, Jefferson Lerma, Gustavo Puerta; James Rodriguez, Luis Suarez, Luis Diaz.
Right-back Daniel Munoz was a second-half substitute against Portugal and should return to the starting line-up for Colombia. Suarez could also be handed a start in attack alongside Diaz, while Sanchez should continue at the back.
Ghana (4-3-3): Benjamin Asare; Marvin Senaya, Jonas Adjetey, Derrick Luckassen, Gideon Mensah; Thomas Partey, Elisha Owusu, Caleb Yirenkyi; Antoine Semenyo, Jordan Ayew, Kamaldeen Sulemana.
Yirenkyi was a second-half substitute for Ghana in their last fixture and could return to the starting lineup for this one. Ayew should lead the line once again, with Semenyo and Sulemana providing support while Luckassen is set to continue at the back.