Getty Colombia has advanced to the Round of 16.
Colombia will take on England in the Round of 16 as Colombia punched their ticket to the next round thanks to a win over Senegal. Colombia won Group H, while Japan advanced as the runner-up thanks to a fair play tiebreaker over Senegal. Colombia will play England, the Group G runner-up, on Tuesday, July 3 at 2 p.m. Eastern in Moscow. According to Bet 365, England is favored at 13/10, while Colombia is an underdog with 23/10 odds.
After a disappointing loss to Japan to start the tournament, Colombia was able to advance with two straight victories. Colombia is looking to replicate their performance in the 2014 World Cup where they were able to advance to the quarterfinals. Colombia will likely be an underdog against either Belgium or England, as both squads have looked like two of the best teams in the tournament. Colombia entered the tournament with 40 to 1 odds to win the World Cup, and many picked the team as a dark horse to win. With two straight wins, it looks like Colombia has started to find their footing. Senegal and Poland provided solid tests for the team, preparing them for even better competition as they head to the Round of 16.
Belgium and England were both tied atop the standings heading into their game. Both teams ended up resting starters with their Round of 16 spot already clinched, and Belgium was able to get the victory to win the group. Despite England insisting before the match that their goal was to defeat Belgium, the way they approached the game made it clear their eyes were on the next round.
While Colombia is happy to have advanced, there is a bit of a cloud hanging over the team with the status of James Rodriguez. After group play had concluded, Colombia manager Jose Pekerman admitted he was “concerned” over the status of his star player.
“I’m extremely concerned, it’s a very tough situation for my team,” Pekerman admitted to the Chicago Tribune. “I didn’t want to talk about this in a conference, because it risks overshadowing everything else that’s happened. But I can say it’s not a comfortable situation for us…He trained normally until yesterday as always, he stayed on afterwards to practise free kicks and penalties as he does. He was fully fit… but right now I don’t know where he stands. We do hope we’ll hear good news once he’s gone for his check-up.”
According to OddsShark, England is fourth in the odds to win the World Cup at 8 to 1, while Colombia is 10th with 25 to 1 odds.
Updated odds to win the #WorldCup (Bovada):
Brazil +350
Spain +450
Belgium +600
England +800
France +850
Croatia +1000
Argentina +1200
Portugal +2200
Uruguay +2200
Colombia +2500
Switzerland +3300
Mexico +5000
Russia +6000
Sweden +7000
Denmark +8000
Japan +15000